The ERO postings 45 day…

The ERO postings 45 day comment period and the introduction of amendments to the Conservation Authorities Act as part of the Housing Supply Action Plan is not conducive to KCCA’s ability to adequately communicate with its member municipalities in a meaningful way on the proposed changes.

Consequently, KCCA is joining Conservation Ontario in recommending that Schedule 2 of Bill 108 be deferred from enactment to provide conservation authorities with an adequate opportunity to consult with their member municipalities.

The government’s “Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan” identified an action to work in collaboration with municipalities and stakeholders to ensure that conservation authorities “focus and deliver on their core mandate” of protecting people and property from flooding and other natural hazards, and conserving natural resources. It is hoped that deferring the enactment of Schedule 2 of Bill 108 would provide an opportunity to begin that collaboration.

While KCCA respects and supports the province’s continued efforts to more clearly define conservation authority core mandatory programs and services, the Authority strongly believes that all of its current programs and services support the purpose statement of the Conservation Authority Act being, “to provide for the organization and delivery of programs and services that further the conservation, restoration, development and management of natural resources” in the area over which it has jurisdiction. All of the programs and services that KCCA currently provides support delivery of hazard management, natural resource management and conservation and management of CA lands.

Reference to terms, natural resources, watershed and monitoring are missing from the core mandatory programs and services and should be included. To handle flood control, monitoring and warning in a complete and rationale manner programs and services such as tree planting and restoration programs, environmental monitoring and data collection, land acquisition and protection are all necessary on a watershed-scale. These are in keeping with the objects of an Authority as stated in the CA Act.

Please find attached KCCA’s full response to the ERO posting.