The fallout from the Ontario government’s decision to cancel the Halton Regional Courthouse project continues.

In late May, the Construction and Design Alliance of Ontario (CDAO) wrote a letter to premier Doug Ford expressing concern about the decision to terminate the $300-million project.

“After years of preparatory work, with the imminent announcement of financial close expected and construction expected to begin shortly thereafter, no one could have foreseen the decision to terminate this project,” CDAO chair Sandro Perruzza wrote.

The government cancelled the project on May claiming that the building would have to be redesigned in light of the effects of COVID-19 on the delivery of judicial services.

“Experience gained during COVID-19 underscores the urgent need to invest in technology, modernize processes and expand access to justice across the province, including in rural and remote regions,” said Attorney General Doug Downey at the time. “Our justice partners have joined us in acknowledging we must continue to press forward boldly toward a more accessible, responsive and resilient system that will continue to evolve long after the pandemic is over. “

CDAO questioned that official explanation.

“Unfortunately, in this particular case the net benefit of [the choice to cancel the project] is not clear to us,” CDAO wrote. “While the explanation of the decision is rooted in the policy of virtual delivery of justice services given the present need for physical space to provide these services, the present state of the existing physical infrastructure this project was meant to support, along with the still evolving present state of Ontario’s virtual justice services infrastructure, it is unclear to us that the termination of this project was the right choice to enable the greatest net benefit; to the provincial justice system or the Ontario economy.”

CDAO says it is concerned by the fact that Halton courthouse project was all but ready to build. Moreover, the alliance says the cumulative effect of the cancellation, and the government’s announcement in December to terminate the $1-billion Hamilton light rail project, will have “profound and immediate consequences for both the provincial and immediate regional economies” at a time when the province’s economy is reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Existing well-paying direct jobs in professional, construction and construction- related services will be jeopardized or lost and anticipated positions will not materialize. Equally important broader sector spin-off jobs expected for the regional economy stemming from this project will not materialize. Further, the anticipated stimulus from additional future investment in the region and the broader Ontario economy will be hampered because of a lack of market confidence.”

The CDAO letter goes on to say that the cancellation of these two regional projects may damage Ontario’s economy. It warns that the loss of those projects will undermine investor confidence in the province’s commitment to infrastructure spending.

The Ford government has since said it will take CDAO’s argument into consideration.