I am concerned that the…

I am concerned that the proposal to amalgamate Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities into seven large, regional bodies will lead to fewer scientific studies and less oversight for Ontario's watersheds. Keeping our lakes, rivers, and streams clean and rehabilitating compromised waterways is important for safe drinking water plus commercial and sport fishing. Keeping the 36 Conservation Authorities is vital in order to warn people about the danger of flooding in a timely manner. I urge you to protect the watershed-based, community-informed governance model that has safeguarded Ontario’s waters and communities for decades.

For more than 75 years, Conservation Authorities have enabled municipalities sharing the same watershed to work together to reduce flood risk, protect drinking-water sources, steward natural ecosystems, and prepare for extreme weather. Although the government suggests that consolidation will resolve inconsistencies across Conservation Authorities, restructuring on this scale risks dismantling the very model that makes watershed management effective.

The effectiveness of Conservation Authorities comes from local expertise and governance aligned with watershed boundaries, not administrative regions. Oversized regions push decision-making farther away from the people and communities who know their watersheds best. Decades of monitoring, partnerships, and place-based science cannot be scaled up or replaced by a distant regional or provincial body. Make no mistake - this change will worsen water protections, increase flood risk, and put Ontarians at risk.

Strong, locally informed oversight is essential for public safety. While the government frames consolidation as a solution to inconsistencies across Conservation Authorities, it does not actually resolve these challenges. Diluted local authority and increased provincial control heighten the risk of weaker prevention measures and decisions that are disconnected from lived watershed realities. Centralization also fails to account for the complexity and diversity of ecosystems and community needs.

It is also important to recognize that the Conservation Authorities Act has already undergone substantial “modernization”. Province-wide standards under Ontario Regulation 41/24 and reinforced mandatory programs under O. Reg. 686/21 have already targeted changes to address concerns related to consistency, transparency, and capacity. Recognizing that recent legislative and regulatory changes have already weakened key environmental protections, we cannot let our last remaining safeguards be further eroded.

There is no justification for sweeping structural changes now. Watershed governance must remain rooted in local realities. Centralizing decision-making into large regional bodies undermines the very principles that keep communities safe and drinking water protected.

The people of Ontario rely on strong, locally grounded watershed governance to protect our water and ecosystems plus provide flood control and flood warnings for our safety.