News release

New Medical Examiner's Facility Will Benefit Families

Justice

The province is investing in a new, modern medical examiner's facility for Nova Scotia.

Construction on the 27,000-square-foot, $12.9-million facility in the Burnside Business Park in Dartmouth will begin in the next two weeks. Construction will take about 14 months.

"This world-class facility will ensure that we are providing the best forensic services we can, which will benefit families that have lost a loved one," said Justice Minister Ross Landry.

The medical examiner's service currently uses rented facilities at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax to perform autopsies. It also has other leased office space in Halifax.

"For the first time, the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner's Service will have all of its operations under one roof," said Dr. Matthew Bowes, the Medical Examiner for Nova Scotia. "The new office will allow us to perform more autopsies, have better security and give families the privacy they need when they meet with us."

The new facility will also:

  • meet the demand of an increasing number of autopsies done by the service, which have doubled in recent years
  • be certified under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, which ensures a building is designed and built to strong energy efficiency and environmental standards
  • allow a greater teaching component for the service
  • allow for more capacity in the event of a catastrophe

Marco Martimes Ltd. won the construction tender.