Back in late November, Christmas decorations that have been assembled on the courthouse lawn since 2016 were unceremoniously removed.
We still don't know why, but according to e-mail records obtained by SooToday through a Freedom of Information (FOI) application, we now know it was a judge's complaint about the location of Santa's sleigh and toys that prompted their removal.
Neither Infrastructure Ontario nor the property management company that oversees the courthouse have offered any explanation as to the reasoning behind the complaint. SooToday has reached out to both agencies by phone and email but that question remains unanswered.
According to the emails, it was the day before a tree lighting ceremony that drew hundreds to the closed-off section of Queen Street East in front of the courthouse that the city was first learned there was an issue with the decorations. In an email on Nov. 20, the city was informed by property management company CBRE that moving forward, the holiday-themed decor will no longer have a home on the courthouse property, despite being a staple at that location during the festive season since 2016.
The removal of the sleigh and other decorations was first publicly reported on Nov. 27 and, at the time, Mayor Christian Provenzano publicly assured the city that the tree lighting would still take place annually. He cited other potential locations that the annual community tree lighting could take place, including the future plaza.
Correspondence obtained by SooToday reveals that the city was informed that if the decorations were to be placed on the courthouse lawn in the future, it would have to be approved in writing by the Ministry of the Attorney General's office.
Following initial SooToday coverage of the removal of the decorations, MPP Ross Romano expressed frustration at the situation and confirmed with Deputy Attorney General Paul Boniferro that "The Ministry will facilitate the return of the decorations should the city wish to return them."
The city chose to leave the decorations be for the season, noting it would not be a good use of municipal resources to be moving them back and forth between the courthouse and their new home in front of the Civic Centre.
When asked by city officials, a representative for CBRE responded that it did not have the name of the judge who complained.
“I receive information via the Manager of Court Operations, but do not receive specifics on individuals,” an e-mail from CBRE to the city reads.