I strongly oppose the…

I strongly oppose the consolidation of the Conservation Authorities and the creation of the Ontario Provincial Conservation Authority that would remove decision-making from local experts and municipalities.

Will the province then pick up 100% of the costs? Municipalities are being removed from decision-making even though they primarily fund Conversation Authorities.

Loss of Local Expertise - Removing local knowledge from key decisions will leave communities more exposed to localized effects such as flooding.

Voice of Indigenous peoples are important to me. They have knowledge from generations about respecting the land. Existing Conservation Authorities have ongoing consultation relationships with Indigenous people within their watershed. Consolidation of Conservation Authorities makes local Indigenous knowledge muted as they will have less opportunities for input.

Developers are not the only "industry" whose needs need to be prioritized. Prioritizing only efficiency and rapid development ultimately increases the risk and cost from natural hazards like flooding, erosion and drought, which can lead to Billions of dollars of costs for extreme weather events. Based on previous instances where local expertise has been removed, developer requests are prioritized above environmental and technical considerations, leaving residents who purchase these homes vulnerable.

There are many studies that demonstrate that economic losses associated with NOT taking climate adaptation (disaster mitigation) are severe and would have a significant negative impact both short-term and long-term on our economy, health outcomes and maintaining farmland to feed ourselves in the future (see the report from City of Hamilton). Conservation Authorities with local knowledge, with local municipal input on land use planning, with local consultation of Indigenous peoples give Ontario stable footing in a changing climate.