A new Courthouse - do we need it?
Published October 9, 2009
As many know, Strathcona County has a courthouse. It is located in a strip mall on Chippewa Road at Kaska Road. It has been there for many years. I would suspect that many County residents have never had the opportunity to grace its doorstep and that is a good thing. To say that the existing courthouse is woefully inadequate would be a gross understatement. Having been in it many times, professionally I might add, it is hard to imagine how the judges and administrative staff provide our community such a high level of service.
Though times have certainly changed, in the past the presence of a courthouse in a community gave it credibility and a certain status that set it above other communities. Traditionally, courthouses were put in major centres and county seats. In days of yore, laws were pretty basic and it was usually as simple as appearing before a judge that did all things and passed judgement on all things. Laws and legal processes have now become complex. At one time there were very few levels of court. We now have Traffic Court, Provincial Court, Family Court, Youth Justice Court, Surrogate Court, Court of Queen's Bench and so on.
In our local courthouse there are only two court rooms and all administration and courts have to be juggled and managed. Certainly the constraints imposed upon staff create inefficiencies. Courts need to be efficient not only to provide better service to the public but also to be able to speedily address the needs of justice.
Strathcona County Council and Administration have been working with the Province for a number of years to address this shortcoming in our community. The Province and our two MLA's, to their credit, are fully aware of this matter and have been working closely with the Province to come to a solution. I believe that a courthouse in Strathcona County is a high priority for the Attorney General's Department. In February of 2008, Council passed a motion to provide land to the Province to build a courthouse adjacent to Bison Way on a long term lease basis.
A new courthouse with many court rooms, additional staff and a greater level of service on a variety of legal issues will absolutely enhance legal services within our community. The opportunity to have a higher level of court than currently exists is also a distinct possibility. This would be a great asset to the legal segment of our community and in turn, enhance court services to our residents.
Though courthouses are no longer a central and focal point of a community, the fact that they are a vital and needed part is without question. The presence of courthouses still brings an aura of credibility to a community and in some fashion still demonstrates the community's permanency. Back to the title of these comments; Do we need a new courthouse? Beyond any shadow of a doubt.
Peter Wlodarczak
Councillor, Ward 4
780-464-8146
wlodarczak@strathcona.ab.ca.
Last updated: Tuesday, March 23, 2010
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