I have several concerns with…

I have several concerns with the proposed changes to the Conservation Authorities Act - Bill 68.

1) Conservation Authorities were founded on the idea of local management of water resources on an individual watershed basis. Local knowledge, local needs and local control were core to the ideals of Conservation Authorities. While there have been a few cases where small, adjacent watersheds with similars needs have been merged for the sake of efficiency, the ideal of merging many CAs, across huge areas with many divergent needs runs counter to the idea of local control to meet local needs. I worry that local voices will be lost in the proposed new regional CAs.

2) The proposed act states that one reason for the changes is to ensure uniform standards and regulations across the province. I worry who will set these new standards. The current government does not have a good record when it comes to setting high standards for environmental protection. I worry that regions that currently have higher standards of protection may lose then for the sake of uniformity.

3) The proposed act states that the primary reason for the changes is to get "more shovels in the ground faster"; to speed up development. The primary function of CAs is not to enable speedy development. Rather, it is to ensure that development is done in a safe and sustainable manner, with minimal risk to people, property and the environment.

Thank you.