Making good on a promise from the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) conference to tour the Merritt courthouse, Attorney General David Eby visited the building with Mayor Neil Menard earlier this month.

“I think it went OK,” said Merritt Mayor Neil Menard. “He now understands much clearer what we’re dealing with here and  some of the difficulties we have with our present courthouse.”

Menard told the Herald this is the first time since he’s been on council that such a tour has taken place, and Minister Eby committed to getting back to council on the issue.

At past council meetings, some members of council have expressed concerns with the size of the current building, citing issues such as rooms being too small for lawyers to speak privately with clients, and that victims and perpetrators have to use the same doors.

Menard said Eby “wasn’t impressed” with the size of the courthouse.

Court proceedings in Merritt are housed in a 2,620 square-foot building owned by BC Hydro.

As the province cannot lease from a Crown corporation, the City of Merritt leases the building from BC Hydro and BC Provincial Court Services has an agreement with the city that sees it reimbursed for those costs.

These agreements expire in January of 2019.

“That’s what we have and that’s what we’re dealing with, and now that we have this First Nations court starting here, I think that will probably help us to convince him that maybe they should take a look at doing something for a courthouse,” said Menard.

First Nations court in Merritt began operating on Oct. 25, becoming the fifth such location in the province, which considers the perspective of indigenous elders when handing out sentences.

Merritt’s last two city councils have brought up the idea of building a new courthouse next to the police detachment with the Ministry of Justice at UBCM, but Menard said the current council is no longer pursuing that idea.

“If that’s what they’re prepared to do [though] we’re not going to argue with them,” said Menard. “Certainly if we can’t find one then we hope to be able to build one.”

Eby told the Herald via email that the ministry is examining the issue in Merritt.

“I understand the concerns with the Merritt courthouse, because I had the opportunity to see the situation for myself when I was there for the opening of the Nicola Valley Indigenous Court,” Eby told the Herald. “The safety and security of all court users is a top priority for this ministry. I know that the ministry recognizes the limitations of the existing facility and staff are investigating ways to address these concerns.”

At UBCM this year city council once again brought up the issue that its current courthouse is too small and cramped for legal proceedings with the attorney general.

“This is, I believe, the third or maybe fourth time we’ve approached the minister on that,” said Coun. Dave Baker. “Every time we go there it’s almost like yeah, yeah, yeah, you’ve been here before, but this time it’s a brand new minister and his ears ticked up.”