Province adds $4M to now-$15M Dauphin courthouse renovations

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This article was published 28/01/2022 (1063 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The provincial government is putting another $4 million toward renovations at the Dauphin courthouse.

The funds are in addition to an $11-million tender the government put out for the project in March 2021 and awarded to Bockstael Construction. The pandemic increased material and labour costs, the province stated in a news release Friday, and there were “additional requirements identified during the design process” that increased costs.

“Our government is committed to providing accessible and efficient justice services to those living in Dauphin and surrounding communities,” Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen stated in the news release. “These additional investments support the modernization of Manitoba’s court system and enhance access to justice.”

The government has promised renovations to the historic courthouse, built in 1917, will make the building more easily accessible, enhance security, provide new office spaces and video-conferencing areas for lawyers and their clients.

The expansion of the courthouse includes repurposing the adjacent provincial jail, which was closed in May 2020 in a controversial move by the provincial government, which deemed the cost of renovating it too high.

Approximately 65 inmates were relocated and 80 staff members were offered other jobs within Manitoba Corrections.