I am writing to express my…

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the Ontario government’s proposal to create a new provincial agency to oversee Conservation Authorities. This restructuring risks undermining the essential, locally driven conservation work that Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities (CAs) have effectively carried out for decades.
CAs are uniquely positioned to address watershed-scale issues because they are rooted in local knowledge, partnerships, and community trust. Centralizing their functions under a new provincial agency would weaken this collaborative model, replacing locally informed decision-making with a top-down approach that cannot adequately reflect regional ecological and social realities.
The government has stated that this new agency would “improve service delivery” and “protect communities.” However, Conservation Authorities already do this by managing flood risks, protecting drinking water sources, restoring degraded ecosystems, and balancing development with environmental sustainability. Creating another layer of bureaucracy will only duplicate efforts, divert resources, and delay urgent environmental action.
Ontario is already facing mounting challenges from flooding, drought, and biodiversity loss—issues that demand stronger, not weaker, conservation governance. Instead of dismantling or centralizing the current system, the province should focus on strengthening CAs with stable funding, science-based mandates, and greater autonomy to protect natural infrastructure.
I urge you to oppose this restructuring and advocate instead for reinforcing the existing Conservation Authority framework that has served Ontario communities so well. Environmental protection and public safety depend on empowering, not eroding, local conservation capacity.