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3 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,M ay 28,2020 insidehalton.com At Village Orthodontics in Oakville, we specialize in beautiful smiles using clear aligners and traditional braces. New Patients Welcome Schedule your complimentary consultation today! 647-496-1424 2-2983 Westoak Trails Blvd. Oakville villageortho.ca Book your Personalized Smile Consultation today New certificates added daily #togetherlocal GiftCertificateSale. $50 Gift Card and Loyalty Card for Osmow's NOW ONLY: $25.00 RetailValue $50.00 BUY NOW Go to togetherlocal.ca to show your support. Halton is calling on the prov- ince to postpone rather than can- cel plans to build a massive new state-of-the-art courthouse in Oakville. A motion to that effect was unanimously approved by region- al councillors during their May 20 session. The resolution, put forth by Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, asks for the Ford gov- ernment to keep the Halton Re- gion Consolidated Courthouse project on the table and launch it at a later date to aid economic re- covery from the pandemic and create local jobs. The matter comes in response to a statement released by Attor- ney General Doug Downey earlier this month that indicates the gov- ernment will not proceed with the construction of a seven-storey, 45,000-square-metre courthouse on provincial lands near the inter- section of William Halton Park- way and Third Line, just north of Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hos- pital. "It's not just an infrastructure project that's being cancelled - jus- tice is being cancelled, and justice is at the heart of our democracy," said Meed Ward. "We know we need a better facility for everyone involved in the justice system." The state-of-the-art building would replace the aging court- houses in Milton and Burlington and feature 25 courtrooms, with space to expand to 32 over time. The project, estimated to cost between $200 and $499 million and create 600 jobs, was in the procure- ment phase before the coronavi- rus outbreak, with construction potentially having started this fall.fall.f According to Downey, the gov- ernment instead plans to "trans- form and update Ontario's severe-form and update Ontario's severe-f ly antiquated justice system and address immediate infrastructure needs at the courthouses in Mil- ton and Burlington." "Shifting traditional invest- ments toward innovation and new technology will move more servic- es online and position Ontario at the forefront of building the mod- ern justice system of the future," he added. But Meed Ward said these nec- essary online measures can never replace an actual courthouse. "We will still always have a need for a physical location for justice to be done," she said. In a letter to Premier Doug Ford, Halton Police Chief StephenFord, Halton Police Chief StephenF Tanner said he considers the main court facility for Halton, located in Milton, completely inadequate and beyond repair and renova- tion. The motion from regional council stresses that "there are on- going security issues in the hold- ing areas in the Milton courthouse and with respect to the movement of prisoners throughout the build- ing that pose risks to visitors, staff and other people in custody." The resolution notes that sav- ing the project for a later date in- stead of cancelling it means "it will be ready to go as a federal-provin- cial infrastructure stimulus pro- ject as we continue to reopen and reinvigorate our economy." Halton's four mayors have also written to the attorney general, asking for the project to be post- poned. -- With files from David Lea. NEWS HALTON URGES PROVINCE TO RETHINK SCRAPPING NEW COURTHOUSE MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@metroland.com Halton's four mayors have written to the attorney general, asking for the Oakville courthouse project to be postponed instead of cancelled. Torstar file photo