The Supreme Court of Canada building is crumbling and is in need of a facelift.
The landmark, 75-year-old building on Wellington Street is due for a major renovation, according to a recently released departmental performance report by Supreme Court administrators.
The court building has an “aging infrastructure” and is in need of a “major refurbishment,” Roger Bilodeau, the court’s registrar, stated in a preface to the report.
“There is,” the report itself stated, “a growing risk of infrastructure and building systems failure as a result of continuing property deterioration.”
The court is working with Public Works and Government Services Canada on the restoration project, as well as on shorter-term building upgrades.
“While it has been maintained adequately, it is reaching the point . . . where major interventions will be required to preserve it,” Public Works told Centretown News in an emailed statement.
The report does not specify how much time the project will take.
Detailed plans for the rehabilitation of the building are still being developed, says the statement from Public Works, which oversees all federal government buildings in the capital and across the country.
The process is designed to make sure that costs are “reasonable, necessary and provide the best value for taxpayers,” the department added.
The cornerstone of the Art Deco court building was laid in 1939 by the present queen’s mother during a historic visit to Ottawa with King George VI. The court’s first hearings were held in 1946. The building is crowned by Chateau-style copper roofs and has a symmetrical design.
The building is adorned by several statues, two of which stand beside the steps of building. They are referred to as truth and justice, reminding people of the purpose of the highest court in the land.
The court’s first major upgrades took place in 1995. That $21.5-million renovation project improved various features of the building, including the fire systems and accessibility. It also replaced the copper roof.
The building itself is not the only aspect of the Supreme Court receiving an upgrade, according to the report. There is also a push for more security and improved technology.
“Due to the sensitive nature of the Court’s business and its high level profile as the court of last resort in Canada’s judicial branch of government, it is essential to continue enhancing the Court’s security program which has many components, such as physical security, information technology security and business continuity planning,” says the report.