Subject: Opposition to…

Subject: Opposition to Conservation Authority Amalgamation and Creation of OPCA

To the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks:

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed amalgamation of Ontario's 36 conservation authorities into seven regional bodies and the creation of the Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency.

Personal Stake in This Decision
I have seen firsthand the dedication, local expertise, and deep community connections that make conservation authorities effective. Despite Minister McCarthy's assurances of "no job losses," the reality on the ground tells a different story. The scientists, watershed specialists, and environmental professionals who have spent years building expertise in their specific watersheds – are being told they'll be "redeployed" to undefined "front-line roles." This is a job loss by another name, and it will result in a devastating brain drain of specialized knowledge that cannot be easily replaced.
I am also genuinely concerned about potential retribution for anyone working at a conservation authority who may want to speak out. It is deeply troubling that this is the current climate for environmental professionals in Ontario. When public servants with scientific expertise feel they cannot safely voice concerns about policies that affect their work and the public they serve, we have already lost something fundamental to democratic governance.

Erosion of Democratic Accountability
Currently, conservation authorities are governed by boards appointed by the municipalities they serve. This ensures that the people making decisions about flood risk, development approvals, and watershed management are accountable to local communities. The proposed centralization under the OPCA removes this democratic oversight and places decision-making power in the hands of a provincial agency that will be more susceptible to political pressure from Queen's Park than to the needs and knowledge of local communities.
I am also deeply troubled by the apparent transformation of Conservation Ontario from an advocacy organization for conservation authorities into what appears to be another lever of provincial control. The appointment of individuals with close ties to the current government raises serious questions about whose interests this new structure will actually serve.

Climate Change Demands Stronger Protections, Not Weaker Ones
We are living through a climate emergency. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe. Just this year, we have witnessed devastating floods across the province. This is precisely the moment when we need to strengthen our conservation authorities, not dismantle them.
Ontario's conservation authorities were created after Hurricane Hazel killed 81 people in 1954. They were built on the hard-learned lesson that preventing development in flood-prone areas, wetlands, and sensitive watersheds saves lives and property. The proposed amalgamation, combined with recent legislation like Bill 23 that prevents conservation authorities from opposing development in these exact areas, represents a dangerous abandonment of this wisdom.
The government claims this is about "efficiency" and "faster approvals," but we've seen where this leads. Last year, Ontario recorded its lowest housing starts in a decade, despite years of gutting environmental protections in the name of speeding up development. The real beneficiaries are not families seeking affordable homes – they are wealthy developers who want to build wherever is most profitable, regardless of flood risk or environmental damage.

Watershed Boundaries Are Natural, Not Political
Managing water and land use based on watershed boundaries – where water naturally flows – is fundamentally sound environmental science. Political boundaries are arbitrary lines on a map; watersheds are real ecological systems. The proposed mega-regions, some stretching from Thunder Bay to Barrie, make a mockery of this watershed-based approach and will inevitably lead to one-size-fits-all policies that ignore local conditions, local knowledge, and local needs.

A Pattern of Dismantling Environmental Protection
This proposal does not exist in isolation. It is part of a clear pattern:
Bill 229 (2020): Allowed the province to override conservation authority decisions using Minister's Zoning Orders
Bill 23 (2022): Barred conservation authorities from opposing development in wetlands, floodplains, and sensitive areas
And now: Amalgamation into seven massive regions with centralized provincial control
At each step, the government has claimed to be "modernizing" and "improving efficiency." At each step, the actual result has been a weakening of the protections that keep Ontarians safe from flooding and environmental degradation.

My Request
I urge the government to:
Abandon this amalgamation plan entirely and instead work with existing conservation authorities to provide them with the resources and support they need
Restore the powers that have been stripped from conservation authorities in recent years, including the ability to oppose developments that pose flood risks or threaten sensitive ecosystems
Maintain democratic, local governance through municipally-appointed boards rather than creating a top-down provincial agency
Prioritize climate change preparedness over development approvals in all policy decisions
While I am served by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, which appears to remain largely intact under this proposal, I am not indifferent to what happens to other conservation authorities across Ontario. The erosion of environmental protection anywhere threatens everyone. We share watersheds, we share a climate, and we share a responsibility to protect both for future generations.