New British Columbia Courthouse Opens Next Month

By Lisa Kopochinski

ABBOTSFORD, B.C.—With an opening date slated for January 18, 2021, the British Columbia Provincial Court will be begin sitting at the newly completed $150 million Abbotsford Courthouse.

Located next to the Abbotsford City Hall, the new Court will replace the existing courthouse with double the capacity, allow future expansion, and incorporate innovative design and technology.

The new 14-room courthouse in Abbotsford, a city of approximately 140,000 located near the Canada-United States border, will include three Supreme Court law courts, eight provincial court courtrooms, and three judicial conference rooms.

The new project is located within the city center civic precinct on land leased to the Province by the City of Abbotsford. Companies involved in this impressive project include Plenary Group (Canada) Ltd. (project co-lead and equity provider); PCL Investment Canada Inc. (equity provider); PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc. (design-builder); WZMH Architects (architect); Smith + Andersen (IMIT consultant); and Johnson Controls Canada LP (service provider).

Located in one of B.C.’s fastest-growing regions, Abbotsford’s new courthouse is part of the Lower Fraser Valley Court Strategy, which is based on demographic and courtroom demand analysis over the next two decades.

“Our government is committed to making the justice system work better for British Columbians,” said Attorney General David Eby, in a statement.

“The new Abbotsford Courthouse and the legal resources it will contain will add badly-needed capacity to the region.”