Flood uncovers mould and crumbling concrete at Vernon courthouse

VERNON – Two courtrooms at Vernon's historic courthouse remain sealed off following a flood that has unearthed mould and crumbling concrete in the floor.

The flood at the iconic building was caused by a malfunctioning air conditioning unit and discovered Sunday, April 8. Contractors brought in to investigate discovered mould in the sub-flooring and digging down through layers of the subfloor found the concrete visibly crumbling. The courthouse rooms were then closed off April 26. A corridor leading to courtroom 201 remained sealed off April 30.

The Ministry of Attorney General said in a statement said the Sheriffs’ office, courtrooms 101 and 201 and a conference room are currently closed.

A structural engineer is currently investigating the extent of the damage and is due to complete its assessment later today, May 1. Costs to fix the old building are not yet known.

The Ministry said operations at the courthouse are carrying on as planned and at the moment they do not expect any delays.


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Ben Bulmer

After a decade of globetrotting, U.K. native Ben Bulmer ended up settling in Canada in 2009. Calling Vancouver home he headed back to school and studied journalism at Langara College. From there he headed to Ottawa before winding up in a small anglophone village in Quebec, where he worked for three years at a feisty English language newspaper. Ben is always on the hunt for a good story, an interesting tale and to dig up what really matters to the community.