Mr Ford and Friends,…

Mr Ford and Friends, Minister for the Destruction of the Environment,

Here we are again commenting on this governments ongoing efforts to erode all vestiges of public infrastructure to literally "Protect Ontario" from the likes of your greedy friend’s aka "developers". All to serve the interests of the few.

Herein lies the important statement underpinning the motivation for your proposed changes:

" The Conservation Authorities Act also establishes areas where a permit must be obtained from a conservation authority before a person engages in a development activity in certain circumstances or interference with a watercourse. Conservation authorities review permit applications and issue permits to builders, municipalities and property owners for development activities such as housing developments, installation of sewage systems in areas affected by risks of natural hazards such as floodplains, shorelines, river and stream valleys, and wetlands. Permitting administered by conservation authorities helps to ensure that development does not happen in unsafe areas and that it does not worsen the impacts of flooding or erosion in surrounding areas."

Permitting. Speeding the process, confounding the ability of those with local knowledge of ecosystems and watersheds to provide any delay in what you really wish to achieve-paving over the province and lining the pockets of you and your friends.

Daily we can drive through what was once arable farmland (Greenbelt???, Peel/Caledon, Vaughan) and observe land being stripped and countless warehouses being thrown up-land is disappearing at an absolutely staggering pace under your watch. What do you propose the people of Ontario will eat when all the farmland has been paved by your friends? When farmers cannot afford the land to farm on because of the pressure from "developers" driving the prices up? Those "affordable" houses being constructed--are affordable to the few--and contributing to massive sprawl (this supports your efforts to pave over for new highways though...). Meanwhile the housing market in the existing urban centres has tanked--good planning. You can't grow on Canadian shield--though your government has plans to mine and deforest, I am sure.

I cannot underscore the depth of my despair each time your government launches another trojan horse omnibus bill-I can always guarantee it holds within it more efforts to destroy Ontario's environment; every last inch of it. You have made consistent efforts to remove safeguards to protect Ontario and absolutely gutted the Conservation Authorities Act, Endangered Species Act and set the table for unfettered development. Continuing to remove protection for our collective environment will reach (and may have already) a tipping point, from which there is no coming back. This next move on your government's part is clearly another step in the strategy to render CA's completely ineffectual. Perhaps you should just rename them "Development Authorities" and give up the pretence that this government has any interest in "Protecting Ontario"

Let's turn now to the issue at hand for public comment.
What do you see as key factors to support a successful transition and outcome of regional conservation authority consolidation?

None. You have not provided enough information or data to support this decision.

What opportunities or benefits may come from a regional conservation authority framework?

Developers will gain access to faster permitting, fewer obstructions based on local environmental concerns i.e.: brown trout in the Credit and a proposed sewage plant to release into the Credit.

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?
Do not consolidate. If there is actual benefit to "streamlining" provide the existing CA's with funds and structure/equipment/staff to work collaboratively across the various CA"S. Perhaps there exists already a mechanism to take a wider lens view of Ontario’s collective environment and share this data and work to protect collaboratively. If it does not already exist, give the existing CA's support to do this.
Do you have suggestions on how to maintain a transparent and consultative budgeting process across member municipalities within a regional conservation authority?
Full transparency on every signal permit coming before the CA. Share with the public and state who is actually gaining, what is the public actually losing. Include input from multiple stakeholders on permits applications. Who will actually benefit and how much? What are the actual costs to the environment ie. species that will go extinct, loss/further degradation of natural ecosystem, costs to address potential negative impacts across many domains: environmental, cultural, social, economic.

How can regional conservation authorities maintain and strengthen relationships with local communities and stakeholders?
Stay Local CA's.
The importance of local knowledge of conservation authorities for each area they protect cannot be overstated. This local knowledge and commitment helps to support specific concerns to be addressed in each community the CA's oversee. "Consolidation" removes this from consideration-it is quite likely that signs and symptoms of local environmental and ecosystem changes and concerns will be missed in the larger morass of a "regional" body. Furthermore, that these concerns will entirely be overlooked by a "regional body".
Knowledge and monitoring for local water systems is key-it all flows to Larger Lakes-and for a large population into Lake Ontario and out of our taps. What happens upstream flows down.
A larger body poses the risk of missing smaller signs of changes and negative impacts--all key to addressing/preventing further damage to our environment-by the time a "larger body" notices it is often too late to prevent disaster, and maybe even to mitigate such disaster.

Local Conservation Authorities provide vital on the ground connection to OUR COMMUNITIES who care what happens here. They provide education and connection to nature through enrichment programs and investments into local efforts to protect our environments within our communities. It is not difficult to imagine this aspect of CA's positive impacts would all but disappear into a larger "regional body".

Thank you for the opportunity to comment. I trust you will do this anyway, regardless of sense or opposition.