I am appalled at this latest…

I am appalled at this latest attack on our water and land, and indeed the very air that we breathe -- all things that Ontario's Conservation Authorities do their best to protect -- for me, and more important than me, for my children and grandchildren.

Please stop this plan NOW!

With climate change, floods are worsening, both in number and intensity. We need to make sure there are on-the-spot local experts with local knowledge to protect buyers and builders from unwittingly investing in homes that will be destroyed by floods.

Now is not the time to remove local authority and expertise.

The proposal to consolidate 36 conservation authorities into just seven, overseen by a new centralized provincial agency, will weaken conservation authorities' ability to provide wise advice. It will almost certainly create conditions where it is far more likely that critical local knowledge will be excluded from key decisions, leaving communities more exposed to flooding and other environmental harms.

To make matters worse, these changes are compounded by the limitations to Conservation Authorities' mandate, resourcing and independence the government has imposed over the past several years.

Please do not proceed with the consolidation. Please meaningfully work with Indigenous communities, municipalities and civil society to empower conservation authorities to use their local expertise to increase our flood resiliency, safeguard our water and conserve our natural areas.

Please prevent future flood disasters.