I support the concept of…

I support the concept of consolidating the conservation authorities as proposed. However the services beyond their core mandate should be by willing partners and not legislated in any fashion.

Services such as septic approval, septic inspection, local municipal source water protection policies/plans etc should only be done by willing partners.

Conservation authorities in Ontario should only be responsible for septic systems if the municipality has delegated that authority to them under the Ontario Building Code at their own choice. In these cases, the conservation authority's responsibilities may include reviewing and approving septic system permits for new and replacement systems, and enforcing related bylaws and regulations through inspections. The specific responsibilities should depend on local agreements, so it's important to allow the respective Municipality the flexabilty to negotiate the details of what services they wish to delegate and what terms.

MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT, CONSERVATION AND PARKS Guide states the following:

Ontario Building Code/Septic Inspections

Municipalities are generally responsible for the enforcement of the Building Code Act, 1992, including issuing septic system approvals, and can choose to delegate this responsibility to others (such as public health units or conservation authorities) by agreement.

I feel strongly that this principle should apply to all conservations and Municipalities in Ontario.