I have major concerns that…

I have major concerns that consolidating the conservation authorities will not have the desired effect that this proposal wishes to have. It will hugely diminish local voices. One of the greatest strengths of conservation authorities is making connections with the community. People notice when rivers are drying up faster than usual, or when the fish population is decreasing. Spreading over such a huge area will make it more difficult to monitor the environment with the attention to detail that it deserves.

Also, if the aim of this consolidation is to make permitting easier, surely there is a more efficient route of regulating that than overhauling 36 conservation authorities. Standardize permitting, make sure there is a maximum amount of time that a conservation authority can take to respond to a permit application, enforce that permits are being reviewed. Don't upheave the lives of hundreds of employees across Ontario.

From my perspective, there is such little thought put into this bill that it makes our government seem either lazy, or purposefully attacking conservation authorities that have protected our environment for over 50 years. Either way, it makes me ashamed of the Ontario government. I urge you to reconsider this bill; reflect on what you're aiming to do and what the consequences of this bill will be.