Over my 40 plus years of…

Over my 40 plus years of engineering consulting I worked with and for most of the conservation authorities in Ontario. They all have local matters and concerns that need to be addressed and managed. However those local matters are not necessarily unique or are they difficult to manage.

I favour a consolidation of the conservation authorities throughout Ontario. The current proposed geographic boundaries seems reasonable to me. The consolidation would bring forth needed effectiveness and accountability. The main purpose of the current conservation authorities remains the same as when they were established. However, some have strayed from their original mandate and there is unnecessarily overlap and confusion amongst municipalities, land owners, developers and others responsible for the land and resources within the individual watershed catchment areas. The overlap caused by conservation authorities stepping beyond their mandate should also be eliminated by the consolidation process. During the consolidation process streamlining of the delivery of CA services needs to be addressed. Consolidating CAs should allow for the review of competencies and a better management of the talent pool.