With this submission I am…

With this submission I am expressing my strong opposition to the proposed amalgamation of the 36 Conservation Authorities currently in place in Ontario. The current system allows for local knowledge to be used to protect crucial natural areas and hazard lands. If agencies are expanded to cover much wider geographical areas, the knowledge and decision-making will be diluted and future development will put people at risk. The weather in Ontario is becoming more extreme as the climate warms and it is projected to worsen over the next few decades. Now is a time when science-based oversight is more crucial than ever; it is not a time to dilute the focus of knowledgeable staff and decision-makers on where to direct safe development. It is also a time when we need to strengthen protection for our natural areas so that they may work to mitigate the effects of climate change.
I recommend that instead of consolidating local CAs, that their regulations and services be streamlined and local funding be increased to allow them to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively. Adding layers of bureaucracy will only counter these much-needed improvements, and reduce responsible oversight when it is most needed.
I recommend that municipal leaders and high-level CA staff be brought together to work out a more effective system, rather than bringing forward this top-down decree without sufficient information, so that the CAs can do a better job, more efficiently.