I do not support the…

I do not support the proposed consolidation of Ontario's conservation authorities. For decades, conservation authorities have played a vital role in watershed management. After the aftermath of hurricane Hazel, the establishment of several authorities proved crucial for the province, as strategic watershed management and protection has helped prevent major flooding events and erosion in towns and cities, as well as protect vital natural areas home to all forms of wildlife, including those critically endangered. By merging 36 authorities and shrinking that number down into 7, you take away the unique individualism of each of those authorities. It may seem "fragmented", but that's exactly what Ontario needs because of the vast and ever changing landscape across our province. Each authority offers unique views and specialized strategies for their specific region, something that a larger authority spread across a larger area could never account for. That local expertise and knowledge will be lost, and problems will rise as our watershed suffers.

Additionally, funding and resources will be spread thin. The lack of funding is already apparent within our conservation authorities due to numerous cut backs within the past few years, and by increasing the workload and area for one authority will prove costly and ineffective. Jobs will be lost, investments back into the community will suffer, existing programs will be forgotten, and ultimately our environment will struggle without our help. If you want to completely kill the authorities abilities to do anything for our environment, this is the way to do it.

I strongly oppose this proposal. Our environment needs our help more then ever, and reducing our conservation authorities will not help. To keep this provinces rich environment, we must rethink this proposal.