I would like to register my…

I would like to register my strong support for the consolidation of lake Erie CA's.

The main concern I have with the current operation of the CA in our area is the lack of transparency, overreach and duplication with municipalities regarding permits for development and home renovation. I believe a significant burden on the CA's operation can be eliminated by delegating to municipalities much of the permitting activity now done by CA's. The CA could play a role in providing guidance and advice to Municipalities regarding development in watersheds, but there is no need for them to be involved in the actual permitting process, except for maybe major developments such as a new subdivision or major commercial or industrial projects.

There should also be more consistency in permitting between what are now separate conservation area's. I can confirm that my experience in attempting to build a carport was outright rejected in Essex County. However, when I contacted 5 other CA's along Lake Erie, I found out that I would be permitted to build this project in all of them. When I presented my findings to ERCA, I was eventually allowed to build. In addition, there were several issues related to the building permit details where ERCA requirements were in direct conflict with local Municipal requirements. I have also heard a lot of stories from frustrated property owners about unreasonable requirements that our CA imposes on individuals trying to undertake renovations on existing properties. Hopefully a consolidated approach will prevent this kind of problem.

Regarding accountability, my observation is that even thought municipalities are represented on the Board, the only information that these representatives get, is from the CA manager. There needs to be some kind of supervision of the CA that allows for input from those that have to deal with the CA for permits. These are the people that are directly affected by the policies of the CA. Individually they are not significant enough for local politicians to raise issues with the CA, but collectively, it has a major economic and social impact on people living in the areas controlled by the CA. There should be a transparent feedback mechanism to allow those people dealing with the permitting system to provide feedback without fear of retribution by the Authority.

I also believe the Director has too much power. There is too much decision making based on "the opinion of the Authority". I understand that the law was written this way to allow flexibility, but that assumes good governance principals are applied. Some CA's do a good job and have clear guidelines set out to interpret the statute under which the CA operates, but some CA's do not, which leaves people in the dark as to what is allowed. Relying too much on the "opinion of the Authority" results in an unacceptable lack of transparency. A consolidation of CA's should result in the adoption of best practices which can be applied across the larger area.

The local CA's should continue to have a strong role in managing local parks and properties owned by the CA. The CA activities related to parks and recreation activities are used for self promotion and marketing to the general public. However, it is the permitting process that is not publicized and is where the CA's need to undertake major revisions in approach and operation.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.