Based on the language used…

Based on the language used in the proposal I have serious concerns about how CA's will operate across wide geographic areas after consolidation/amalgamation. As it is right now CA's are understaffed, an inspector might need to drive a few hundred kilometers in a day in order to perform site visits. If the CA's are further centralized it might become even more impossible to perform critical tasks such as these. It is promised that "The current system of 36 separate conservation authorities is fragmented, with each conservation authority following different policies, standards, fees and levels of staffing and technical capabilities. This has led to unpredictable and inconsistent turnaround times for approvals across all conservation authorities, creating uncertainty and delays for builders, landowners and farmers seeking permits, and undermining conservation authorities’ ability to protect communities from floods and natural hazards." I believe any consolidation will exacerbate these issues and be used as a cynical exercise to further justify the dismantling of CAs and this looks like the first step. The province should not continue down this path as these CAs are staffed by people who live in these watersheds and communities and have the local expertise to understand watershed and community issues, once CAs are amalgamated that expertise will no longer be applied as effectively. Based on the proposal, what does someone in Lancaster know about the aquifers of Cloyne. Respectfully I do not think any of these proposals would improve on the services provided by CAs, additional provincial funding might though, as of now CAs are nearly entirely funded by municipalities, if the province were to step up and fund more this would undoubtedly go much further in helping developers than upending the current structure. It will take a decade to completely amalgamate these CAs from a systems, policies and standards standpoint all of which will distract from their core work while the amalgamation is occurring, not to mention re-training any staff to those new policies. As an aside, I also believe the education and community outreach mandate of CAs should be expanded, the loss of that mandate at many CAs as dictated by the province is disheartening and upsetting.