Judges say Summerside's courthouse needs to be replaced for safety, accessibility reasons

Judges and staff who work at Prince County courthouse in Summerside, P.E.I., say it needs to be replaced. 

The historic red-brick building is almost 150 years old, and has significant limitations when it comes to accessibility, security and overall operations.

Officials, including Summerside provincial court Judge Krista MacKay, took P.E.I. Justice and Public Safety Minister Bloyce Thompson on a tour of the courthouse on Tuesday.

MacKay highlighted some of the building's biggest challenges:

The cramped first floor where people wait outside on a steep cement step to go through security screening. Limited space outside the main courtroom where people often need to sit on the floor or in the stairwell while they wait to go into court on busier days. A door through which people being held in custody must pass to enter the courtroom — only an arm's length away from the judge's bench.  

Crown attorneys sit in front of defence lawyers in the courtroom because there isn't enough space to put their two tables next to each other. MacKay said this creates a security concern because sometimes there are people at the defence table who are not happy with what is being said about them by the Crown. 

"I would like to say we could just make the changes here that are necessary but I don't think this building could be retrofit for what we need," she said. "So, really, I think we do need a new courthouse."  

The province has issued a request for proposals for a new courthouse that will lay out the building's needs.

Then, Thompson said he hopes to find money in the next provincial budget to start construction.

The justice minister hopes the new courthouse can be home to both the provincial and Supreme courts. The Supreme Court was relocated to Slemon Park during the COVID-19 pandemic because its courtroom was too small, and it's stayed there ever since. 

Thompson said it's too soon to say when construction could start, or how much a new courthouse would cost. 

"This is an historic building, a beautiful old building, but it's served its purpose and it's time to have a new courthouse here in Summerside," Thompson said.  

"It's important that we have a proper courthouse here for provincial court and Supreme Court here in Summerside."  

Officials said a new courthouse would also include holding cells.