I am fundamentally against…

I am fundamentally against the proposed amalgamation of the conservation authorities (ERO #025-1257). I work closely with these teams as part of my academic work on water quality in agricultural settings. These groups have local knowledge and relationships and can work closely with farmers and industry to maintain both water quantity and quality. This has relevance to flooding as well as environmental health. Water quality in the Great Lakes region is a binational issue. Ontario has been a leader in land conservation. This has been a result of ongoing dialogues and trust between farmers, conservation authorities and OMAF. With amalgamation, much of this will be eroded, which may have detrimental consequences for river and lake health, as well as food security. This will cost Canadians dearly through both direct and indirect costs.

I can understand why you might want to have some sort of agency within each watershed that oversees smaller conservation authorities, and there may be some benefit to "grouping" them for SOME things (high level). However, splitting them up and taking away the local presence is a major mistake.