As someone who has lived…

As someone who has lived within the boundaries of several different conservation authorities in southwestern Ontario, I am concerned by the decision to consolidate so many disparate conservation authority offices into such a small number of regions. This consolidation is especially egregious when considering the amalgamation of the lake Huron shoreline with such a vast additional region of authorities and agencies.

This will not allow, in fact, for additional oversight, meaningful gains in efficiency or any of your other intended impacts. This proposed amalgamated authority includes incredibly disparate ecologies, watersheds and environmental concerns. How will this vast expanse be patrolled for adherence to conservation authority policy? Already, in your proposal for why this change should be made, you indicate that there are differences in staffing, technical abilities, etc., how will increasing the surface area of management without also increasing the amount of bodies on the ground and working out of the local offices lead to any improvements in services?

I see a lack of foresight into the impact this change will have on the services that the conservation authorities provide at present. If there are concerns about the turnaround times on permit reviews and renewals, then the solution is provide further funding to enable the local conservation authority offices to hire more folks to review and renew more permits, more quickly. You cannot solve for capacity problems with consolidation, this will only make things more confusing and less easily accessible.

I also find myself at odds with the focus on permitting and development that is reflected in the proposed changes. We should be looking for ways to keep habitats from becoming fragmented, for ways to ensure that waterways, watersheds and wetlands continue to be managed and maintained in order to ensure the safety of our drinking water, access to natural areas and the preservation of wildlife habitats throughout the entire province.