Conservation Authorities…

Conservation Authorities were established in the 1940s across Ontario to address the fact that water knows no municipal boundaries. What happens in one area of a watershed can have profound effects on surrounding and downstream areas. This was an innovative and practical approach. Why is the Ontario government proposing to fracture a system that has worked successfully for decades?

Dividing the services provided by CAs into core and non-core services is an artificial construct that in no way relates to the functioning of an ecosystem. Staff of CAs provide the best quality expertise in a variety of fields that efficiently reflect the connections that exist in the natural world. Having access to this range of expertise under one roof is an irreplaceable and cost-effective advantage for participating municipalities.

Requiring CAs to negotiate individual agreements for non-core services with municipalities undermines the original purpose of CAs. Reliable and effective environmental management can only happen with unanimous participation of all the municipalities involved. As well, this extra layer of bureaucratic negotiation will add unnecessary time and expense for both CAs and municipalities and will result in a patchwork of services.

What is the point of mandating CA expertise to monitor environmental hazards if environmental restoration is not also a requirement? CAs have a solid reputation in restoration, and their educational programs promote the necessity for and participation in restoration projects to the general public--an essential element in a process that has become critically important for the well-being of all.

As one of the founders of CAs in Ontario, A. H. Richardson's vision was Conservation for the People, by the People. The CAs I have visited: the Tiffin Centre, Springwater Conservation Area, Bachus Woods, are some of the most diverse and beautiful natural areas in the province. They are open to all for a reasonable fee. That could change if CAs are forced to depend on user fees. More than Mr. Richardson could have imagined, the people need the guidance and expertise of CAs. Created in response to the disasters of earlier decades, they are more urgently needed than ever.