Conservatives understand why…

Conservatives understand why Conservation Authorities exist. Government House Leader Paul Calandra said in November 2020, “For far too long, our conservation authorities have strayed from their mandate. That’s why we have flooding in basements.” This was a curiously timed statement though, as this government made a 50% cut to flood operations funding in 2019.

From 1946 until about 2020, conservation authorities were empowered by provincial legislation to, as their prime objective, protect Ontario’s natural environment. That included having authority in development proposals that could negatively impact wetlands or floodplains.

They are the second largest land owner in the province after the crown, in charge of 150 000 acres of land, which may give us a major clue as to why this government is trying to kill them through a death of a thousand cuts.

They have had their funding slashed multiple times by this government, through budgets and changes to legislation that diminished their role. Bill 229’s Schedule 6 the allows minister of natural resources to approve any development project without input from conservation authorities

Bill 23 stripped CAs of many core powers. It repealed 36 specific regulations that allowed conservation authorities to directly oversee the development process. It also introduced the “Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator,” which limited input from conservation authorities over natural hazards faced by development.

In advance of Bill 23, their own internal document stated “the federal Parliamentary Budget Office has credited Ontario’s floodplain and hazard management policies and programs, including the role of [conservation authorities], with keeping losses associated with flooding in Ontario lower than losses seen in other Canadian provinces.” The know-how of the people running our conservation authorities saves this province millions through preventative oversight.

Changes in 2024 through the Conservation Authorities Act weakened CAs ability to protect water quality, protect the space between development lands and wetlands, and eliminated the need for builders to acquire permits before building certain small structures. It also allowed the Minister of Natural Resources to set the conditions CAs could impose on permits.

This government has already eliminated the power of most CAs to overrule poorly thought out development. Now this government wants to reduce the number of CAs from 36 to 7. It’s not enough that they have removed most of the regulatory powers CAs had to protect Ontarians drinking water and homes from flooding. This government now wants to reduce the number of experts that have the knowledge to understand when development is a bad idea.

The premier says all the time that he runs Ontario like a business and that he stands up for the people of this province. No one who does either would jeopardize large swaths of the province through flooding or contaminated drinking water. This change like most of the other changes this government has made to CAs authority is foolhardy and I hope the people of this province begin taking notice of the attacks on their safeguards, before we have whole communities under water or under a boiled water advisory. In addition, it may end up being the legacy of this government that businesses from outside of Ontario take a pass on building here, when flooding makes it clear that development takes place without any kind of plan by anyone who has any understanding of what they are doing.