Submission to Environmental…

Submission to Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) re: Policy Proposal number 025-1257 (Proposed boundaries for the regional consolidation of Ontario’s conservation authorities)
Date: December 22, 2025
ERO SUBMISSION DISCUSSION QUESTION #1: What do you see as key factors to support a successful transition and outcome of regional conservation authority consolidation?
The Province of Ontario should:
– Ensure that any amalgamations be voluntary.
– Pause amalgamation discussion until there has been meaningful consultation with First Nations; municipalities; conservation authorities; and other stakeholders, particularly agricultural representatives.
– Identify where coordination would accomplish the Province’s goals without requiring more centralized (less local; less rural; more urban) regions.
– 14 million Canadians benefit from community-based watershed management, whether they are aware of this or not, ensure environmental safeguards are protected.
Summary:
Consolidation, if necessary, not necessarily consolidation.
ERO SUBMISSION DISCUSSION QUESTION #2: What opportunities or benefits may come from a regional conservation authority framework?
– There are opportunities to work with conservation authorities to develop and implement new region-wide or Ontario-wide technologies to accomplish the Province's goals without forced amalgamations of conservation authorities.
– Conservation authorities help to ensure that continued local agricultural expertise, technical support, and facilitation of access to grants and financial incentives make it possible for farmers to steward soil and water resources.
Summary:
It would be helpful for smaller, rural watershed organizations to share agronomic expertise and there may be other benefits of sharing knowledge or technology.
ERO SUBMISSION DISCUSSION QUESTION #3: Do you have suggestions for how governance could be structured at the regional conservation authority level, including suggestions around board size, make-up and the municipal representative appointment process?
The Province of Ontario should:
– Maintain local decision-making boards with audited financial records at the community-based watershed level.
– Ensure the continuance of rural conservation authorities to ensure that agricultural and rural voices are heard and reflected in decision-making for the management of watershed resources.
Summary:
There needs to “pay for say” and it is not clear to me how this can happen in a regional model.
ERO SUBMISSION DISCUSSION QUESTION #4: Do you have suggestions on how to maintain a transparent and consultative budgeting process across member municipalities within a regional conservation authority?
The Province of Ontario should:
– Ensure municipal funds are allocated to their local watersheds.
– Ensure that assets are retained by the local conservation authority.
– The loss of conservation authorities at the community level would:
o undermine rural and local knowledge and expertise;
o discourage local innovation;
o damage existing community partnerships; and
o result in the loss of local community funding support that provides Ontario taxpayers with excellent return on investment.
Summary:
The Province needs to pay for the provincial goals.
ERO SUBMISSION DISCUSSION QUESTION #5: How can regional conservation authorities maintain and strengthen relationships with local communities and stakeholders?
– Any services delivered at a regional scale should not result in the loss of local connection and decision-making that was foundational to the formation of watershed-based conservation authorities in the first place.
– Any move to regional delivery of some services cannot come at the expense of local accountability; any changes should not result in a loss of community-based decision-making by a manageable number of municipalities (e.g., 10-15; not 50-100).
Summary:
It is important for the Province to understand the value of contributions through sweat equity, land and other efforts that volunteers and the community provide for the conservation of land, soil and water. It has taken many years of relationship building to leverage this level of commitment. Regional governance has the potential to undermine these valuable relationships.