The Ministry of Justice says Finance Minister Mike de Jong will “make an announcement regarding the future of the Abbotsford Courthosue” this evening.
A press conference involving the minister has been scheduled for 6 p.m.
In 2011, a report found the courthouse was vermin-infested and plagued by “very serious functional, overcrowding, security and safety issues.”
In February of 2014, the province gave a consortium of five Fraser Valley municipalities, including Abbotsford, $600,000 to develop a 20-year expansion plan for courthouse expansion in the region.
That plan listed a new courthouse in Abbotsford as “high priority,” and suggested a $63.7 million replacement with nine provincial and five supreme courtrooms that could be located on the site of the present building on South Fraser Way.
Last month, The News inquired about the state of the courthouse and was told by the ministry that an announcement would be made later in 2017.
