The Ontario Court of Justice on Wyndham Street is closed until further notice and criminal cases will be moved temporarily to other area courthouses or conducted remotely.
In a letter posted on its web site Wednesday, the Ministry of the Attorney General said the closure is due to ‘HVAC assessment and remediation.’
A tweet by the ministry said the courtroom was closed ‘due to an HVAC concern.”
A sign posted on the door of the courthouse Wednesday morning said it was closed due to an emergency.
A call to the ministry office was not returned. GuelphToday also reached out to Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health to ask if it was involved in the closure has not heard back.
Until further notice, all in-person criminal hearings of the Ontario Court of Justice scheduled on Oct. 21, including trials and preliminary inquiries, will not proceed at the Guelph courthouse.
Those hearings may proceed using remote technology or may be located to a different courthouse.
Counsel will contact people expected in the courthouse Oct. 21 to Oct. 23 and the week of Oct. 26 to Oct. 30 and provide details on how the matter will proceed.
After Nov. 2 all criminal cases scheduled for a trial or preliminary inquiry at the court will be addressed in the COVID-19 trial readiness court, which is held by audio conference.
All criminal proceedings other than criminal trials and preliminary inquiries through the Ontario Court of Justice will continue to be conducted by audio conference or videoconference.
The closure does not affect family proceedings, which are held in a different courthouse at 74 Woolwich St.
