December 22, 2025 To whom it…

December 22, 2025

To whom it may concern,
Re: On October 31, 2025, the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) announced plans to create a provincial board-governed agency, the Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency, to provide leadership, governance, and strategic direction to Conservation Authorities (CAs).

I have concerns related to these proposed changes:
 As a tax payer, I am concerned about costs. What is the cost of consolidation? Who will pay for these costs? What is the cost of establishing and operating the proposed Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency (OPCA)? The OPCA would require significant resources while local watershed advisory boards would still be needed to guide priorities and provide oversight.. How do they know whether these changes will improve services and create efficiencies if they have not undertaken any analysis of the costs and the benefits?
 As a citizen living in the area served by the local organization Maitland Conservation I have found them to be responsive and responsible to community needs and priorites. Municipalities, landowners, and community partners drive the services and priorities of the organization. If the OPCA is going to provide strategic direction to Conservation Authorities, and Conservation Authorities are consolidated into seven regional Conservation Authorities, then this would mean less municipal input on service priorities and thus less of responsiveness to citizen priorities.
 As a rural resident, I am deeply concerned about whether the needs of rural communities and the agricultural sector will be adequately recognized and prioritized in this consolidation, particularly since the lead Conservation Authority is expected to be an urban one in each region.
 As a member of an area charitable organization engaged in natural area trailways, I understand that a core priority for Maitland Conservation is reducing the risk of loss of life and community damage caused by flooding and erosion. They are responsible for approving development in or near natural hazard areas, ensuring that new construction and additions are not at risk from flooding or erosion in floodplains or along the Lake Huron shoreline. Their permitting process is efficient and consistent – in 2024, the average time to process all types of permits was just 5.7 days. From start to finish, the staff work closely with landowners, emphasizing customer service. Will the proposed digital permitting platform be able to match our turnaround times and maintain this high level of customer experience? Additionally, what will the costs be for developing and maintaining this platform? I understand that the average time for reviewing and issuing permits by all Conservation Authorities is 12.5 business days.

What’s Really Needed: A renewed relationship that is developed collaboratively focused on restoring healthy and resilient watersheds.
Conservation Authorities were founded on the principles of:
 watershed management,
 a partnership between the province and municipalities,
 a focus on local watershed priorities.

To protect Ontario’s prosperity, we need to focus on developing and protecting the health of watersheds. They are the foundation of not only our economic prosperity but our life support system as well. Clean water, diverse forests and healthy soils directly support key sectors like tourism, forestry and agriculture, which in turn support economically strong communities.
I encourage the province to work collaboratively with Conservation Authorities and their member municipalities to determine how we can best achieve healthy, resilient and prosperous watersheds.
Healthy Lake Huron (HLH) is a model of collaboration between federal, provincial and county agencies, five Conservation Authorities and several community groups. HLH has been successful in supporting stewardship initiatives aimed at improving water quality along the Lake Huron shoreline. Using this collaborative approach across all the watersheds in Ontario to build healthy watersheds would result in effective, cost-efficient results.
Addressing issues at a watershed scale, ensuring representation for rural communities, and local governance overseeing priorities are critical for the protection of people, property and watershed health.