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Red Deer Justice Centre looking to add courtroom space as construction nears completion

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Construction of the new Red Deer Justice Centre is nearing completion.

Alberta’s government is investing in courthouse infrastructure to provide Albertans with courthouses that are modern, safe and easy to access.

Upgrading and building new courthouses improves Albertans’ access to the justice system by adding courtrooms and making buildings easier for everyone to navigate. Red Deer is getting a new building with additional courtrooms while Brooks, Hinton and Peace River will see renovations to the existing courthouses to make them more user-friendly and to provide updated security, privacy and accessibility features.

Red Deer Justice Centre

With an investment of more than $200 million, construction of the new Red Deer Justice Centre is nearing completion. Once finished, it will have 12 courtrooms ready for use, an increase from eight at the current facility. This will allow more cases to be heard at one time so matters can proceed in a timely manner. A $200,000 investment in Budget 2023 will support a planning study to build out four additional courtrooms, which, when complete, will bring the total number of courtrooms to 16.

The justice centre will also have spaces for people taking alternative approaches to the traditional courtroom trial process, with three new suites for judicial dispute resolution services, a new Indigenous courtroom with dedicated venting for smudging purposes, and a dedicated suite for alternative dispute resolution services such as family mediation and civil mediation.

Albertans continue to access court services at the existing Red Deer courthouse while the new centre is being built.

“Upgrading our province’s courthouses gives Albertans a more secure and comfortable experience when they need to visit court. By building a new justice centre in Red Deer, we are taking steps to increase capacity in the justice system to keep up with demand.”

Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice and Attorney General

Brooks courthouse

The upgraded Brooks courthouse is fully operational, as renovations were completed in August. A $4.6-million investment by Alberta’s government enabled many improvements to the courthouse, including a new public waiting area, vulnerable witness room, holding cells, prisoner dock and other updates. Alberta’s government is also investing in upgrades to courtroom audiovisual equipment at the Brooks courthouse.

“Access to justice services within communities across Alberta is critically important. Not only will these projects help increase access to the judicial system, boost the local economy and create jobs, they will also ensure effective and accessible delivery of services Albertans rely on.”

Pete Guthrie, Minister of Infrastructure

Hinton courthouse

Alberta’s government has invested $2.7 million for accessibility improvements to the Hinton courthouse. Improvements include wider entrances and more accessible handicap buttons at the main entrance and public washrooms, and more space at security screening areas. Renovations began in July and are expected to be complete by the end of the year. In the meantime, Albertans are accessing court services at the nearby Pembina Place building.

“The Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch has long been calling for upgrades to Alberta’s court infrastructure through our Agenda for Justice, including improving courtroom technology to make virtual appearances more widely available, improving physical accessibility to ensure that all Albertans can safely access court facilities, and improving capacity to address our province’s growing population. We are pleased to see these improvements underway, and look forward to continued investments in Alberta’s court infrastructure and modernization.”

Kyle Kawanamim, president, Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch

Peace River courthouse

To increase accessibility, Alberta’s government is providing $250,000 for a barrier-free access project at the courthouse in Peace River. Operations are expected to continue without disruption during renovations, which will begin next month.

 

This is a news release from the Government of Alberta.

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Alberta

Owner sells gas for 80 cents per litre to show Albertans how low prices ‘could’ be

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Undoubtedly some of the motorists driving past The Whistle Stop Cafe at Mirror on Tuesday morning thought it was an April Fools prank.  It wasn’t.

Chris Scott, owner of the gas station at The Whistle Stop Cafe offered a one day promotion on April 1st. Scott sold 8000 litres of regular gasoline for $0.80/ litre.

The promotion was funded by Scott and the Alberta Prosperity Project.  In this video posted to his social media, Chris Scott explains why they did it.

www.albertaprosperityproject.com

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Alberta

The beauty of economic corridors: Inside Alberta’s work to link products with new markets

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From the Canadian Energy Centre

Q&A with Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transport and Economic Corridors

Devin Dreeshen, Alberta’s Minister of Transportation
and Economic Corridors.

CEC: How have recent developments impacted Alberta’s ability to expand trade routes and access new markets for energy and natural resources?

Dreeshen: With the U.S. trade dispute going on right now, it’s great to see that other provinces and the federal government are taking an interest in our east, west and northern trade routes, something that we in Alberta have been advocating for a long time.

We signed agreements with Saskatchewan and Manitoba to have an economic corridor to stretch across the prairies, as well as a recent agreement with the Northwest Territories to go north. With the leadership of Premier Danielle Smith, she’s been working on a BC, prairie and three northern territories economic corridor agreement with pretty much the entire western and northern block of Canada.

There has been a tremendous amount of work trying to get Alberta products to market and to make sure we can build big projects in Canada again.

CEC: Which infrastructure projects, whether pipeline, rail or port expansions, do you see as the most viable for improving Alberta’s global market access?

Dreeshen: We look at everything. Obviously, pipelines are the safest way to transport oil and gas, but also rail is part of the mix of getting over four million barrels per day to markets around the world.

The beauty of economic corridors is that it’s a swath of land that can have any type of utility in it, whether it be a roadway, railway, pipeline or a utility line. When you have all the environmental permits that are approved in a timely manner, and you have that designated swath of land, it politically de-risks any type of project.

CEC: A key focus of your ministry has been expanding trade corridors, including an agreement with Saskatchewan and Manitoba to explore access to Hudson’s Bay. Is there any interest from industry in developing this corridor further?

Dreeshen: There’s been lots of talk [about] Hudson Bay, a trade corridor with rail and port access. We’ve seen some improvements to go to Churchill, but also an interest in the Nelson River.

We’re starting to see more confidence in the private sector and industry wanting to build these projects. It’s great that governments can get together and work on a common goal to build things here in Canada.

CEC: What is your vision for Alberta’s future as a leader in global trade, and how do economic corridors fit into that strategy?

Dreeshen: Premier Smith has talked about C-69 being repealed by the federal government [and] the reversal of the West Coast tanker ban, which targets Alberta energy going west out of the Pacific.

There’s a lot of work that needs to be done on the federal side. Alberta has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to economic corridors.

We’ve asked the federal government if they could develop an economic corridor agency. We want to make sure that the federal government can come to the table, work with provinces [and] work with First Nations across this country to make sure that we can see these projects being built again here in Canada.

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