- CAs are a 70-year-old…

- CAs are a 70-year-old unique entity.
- CAs are good value and investment. They are flexible and responsive to local environmental needs in our watersheds
- CAs are a local presence with no other mechanism.
- CAs create a safer environment and create a more resilient environment. Ontario would be in a poor state if they were not there.

- For years the debate has been what is in our core mandate and what is not. Since 1946 the core mandate has been the program and services that further the conservation, restoration, development and management of natural resources on a watershed scale. After Hurricane Hazel the mandate to control floods and pollution was added.
-CAs provide necessary input on watershed management and floodplains. This directly affects residents. Developers should not be allowed to develop for profit and put people's lives and homes at stake
- The quality and quantity of drinking water cannot be managed if CAs are not looking at the watershed and ensuring that the water to support the supply continues to get where it needs to go.
- Due to climate change and increasing population, water management is becoming more important and we need tools and act updated to allow the development of CA capacity

- Change the terminology from Programs and services related to the risk of natural
hazards to programs and services for the protection and management of natural
hazards. The proposed wording in the Act is too vague as to provide guidance as to the
intent.
- The following are the minimum elements of a successful program for hazard management:
o Operations, inspections, maintenance or reconstruction of dams, channels, and
erosion and ice control structures
o Flood forecasting and warning (hydrometric monitoring, data management, models,
communications)
o Drought forecasting and warning (low water response teams)
o Emergency operations with municipalities (data support, communications, media,
vulnerability assessments; post-event assessments)
o Plan input and review for hazards, stormwater management and feature protection
(planning, engineering; ecology)
o Regulation (permitting and enforcement)
o Watershed planning to input to hazard management and planning decisions;
determine effective mitigation measures including protection and expansion of
natural areas and wetlands
o Floodline/Hazard and Risk Mapping (hydraulic and hydrologic modelling; base
mapping; air photography, field assessment)
o Watercourse, shoreline and slope erosion control
o Hazard land securement
o Training/ Communications and Education
- As well, restoration activities (tree planting, wetland restoration, forest management)
and monitoring of watershed health have been long-standing activities that have
ensured that the impacts of land use change on hazards have been minimized. They should be included in the core mandate
- We think that the province should include an additional mandatory program area of “conservation of natural resources” to capture some of the programs and services that have long been part of a CAs core work, including:
o inventory and monitoring,
o tree planting and forest management,
o natural heritage systems planning,
o habitat restoration and creation,
o invasive species management and
o stewardship/ outreach activities.
- We support the CAs being charged with source protection but note that it is effectively
downloading the program costs to the local taxpayer as the province is not expected to
continue to pay for the program.
- Glad that the province recognizes the value of the land holdings of the Conservation
Authorities to the people of Ontario.
- CAs hold large tracts of natural lands and active park facilities. Many of these lands provide flood control, flow augmentation, and contain erosion and flood hazards as well as sensitive and provincially significant ecological areas. These parks are regional destinations like Ontario Parks. Visitations to the parks continue to rise with the increasing population, emphasis on the health benefits of nature and decreasing access to personal greenspace in housing choices. CAs need to be able to invest in facilities and land to allow for more visitors and better experiences.
- Some of the components of the Programs and services related to the conservation and management of lands include:
o Land planning (management plans)
o Land securement and acquisition
o Conservation area operations and management
o Property Management (maintenance, management agreements)
o Facilities maintenance and capital works
o Hazard assessments (hazard trees, weather, trail inspections)
o Inspection and Enforcement (risk and liability)
- The regulations must allow for a wide range of programs and services on these lands to ensure that they continue to provide the functions they were intended for (be it recreation or natural heritage protection)