Ontario’s 36 conservation…

Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities play a vital role in watershed management and protecting communities from natural hazards like floods. As a member of the insurance community, I beg you to NOT pass this bill! Flooding in Ontario is at an all time high. There are areas in Ottawa that are virtually uninsurable for flood coverage. The reason these flood zones were built on in the first place is due to bills like this eroding the municipal and provincial check and balances. If we amalgamate the environmental conservation authorities, many nuances of these wetlands, and regional environments will not be understood by the new authority (as they would likely not placed in the areas where these wetlands reside). We already saw the horrible loss of habitat from the Ontario Place debacle, we do not need northern Ontario and the greenbelt facing the same fate. Some areas are not meant for housing and no amount of passing bills like this will help the situation. Passing this bill means more loss through natural disasters (flooding, windstorm and tornados); amalgamating conservation authorities is not the answer.