In the case of the proposed…

In the case of the proposed regional conservation authority (CA) boundaries, bigger is not better. The plan to consolidate the 36 conservation authorities into 7 regional ones also comes with further downloading of costs to local municipalities. While these larger jurisdictions may now have more urban centres to pull and disperse municipal levy from, the transference of money will not assist in the growth of programs nor trickle down to the more local, rural areas. The plan to consolidate CAs is about reducing their capacity and to make way for "paving paradise".

Looking back at the history of conservation authorities, the provincial government provided approximately 50 percent of funding to CAs, with support totaling around $50 million in the mid-1990s. This funding structure was in place for 50 years until the Harris government’s Red Tape Reduction Act slashed funding by 87 percent to $8 million in 1995/1996. Since then, the important work and services CAs provide have continued to be undercut, with ongoing reductions now resulting in only $3.5 million from provincial grants – which, if accounting for inflation, would equate to $1.86 million in 1995 dollars.

This plan is not about a housing crisis, nor about standardizing policies or services - it's about weakening environmental safeguards with the future goal of ridding Ontario of conservation authorities and their legislated mandates so that the current government can make building contractors more money. If the Ontario government wants to streamline building permits, modernize floodplain mapping and improve programs and services at CAs, then the only logical step is to revert the 30 years of funding cuts, which have undermined the ability to hire the staff required for reviewing and issuing permits, and reduced the ability to modernize software programs and invest in flood monitoring.

Do not change the watershed boundaries of conservation authorities; return to providing provincial funding that supports the work CAs do.