Province cancels Halton courthouse

Ontario has cancelled a plan to build a courthouse in Halton Region, with the attorney general saying the government needs to rethink how the justice system will operate after the pandemic.

The Progressive Conservative government had planned to build one central courthouse for both Milton and Burlington, but now says it will upgrade existing facilities.

Attorney General Doug Downey said he decided to cancel the project because the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to modernize the court process across Ontario.

“The needs of the justice sector have changed and there is broad consensus we cannot go back to the way things were done before the public health emergency,” he said.

The project to consolidate the aging courthouses in Halton Region was to have been awarded this spring, with construction to start this year. It was estimated to cost up to $499 million.

Asked if the cancellation was a way to trim spending in light of the pandemic, a spokesperson for Downey said the decision was made as the government “rethinks” justice-system operations.

“This decision was made because our government is committed to rethinking the justice system and ensuring it is accessible, responsive and operating the way Ontarians should expect in 2020,” Jenessa Crognali said.

The Hamilton-Brantford Building and Construction Trades Council called the decision disappointing. The council’s business manager said the cancellation is just the latest blow for local tradespeople after the province scrapped a light rail line in Hamilton late last year.