The move to amalgamate…

The move to amalgamate conservation authorities in Ontario for "efficiency" is both short-sighted and philosophically wrong. As a senior citizen with scientific degrees in both biology and physical geography, I have understood for decades that the fundamental unit of ecology is the watershed. All the inputs to ecosystem functions - precipitation, groundwater flow, nutrients, soil - are either generated or captured within the watershed, and cycled within it until some of it is discharged to a different ecosystem downstream. In a fully functional, mature ecosystem, the loss of nutrients, biomass, water and soil should be minimized/ optimized by biological processes. In a dysfunctional or degraded ecosystem, soil erosion, nutrient leaching, flooding, reduced groundwater flow and drought create threats of positive feedback loops that will destabilise the system further, reduce biodiversity, and reduce the quality of life for humans sharing that ecosystem.

The creation of Conservation Areas in 1946 by the Progressive Conservative government of George A. Drew was seen as one of the most enlightened approaches to managing ecological stability of its time. The structure of bedrock, surface soil, precipitation patterns, surface water drainage, ground water recharge and flow, botanical systems and natural animal populations are all interconnected features of a unique ecosystem. While knowledge of one ecosystem may inform the study of other similar ecosystems, no two will ever be identical. It therefore makes ultimate sense to have issues of human use, abuse and oversight adjudicated by local specialists with geographic expertise, not by bureaucrats with general knowledge.

I fully agree with objections of the Hamilton Conservation Authority and on this issue. Merging CAs will be costly, is unlikely to increase efficiency, and is unlikely to provide better services or protections for residents living within these localised systems. For a government that has repeatedly made moves to centralise authority on issues that have stirred up public protest and scientific condemnation, this bill seems sadly to be little more than a power and land grab, that threatens to weaken our rights to plan locally and responsibly based on common sense and sound theory. It does a serious disservice to the citizens of Ontario to view all regulation as "bureaucratic red tape". When regulations are well thought out, based on science and conceived to protect the natural environment while optimizing the greater good for all residents, they are are about as sensible as human society can formulate. The original concept of Conservation Authorities based on watersheds and local governance ranks very highly as a model of democracy based on informed decision making. Please withdraw this retrograde, poorly thought out, and scientifically Ill-informed proposal, and instead improve funding and support for the existing authorises rather than creating more centralized bureaucracy with less local input.