The chair of the Halton Police Service Board has sent a letter appealing to Ontario’s Attorney General over the poor conditions of the courthouse in Milton.
Councillor and Halton Police Service Board Chair, Jeff Knoll, is highlighting the deplorable conditions of the courthouse located at 491 Steeles Avenue East.
“The Milton Courthouse’s deficiencies have been an open secret, underscored by repeated closures due to mold, asbestos, and structural concerns,” Knoll said in the letter.
“These issues have not only posed health and safety risks, but have also led to significant delays in the judicial process, affecting the rights of those awaiting trial.”
Knoll says the courthouse’s outdated infrastructure compromises not only the safety of the public and law enforcement personnel but also the dignity and security of those in custody.
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He says there have been particularly alarming instances where officers have had to go through public areas or stairwells due to elevator failures.
“As a police service board we employ all the sworn and civilian officers here in our region, and we need to be concerned for the health and well-being of our staff, and being in that facility is worrisome for an employer with that responsibility.” said Knoll.
According to Knoll, some judges have refused to preside in the courthouse. He says there have been multiple closures and cases are often rotated between the Milton courthouse and the Burlington courthouse, which has its own issues as well.
Halton police Chief Stephen Tanner has particularly highlighted the concern regarding the inability to safely manage accused persons.
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One criminal defence lawyer who frequently works in the Milton courthouse says he’s been affected first-hand.
“Going back post, lets say 2021, I can think off the top of my head of at least 10 to 15 per cent of my cases that were either delayed or postponed,” says Bruce Daley.
“I can’t imagine any reasonable individual spending a couple of weeks rotating between the Milton, Burlington courthouse. That would find this to be a satisfactory way to administer the criminal justice system.”
Knoll is asking the attorney general to reinstate a project for a new courthouse that was announced on June 21, 2017 before it was cancelled three years later. That project would have seen the Milton and Burlington courthouses combined.
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He says the current situation at the courthouse requires immediate and decisive action.
The Police Board says the new courthouse would be located on a plot of land in Oakville, right behind the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital.
“We really want to be the squeaky wheel here and get the attention to say, you’ve still got the land, its still sitting there ready to go, start building today, because this isn’t going to get better, even with remediation, its still going to be a problem.” explains Knoll.
“Even if they started digging tomorrow, we’re still a few years from a new courthouse, so lets get started now.”
