The amalgamation of…

The amalgamation of Conservation Authorities serves no purpose other than that of the Provincial government's overarching goal to weaken environmental protections across Ontario. Time and time again the Ford government has opted to serve the interests of private developers instead of the people of Ontario. The sheer size of some of the proposed regions such as Huron-Superior cover such a diverse landscape that a single organization could not cater to the unique needs of all areas. We have seen the exact phenomenon with the amalgamation of Ministry of Natural Resources districts, such as the Midhurst-Aurora-Owen Sound District merger. Local expertise is lost on such a large scale and administrative burden has historically resulted in reduced services. Framing this consolidation of CAs as a way to reduce overlapping public services and "confusing permits" is simply a lie. If the Provincial government had any interest in supporting CAs and strengthening the services they provide to the public, then they should be directly supporting the existing CAs instead of creating legislation to strip them of authority as we have seen with Bill 23.

This government will be remembered as the one that sold out Ontario's natural beauty to make a quick buck. You should be ashamed of yourselves.