Canadian Lawyer

Richness is: HISTORIC CALgARy COURTHOUSE STANDS EMpTy, UNUSED, AND UNLOvED ordered the building closed and the Court of Appeal moved. Though the court vacat- ed it, thousands of legal documents were left in the basement. Workers retrieving them had to wear protective clothing and respirators as they sifted through it. Tracy Larsen of Alberta Infrastructure, the provincial government agency man- aging the building, says there is no longer a mould problem. "Any hazardous materi- al is properly contained within the facility and would not be an issue if the building was to be occupied again." But she says the future of the building remains under review and "there are no plans to use the building until the review is complete." And when will the review be com- plete? Alberta Infrastructure is not saying and the City of Calgary does not know. Meanwhile, the building, surrounded by a new architecturally designed gar- den built above a 700-stall underground parking lot, stands empty, unwanted, and, from its scratched front door to its tightly curtained windows, sadly unloved. The old courthouse opened in 1914, You define richness. With the Scotia Professional® Plan, we can help with the money part. You've worked long and hard to build your career. It only makes sense to do everything you can to ensure your continued success, both professionally and personally. The Professional Plan is a fully customized banking package designed to help you build a strong, profitable business while ensuring your personal finances receive the attention they deserve. Which is a solution that makes your life a whole lot easier. To learn more about Scotia Professional Plan, visit your nearest Scotiabank branch or visit scotiabank.com/professional today. and was designated a Provincial Historic Resource in 1977. The City of Calgary's co-ordinator of centre city development and heritage, David Down, believes "the building is definitely secure" from demo- lition. But the old courthouse belongs to the province and the city is mainly a bystander in deciding its future. "We look forward to the province letting us know what is planned," says Down. There has been talk of the building being converted into a law library, but the Law Society of Alberta already has a modern library housed on the fifth floor of the adjacent Calgary Courts Centre. Some observers would like to see it house legal aid agencies or even the law society. Harry Sanders, a Calgary civic histo- ® Registered trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia. ® Registered trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia. rian, calls the old courthouse "a beauti- ful building with a long history," but as to what it may become, he can only say, "I look forward to its future, whatever its next use turns out to be." — GEOFF ELLWAND writerlaw@gmail.com 10 A PRIL 2012 www. CANADIAN Lawyermag.com cotiabank_CL_Apr_12.indd 1 12-03-02 11:14 AM C ontinued fr om pa g e 9

• Cover