Edmonton Law Courts power outage reignites calls for new courthouse building

It’s been nearly a week since the lights went out in the south tower of the Edmonton Law Courts, as alarms forced everyone to evacuate the Court of King’s Bench and Court of Appeal.

That half of the building at 1A Sir Winston Churchill Square is responsible for handling the most serious criminal cases: murders, assaults and the like.

But since Tuesday Jan. 3, the area has been running emergency power only from a backup generator system.

The province said crews have been working to determine the cause, and try and fix the issue.

“Over the weekend of Jan. 7 and 8, our repair teams have installed new temporary high voltage cabling throughout the south tower of the building, as well as a transformer and associated equipment,” said a statement Monday from Infrastructure Minister Nathan Neudorf.

“By Sunday evening, this new equipment was providing power to the south tower, and the system was being tested with small electrical loads to check for faults and failures.”

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The minister added crews do not yet have a timeline on when the power will be fully and/or permanently restored.

Meanwhile cases have been shuffled around in an effort to prevent further delays in a system already backlogged because of the pandemic.

“Many criminal trials are being moved over to provincial court, or the sentencing hearings and appearances are being moved elsewhere,” explained Danielle Boisvert, president of the Criminal Trial Lawyers’ Association.

One such case — the high-profile sentencing hearing for Anthony Bilodeau — had so many interested parties that the small courtroom couldn’t accommodate everyone, resulting in eight people sitting on the floor to watch the proceedings.

Some cases are even being heard in smaller courthouses outside Edmonton.

“We’re expecting we’re going to be in a certain place that has certain technology, a certain amount of space, and certain security measures in place,” explained Dallas Sopko, president of the Alberta Crown Attorneys’ Association.

“When that changes on very short notice, it can be challenging for our members.”

Other cases still are being adjourned — like the highly-anticipated appeal hearing for convicted killer Bradley Barton, the man found guilty of manslaughter in the death of Cindy Gladue.

1:53 Bradley Barton sentenced to 12.5 years for manslaughter death of Cindy Gladue

Gladue, 36, was killed in a hotel room at the Yellowhead Inn in June 2011. A jury found Barton guilty of manslaughter but in August of 2021, the former long-haul trucker from Ontario appealed his conviction and sentence.

Her family and friends made the trip to Edmonton for the court date, only for it to be cancelled because of the outage.

“This kind of last minute delay, it’s re-traumatizing, absolutely,” explained family friend, Julie Kaye.

For Gladue’s family, closure in the justice system has been plagued by delays.

In a statement posted to the Court of King’s Bench website, it says: “Power to portions of the South Tower is being restored for January 10, which will allow for the return of some matters to South Tower courtrooms.”

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But Boisvert and Sopko say long-term solutions are needed for the 50-year-old brutalist-style building, which has faced numerous issues over the years.

“We’ve had fires, we’ve had floods, we’ve had air issues — there are even sound issues in some of the courtrooms in terms of acoustics, there are connection issues in terms of internet capabilities,” Boisvert said.

Some of the basement courtrooms can’t even get cell signal — something which wouldn’t have been considered in the early 1970s.

“Frankly over the last decade or so, it’s become abundantly clear to anyone who visits the courthouse or who works there, that upgrades or a new building are needed,” Sopko said.

In his statement, Minister Neudorf said the province has approved funding to look into the issue.

“The business case will make recommendations regarding various options, including consideration of whether to renovate or expand the current law court building, build a new facility, or a combination of both. The business case will be completed in October 2023.”