Briefly, until such time…

Briefly, until such time political (municipal) boundaries align with watershed boundaries this type of move to consolidation has serious flaws and concerning potential to do more harm via unintended consequences.

The government proposal, although claiming to seek modernization and efficiencies, among other things, has to date not publicly identified any real problems with the existing system it aims to solve.

In fact, from my perspective as someone who has worked in the development sector, this government proposal to consolidate the number of conservation authorities would likely result in delays and mistakes ... and from perspective as an elected municipal councillor, further distancing locally important decision making will not be in the public interest.

The work of conservation authorities is locally based and delivered. It would be prudent to first address any gaps in service delivery. And, the province has in fact demonstrated the opposite by, among other things, reducing the traditional scope of services provided by conservation authorities e.g legislation in about 2023 which added expenses for municipalities for the same services.

I support the public statements issued by Conservation Authorities and, to date, many Ontario municipalities.

Our collective interest is a progressive future of strong and resilient Ontario communities within safe and healthy natural environments. To achieve this, local expert decision making is most important.