The lack of consultation…

The lack of consultation with conservation authorities before the proposal of this bill is concerning. Conservation authorities need to be a part of this decision making process. Consult with them before passing this bill because they all have important perspectives that can make a more effective permit system like this bill wants.

Consolidating the authorities into regional groups may generalize too much and remove special aspects that are specific to local areas. Something like a special permit or special rule may be lost to generalization and reduce the control the conservation authority has on their managed areas.

The consolidation also makes it easier to reduce funding to the conservation authorities as they now all share one budget for a large area. with resources already stretched thin conservation authorities will have less to work with and more on their plate meaning services can be delayed, reduced or removed. The change in name of conservation authorities may also cost them extra depending on how you want them to upgrade signage.

While this seems like a good idea to make things smoother, consult with all conservation authorities to see what they really need right now and if they want this to pass.