I am writing to strongly…

I am writing to strongly oppose the Ontario government’s plan to merge our 36 local conservation authorities (CAs) into 7 giant ones. This is a reckless and dangerous idea that will put our homes, farms, and communities at a much higher risk of flooding. It scraps a system that has kept us safe for 70 years, all for the benefit of developers.

The government claims this plan will make things more efficient, but this is misleading. The truth is, this plan gets rid of local experts who know our land and rivers best, and replaces them with a distant, centralized bureaucracy that will be slower and less effective. This appears to be primarily focused on making it easier for developers to build wherever they want, even in unsafe areas, a trend we have seen multiple times from Ford’s government.

Claim #1: The current system is “fragmented.”

The system isn’t fragmented; it’s local, and each of the 36 conservation authorities are experts on their specific local watershed. The experts at the Grand River CA know our local flood risks in a way that a new, giant “Lake Erie” authority never could. Merging them all together is like firing 36 local family doctors and replacing them with 7 giant, impersonal hospitals hundreds of kilometres away. You lose all the local knowledge that keeps people safe.

Claim #2: The system causes “delays for builders.”

What the government calls “delays,” we call protection. When a conservation authority takes time to review a building permit, it’s because they are doing their job. They are making sure a new subdivision won’t be underwater in five years, or cause your basement to flood downstream. This is responsible, science-based work that saves lives and property. The government wants to rush this process to help developers make more money, faster. They are putting developer profits ahead of your family’s safety.

Claim #3: This will “free up resources.”
The government has provided zero evidence for this claim. They have not shown any studies or data proving that this merger will save money or improve services. In fact, creating these massive new bureaucracies will likely be more expensive and less efficient. This is a political decision, not a practical one.

If this plan goes through, the consequences will be severe.

For starters, there will be a higher risk of flooding in our communities. Conservation authorities were created after Hurricane Hazel killed 81 people in 1954. For 70 years, they have successfully prevented another disaster on that scale, and this plan dismantles that proven system. By getting rid of local experts, the government is making it more likely that bad decisions will be made, and that homes and businesses will be built in dangerous, flood-prone areas. Insurance rates will go up, and homes will be less safe.

Right now, your local conservation authority is run by people from your community. They are accountable to you. Under this plan, decisions for your area will be made by a distant mega-authority, run by people you’ve never met who don’t understand your local needs. A new provincial agency will have even more control, taking power away from our community and giving it to Queen’s Park.

This plan is also not happening in a vacuum. It is the final step in a three-part plan by the Ford government to hand over control of our water to corporations and developers. In the last few months of 2025, they rushed through three bills:

1. Bill 56: Weakened the Clean Water Act, a.k.a. the law created to protect our drinking water after the Walkerton tragedy.

2. Bill 60: Created the legal tools to privatize our municipal water and wastewater systems.

3. Bill 68: Authorized this very plan to merge our conservation authorities.

First, they weakened the rules that keep our drinking water safe. Then, they created a way to sell off our water systems to for-profit companies. Now, they are getting rid of the local experts who protect our rivers and prevent flooding. This is a systematic demolition of the public systems that protect Ontario’s water.

The government asks for feedback on how to make this plan work, but that’s like asking for suggestions on how to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic. The plan itself is the problem.

How can this transition be successful? It can’t. The only successful outcome is to scrap this dangerous plan entirely.

What are the benefits? The only people who benefit are developers who want to build with less oversight.

How can you maintain local relationships? You can’t. A giant, regional bureaucracy will never have the trust or knowledge of a local organization.

We have a system that works. It has protected our homes, our communities, and our environment for 70 years, and is based on local knowledge and science. To throw that all away for a plan with no evidence to support it is a profound betrayal of the public’s trust.

I urge the government to listen to the experts, the communities, and the citizens of Ontario, and withdraw this reckless proposal. Strengthen our local conservation authorities, don’t destroy them.

Thank you for considering my comment.