The proposal to change the…

The proposal to change the number of and boundaries of Conservation Authorities needs to change, considering the following points:

1. When the present government was elected in 2018, it promoted and supported Source Water Protection Plans (SPP), in part, because they were locally lead and received a hugh amount of local support because of the consultative nature and methodology that was employed to develop the SPP's. This present proposal goes in the complete opposite direction and needs to be completely altered to retain the local leadership currently used in the governance of CA's

2. For CA's which presently obtain most of their base funding for operating funds and capital projects from municipalities, municipalities must continue to be a key driver of providing feedback on how / where this funding is directed, through their membership on the individual CA boards and for agreed to purposes as directed by the services that the CA provides to the municipality.

3. The CA's must continue to have the primary powers of flood control, flood plain delineation and management and in general, hazard land management (Valley land, ravine lands with watersheds and Lakeland based coastal zones) over municipalities.

4. The current funding model for CA's from municipalities seems to have achieved an equilibrium between municipalities and CAs and should be essentially left as is for another decade to allow, before major twicks are made to it. (This assumes that the Province does not step up and provide large amounts of new funding for flood control, flood conveyance, and other hazardous land infrastructure.)

5 For municipalities which do not have significant expertise at a local scale related to receiving water quality, stable geomorphic systems, and aquatic habitat (for fish, or other aquatic organisms like amphibians etc), whether on public parkland or privately owner lands, the CA should be funded to provide value- added to the municipal of general publics

6. I recognize that there is always a tension between the current power of CA's and municipalities with respect to adequate funding for CA programs and the CA regulatory powers over municipalities. This tension is a necessary tension and needs to be recognized in legislation or re-recognized in the governance structure promulgated by the Province

7 Where a major industry such as urban developers, major gravel pits, or mines are present within the lands governed by a CA, the CA needs to have substantial input into the approval process for such new undertakings, but the CA Board should perhaps have a representative of the particular industry on their Board, similar to how the Source Protection Committees have representatives on them from Industrial Associations and Public Members, in additional to Municipal members associated with Public water supply sources (groundwater and surface water).