I, Aynsley Klassen, a…

I, Aynsley Klassen, a resident of Thunder Bay, am OPPOSED to the Province’s proposed amalgamation of the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority (LRCA) with six Southern Ontario Conservation Authorities to form the “Huron-Superior Regional Conservation Authority.”

The ecological, geographic, cultural, and governance realities of Northwestern Ontario are fundamentally distinct from those of Southern Ontario. The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority has deep local knowledge, established relationships, and decades of experience stewarding the unique landscapes, watersheds, and climate risks of this region. These local conditions include different hydrological systems, wildfire and flood risk profiles, land use patterns, population density, and infrastructure realities. Effective watershed management depends on decision-making processes that are grounded in local expertise and responsive to local needs.

Amalgamating LRCA into a much larger body dominated by Southern Ontario jurisdictions would significantly dilute local governance, reduce accountability to the communities of Northwestern Ontario, and undermine the Authority’s ability to provide responsive, place-based watershed management. This amalgamation risks creating an administrative structure that is too large, too distant, and insufficiently informed by the lived realities of the Lakehead region.

For these reasons, I strongly support LRCA’s recommendation that the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority form a stand-alone regional authority as the “Northwestern Ontario Regional Conservation Authority.” A regionally focused authority would maintain the integrity of local watershed management, preserve critical ecological knowledge, and ensure that governance decisions continue to reflect the priorities of residents, Indigenous communities, municipalities, and partners within Northwestern Ontario.

I urge the Province to reconsider the proposed amalgamation and to recognize that strong, locally accountable conservation authorities are essential to effective watershed stewardship, climate resilience, and community well-being across Ontario.