I am writing as a resident…

I am writing as a resident of rural Ontario, Goderich in Huron County, and someone who values the role that local conservation authorities play in protecting our communities, landscapes, and watersheds. I am deeply concerned about the proposal to consolidate Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities into seven large regional bodies under the proposed Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency.

Conservation authorities were created to be watershed-based, locally governed organizations, grounded in the landscapes and communities they serve. This local structure has worked for decades. In my experience, the strength of conservation authorities lies in their deep local knowledge, their accessibility to residents and municipalities, and their accountability to local ratepayers. I am concerned that these strengths would be significantly weakened under the proposed regional consolidation.

The proposed “Huron-Superior” region is geographically vast and encompasses landscapes, economies, and environmental conditions that are fundamentally different from one another. Rural, agriculture-based watersheds in Southwestern Ontario face very different realities than northern or Georgian Bay watersheds. It is difficult to see how a single, large regional authority could apply local knowledge effectively across such a broad and diverse area, particularly when timely land-use, floodplain, and hazard decisions are required.

I am also troubled by the lack of detail provided in this proposal. There is little information about governance, representation, budgeting, staffing, the future of existing conservation authority assets, or how local offices and services would be maintained. Without this clarity, it is impossible to understand how this proposal would improve service delivery or reduce red tape, particularly for rural municipalities, landowners, farmers, and small businesses who rely on direct, local access to conservation authority staff.

Local conservation authorities are important employers in rural communities. Their staff live locally, contribute to local economies, and build trusted relationships with landowners, municipalities, and community groups. Regionalization risks job losses, reduced local services, and further erosion of rural economic resilience, which are outcomes that run counter to good planning and healthy community development.

I recognize and support the province’s goals of improved consistency, modernization, and digital permitting. However, I do not believe that large-scale consolidation is necessary to achieve these goals. Meaningful modernization could occur within the existing watershed-based framework by building on the strengths of local conservation authorities, supported by clear provincial standards, shared tools, and the existing umbrella organization, Conservation Ontario. Creating a new provincial agency appears to duplicate structures that already exist and risks adding bureaucracy rather than reducing it.

At a time when Ontario is experiencing more frequent severe storms, increased flooding risks, and growing pressure on municipal infrastructure, we should be strengthening local capacity and relationships, not weakening them. Conservation authorities are most effective when decisions are made close to the communities and landscapes they affect.

I urge the province to reconsider the proposed consolidation boundaries and to engage in meaningful, transparent consultation with affected municipalities, conservation authorities, and residents before moving forward. Local knowledge, local accountability, and watershed-based governance must remain at the core of conservation authority work in Ontario.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comment.