I, and my family, do not…

I, and my family, do not support the proposed boundary configurations outlined in Environmental Registry Notice 025-1257.

Instead, I endorse further provincial evaluation of a more focused specific model as a geographically coherent, cost-effective and locally accountable alternative that advances the government’s priorities of efficiency, red-tape reduction and timely housing delivery; and I request that the Ministry engage directly with affected municipalities and conservation authorities across Ontario before finalizing any consolidation boundaries or legislative amendments.

The proposed plan would:
-Create geographically vast and administratively complex entities, joining northern, rural and fast-growing southern municipalities throughout the province with little shared watershed connection or economic alignment;
-Dilute local accountability and municipal partnership, contrary to the principle that decisions are best made closest to the communities they affect;
-Generate substantial transition costs — including human-resources integration, governance restructuring, IT migration and policy harmonization — that would divert resources from front-line service delivery and delay measurable outcomes, contrary to the Province’s own business-planning principles of value for money, cost containment and service continuity;
-Risk greater uncertainty and delay for builders, developers and farmers, as local permitting offices and staff familiar with site conditions are replaced by distant regional structures, making it harder for applicants to obtain timely local advice, resolve issues or expedite housing and infrastructure approvals that support the Province’s "Get It Done" agenda;

Many Conservation Authorities have already undertaken significant modernization work aligned with provincial objectives, including:
-implementation of a digital permitting and inspection system that has reduced turnaround times;
improvements in transparency and client communication;
-Data and network systems, including security and redundancy
-Numerous internal reviews to identify opportunities for cost savings and efficiencies
-Conversion of redundant support and non-mandatory positions to front-line mandatory service positions demonstrating that meaningful modernization can occur within the current watershed-based governance framework.

The proposed changes are not in the best interest of the province, especially as regarding flood control, environmental stewardship, and climate change reduction.

Thank you.