Hello Ontario Government, My…

Hello Ontario Government,

My initials are R.F. Since I cannot use my name or identifying details I’ll say I’ve been in Ontario most of my life which expands multiple decades. I care deeply about the wildlife and conservation here.

Myself and my wonderful partner are birders as well as hikers, and we’ve been to parks all over Ontario. If anything, these parks need further regulation, and, at times, more attention.

Combining the 36 conservation authorities to only 7 regions (although still including all properties involved previously, still altering the boundaries within enforcement) will not increase building time for new homes and infrastructure, it’ll slow it down. I come from a family of engineers and environmentalists, and the only thing this proposal looks, is bad. More people who don’t know the area in charge of the area will ensure a slowdown.

With lack of awareness of the area comes less knowledge of historical importance, more time into researching the areas’ biodiversity and ecology overall. If not done, more time with protests from people who have cared for these areas for long amounts of time. I feel very strongly that approaching this differently could have your goals met and leave the conservation to those who care most and will keep these spaces the way they deserve to be kept.

I have several wildlife photos simply over the last year to show these spaces are still used by animals and humans alike. Less so because of the damaging parking charges and limited public transportation access, but people want areas they can trust that are safe, well signed, and cared for.

Please, if you have any heart or soul left, leave these divided regions as they are and if need be hire some supervisors. If you need volunteers for south central Ontario, I’m your person.

Thank you for reading.