This is a foolish idea…

This is a foolish idea. Local conservation authorities were created by Leslie Frost in response to the disaster and loss of life caused by Hurricane Hazel precisely because local knowledge was critical to the safety and security of residents of any given region. Diluting that knowledge and experience by asking it to cover a greater area will result in weaker regulations and greater difficulty in enforcement of regulation. This government has already moved to strip existing CAs of their power and now centralizing power to a greater extent with the consequent “economies of scale” will reduce the number of field workers. Any change that is prefaced by repeated references of this government’s mantra of “shovels in the ground” indicates a predisposition to give preference to development over conservation. Wetlands and flood plains serve a purpose, destroying them in the name of “progress” is short sighted, short term thinking. The study for affordable housing explicitly stated that there was adequate land available WITHOUT having to develop farmland, wetlands or floodplains yet this government seems intent on charging ahead and ignoring the advice of experts in the field. Please abandon this foolish, wasteful idea of consolidating the conservation authorities, and thereby removing local input and experience. One size does NOT fit all.