Hello, I am submitting /…

Hello,
I am submitting / answering your discussion questions (copied below) as they relate to the proposal for regional consolidation of Ontario's conservation authorities. I am responding as an individual with a MSc in Environmental Sustainability with a specialization in environmental land use planning. I work in this field and have volunteer experience at the municipal level acting in an environmental advisory capacity.

1. What do you see as key factors to support a successful transition and outcome of regional conservation authority consolidation?
>N/A as I do not support the proposal as stated.

2. What opportunities or benefits may come from a regional conservation authority framework?
>Honestly, none. There may be benefit in having a stronger alignment with the provincial planning statement and consistency across authorities, but I believe this could be better achieved in other ways such as strengthening technical sharing between authorities in regions (formalized via MOUs) or setting up a regional oversight body. This options would reduce the transition costs but still result in efficiency gains.

3. Do you have suggestions for how governance could be structured at the regional conservation authority level, including suggestions around board size, make-up and the municipal representative appointment process?
>At minimum, regional governance should include representatives from existing conservation authorities and the municipalities that they represent. Representation should not be reflective of population size, but of spatial area services and complexity of ecosystems/programming.

4. Do you have suggestions on how to maintain a transparent and consultative budgeting process across member municipalities within a regional conservation authority?
>Regional conservation authorities would have to set clear timelines and expectations with municipalities and aim to have an aligned budget cycle whereby municipalities can review the budget, provide feedback, and receive information on how input was used. Smaller or rural municipalities may require support or longer timelines in this process given capacity constraints.

5. How can regional conservation authorities maintain and strengthen relationships with local communities and stakeholders?
>I see this as the main issue with this proposal and why I would not recommend the consolidation of conservation authorities under regional offices. Conservation authorities, as they currently operate, have developed strong relationships with their partner municipalities, local residents, and are better situated to leverage community and Indigenous knowledges in their work. These types of partnerships have been forged over generations dating back to 1946. These relationships, and subsequent community support, are extremely beneficial in landuse planning efforts - suddenly moving to a regional model will result in a lot of valuable expertise lost. The proposed regional offices cannot expect to 'pick up' these existing relationships - they are built in community through community events that the conservation authorities host, support, an attend.