The rationale for this…

The rationale for this initiative appears to be primarily focused on land development and centralizing decision making for issuing associated permits. It is not clear how this frees up existing conservation authority staff to address public safety issues related to natural hazards, etc.

This initiative appears to follow a pattern similar to removing important local decision making from municipalities in areas of health care, land use planning, traffic safety, education. The resulting large bureaucracies generally tend to be more inefficient and less timely in addressing local priorities. Municipal amalgamations across the province have proven this!

If there were issues with the functioning of the current system regulations and appropriate guidelines developed by the Ministry could be utilized to streamline technical standards and protocols for development approvals, engineering studies, financial accountability, etc.

Further provincial overreach by the current government and its Ministries is not necessarily the best decision to address the minor flaws in the current time tested system of watershed management under the current configuration developed to address major flood damages after the historic flooding event under Hurricane Hazel. Under the current uncertainty due to climate change on magnitude and frequency of extreme climatic events, more major events can be expected in the future.

Any unwise development approved by an isolated regional authority and provincial decision making body could result in catastrophic consequences at the local level.