Progress made on planning for a new Halton Courthouse
NEWS RELEASE
Ted Arnott, MPP
Wellington-Halton Hills
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 6, 2016
Progress made on planning for a new Halton Courthouse
(Queen’s Park) – Progress is being made towards a much needed new courthouse in Halton
Region.
In letters sent last week to Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott, as well as other local
courthouse advocates, Attorney General Madeleine Meilleur announced that Infrastructure
Ontario will soon be releasing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a functional programming
consultant to begin planning for a new Halton courthouse.
According to the letters, “…this work will involve a series of consultations to review existing
business processes and explore opportunities for innovations that would help enhance access
to justice in Halton Region. The results of this work will inform further planning, such as project
design and scope.”
The RFP is expected to be released in early June.
“I’m hopeful. This appears to be a positive step forward,” Mr. Arnott said. “While this isn’t the
final approval that we’ve been seeking for a new courthouse, it appears to be progress towards
that goal.”
The letter is dated May 31, the same day as when Mr. Arnott again raised the need for a new
Halton courthouse with the Attorney General during the morning Question Period.
A new courthouse is needed to replace the existing facility in Milton, which is aging,
overcrowded and has serious security and privacy concerns. According to the Halton County
Law Association, litigants are often required to travel to Brampton and Guelph because the
current Courthouse simply cannot handle the volume of cases.
“I want to acknowledge Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr and Regional Council, Paul Stunt, Ken
Kelertas, Clarke Melville, and the many others who have helped bring attention to the need for a
new courthouse,” Mr. Arnott said. “Working together, we’re making progress. We’re going to
continue to push for this until it gets done.”
Mr. Arnott has raised the need for a new courthouse repeatedly, not only in debate in the
Legislature and in Question Period, but also in private conversations and letters to the Attorney
General. Last year, he initiated a meeting with the Attorney General, Halton-area MPPs, and
local lawyer Paul Stunt to discuss the issue.
According to page 285 of the Government’s 2016 Budget Papers document, the Ministry of the
Attorney General plans to spend $255 million on justice infrastructure this year.
The Attorney General stated in the Legislature as recently as May 31 that “the Milton
Courthouse is still our number one priority in our Ministry,” in response to Mr. Arnott’s question
on the subject.
(Attached: Letter from the Attorney General to Mr. Arnott, dated May 31, 2016)
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Ted Arnott, MPP
Phone: 416-325-3880
Email: ted.arnott@pc.ola.org