I strongly reject this plan…

I strongly reject this plan and the notion that any merger or consolidation of conservation authority resources undertaken by the current Ontario Provincial Government would achieve the stated goals of "free up resources for front-line service delivery to help protect communities and better align the work of CAs with provincial priorities".

The Greenbelt scandal is still being investigated by the RCMP so to suggest that this government has the best interests of Ontarians in mind regarding conservation is laughable. Some key notes after reviewing this plan:

- The plan suggests that a merger is needed to address inefficiency and "streamline permit approval". No existing inefficiencies are detailed in the plan, and no details are provided on how merger would improve any inefficiency, existing or otherwise. Suggesting that the permit approval process needs to be expedited leans toward the notion that there is intention to complete work that is urgently needed. Considering the effects the Greenbelt scandal continues to have on Ontarians and our perceptions of the current Provincial Government, I think the permit approval should be scrutinized further, not made shorter or easier to rush through. To provide some specific context, The Hamilton Conversation Authority reports they processed 94% of permits on time in 2024, which exceeds stated expectations from the Provincial Government.

- There is no budget proposed for this merger. Again, based on the track record of the current administration, not providing details in this regard points to the notion that money will be allocated based on unknown parameters, leading to more waste.

- The disconnect this merger will create regarding relationships between local populations and their location conservation authority cannot be overlooked. Much documentation and proof exists that other mergers such as this across any industry leads to less attention to detail at the local level. Funds may be consolidated in a way that seems enticing for high ranking government officials, but there is no proof that anyone who enjoys conservation authority properties or drinks water from watersheds managed by those authorities would benefit from this consolidation, or that the existing structure is not working to achieve stated goals of those local conversation authorities.

Ultimately this vague plan combined with the government's track record of scandal and attempts to slash environmental protections in the name of profit for a select few, its impossible to look at this as anything other than an attempt to pool conservation authority funds into a fund accessible by the provincial government, opening the door for those funds to be misallocated.