This seems to be yet another…

This seems to be yet another unnecessary and damaging proposal to upend years of thoughtful planning for the sake of "speeding up development" and "cutting red tape". Conservation Authorities have been a bedrock in Ontario, and a key reason why Ontarians have been spared from some of the most damaging forms of flooding we're increasingly seeing. CA's are able to operate on the ground, have close connections with municipal officials and residents, and do important science and monitoring work that the Ministry of Environment no longer does.
The idea of consolidating them makes absolutely no sense when their entire purpose is to provide services and environmental management on a watershed basis. The consolidation means that a CA like Credit Valley Conservation will not only be managing water draining to Lake Ontario, but also into Lake Erie. It also means that the significant investments municipalities make in CA's to support specific projects in their communities could now be dispersed to projects in a completely different watershed. Considering how low existing Provincial funding to CA's already is, is the Province planning to cover the gap in funds, or will this be yet another burden on municipalities?
CA's are lean organizations, and they provide essential services to protect communities from flooding. They do not prevent or delay development, except on designated floodplains and I would certainly hope this government is not about to change that prohibition. Although this government clearly does not prioritize climate change, it is here nontheless, impacting communities in both rural and urban areas, and will only get worse over time. Why are you continuing to put forward proposals to upend a system that has worked well for almost 80 years, and is the envy of jurisdictions around the world? Please leave our CA's alone, and let them get on with the essential work of protecting Ontario residents and property owners.