I would like to voice my…

I would like to voice my serious concerns regarding the proposed changes to Conservation Authorities. I am a resident of the Township of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal which falls under the administration of the South Nation Conservation Authority (SNC). I have relied on the SNC over the last decade and a half for numerous services, including permitting for shoreline erosion mitigation and dock construction; native tree donations; and emergency inspections that stopped destructive development activities in a neighbouring Provincially Significant Wetland. The SNC has proved consistently responsive, efficient, knowledgeable of the local environment and municipal priorities, cost effective (permits are reasonably priced); and most importantly experts in the watershed that they are mandated by law to oversee.

The provincial government proposal has not provided tax payers with a cost-benefit analysis or with a transition plan. Furthermore, the proposal offers no clarity on how land transfers, municipal service agreements, risk management offices, or emergency response roles would function. My municipal taxes and those of all residents within the SNC boundary provide the bulk of funding for the SNC. Local accountability and decision-making, as well as rural representation, must not be replaced by a regional body that would be removed from local priorities and the smooth interface between the SNC and its stakeholders.

The proposed improvements to the conservation authority system claim they 'would reduce duplicative administrative costs, free-up resources for frontline conservation, and better align conservation authorities’ services with provincial priorities on housing, the economy, infrastructure and climate resilience.’ The proposal does not provide evidence that SNC activities and costs are duplicative. Nor does the proposal explain how the SNC is not aligned with provincial priorities. This proposal, in fact, would weaken the ability of the SNC to deliver those important services as set out in the Conservation Authorities Act in a nimble and efficient manner, creating another costly layer of management and/or eliminating local expertise, consultation and transparency.

Modernization can happen without dismantling local governance. If amalgamations are pursued, they should be voluntary, appropriately scaled, and fully funded. The SNC Authority is committed to working collaboratively with municipalities, residents, farmers, and Indigenous communities — and this cooperative model should be strengthened, not replaced.