Without knowing the full…

Without knowing the full scope of the Minister's plan to consolidate the conservation authorities in Ontario into fewer bodies, it is important to note the following:

1 - CA's are direct and immediate points of contact for many developers, municipalities, residents and others. It would be unfortunate if the continuity of those relationships was diminished because of the consolidation.
2 - CA's are the experts in the geophysical, environmental and often times even meteorological impacts on a location. Local experts are honed-in on the issues facing particular micro-regions and have the necessary background to mitigate issues and facilitate development successfully.
3 - Consolidation of CA's may result in more red-tape, with approvals and administration being centralized for a wider range of municipalities.
4 - the CA's listed for consolidation have lands that are quite different from one-another, with some having as little as 8% canopy and being surrounded by water, and others being completely forested within the same proposed new CA area. Challenges facing these varied landscapes and natural areas are significantly different, and may not see a benefit of the consolidation.
5 - Board representation and having a voice to represent all of the municipalities within a single consolidated proposed CA would be a dramatic change from the local board representation that currently exists for all funding partners in any current CA area.
6 - Greater oversight through a governing body is a good idea, which is being proposed, and would provide a consistency of service-delivery in some ways.
7 - Consolidations/amalgamations historically have not resulted in less costs.
8 - CA lands operated as trails and parks, conservation areas etc. were financed and maintained through local financial contributions. It is unclear what will happen with those lands upon consolidation as proposed.

Thank you for your consideration.