1. These changes reduce…

1. These changes reduce local environmental decision-making.

Right now, our local conservation authority (UTRCA) is guided by people from nearby towns who understand our watershed. Under the new plan, decisions would be made by a much larger, more distant agency.

2. Eight conservation authorities would be merged into one huge regional body.

The new Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority would include 81 municipalities. Smaller communities like ours may have a harder time being heard.

3. Local watershed expertise could be lost.

Each area has unique flooding, habitat, soil, and climate challenges. Merging eight authorities risks losing the specialized knowledge our region depends on.

4. Environmental programs we rely on could be changed or cut.

School programs, tree plantings, water monitoring, conservation area stewardship, and community outreach may shift, shrink, or disappear.

5. Response times to environmental issues could slow down.

A larger, more centralized agency may struggle to respond quickly to floods, erosion, invasive species, and other urgent watershed issues.

6. Governance is unclear and community representation may shrink.

Our local board—currently made up of representatives from 17 municipalities—would be replaced by a new structure that hasn’t been fully explained.

7. This change shifts power from communities to the province.

A new provincial conservation agency would oversee everything, reducing the local control that has shaped Ontario’s conservation work for 80 years.

8. These changes are being introduced quickly, with little public consultation.

Massive restructuring is happening just before the Conservation Authorities Act’s 80th anniversary, and communities have not been widely consulted.

9. Watershed-based planning could be weakened.

Ontario’s conservation authorities are designed around natural watershed boundaries—not political ones. That principle may be diluted in a large regional system.

10. Our local ecosystems could suffer if local voices are lost.

Protecting rivers, wetlands, wildlife, forests, and drinking water requires understanding local conditions—and that’s harder to maintain under a mega-authority.