I am writing on behalf of…

I am writing on behalf of the Shabomeka Lake Association (SLA) to express our strong opposition to the proposed plan to amalgamate the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) into the proposed St. Lawrence Regional Conservation Authority.

Shabomeka Lake has a control dam which is managed by the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority. We are deeply concerned about the potential negative impacts the proposed consolidation of conservation authorities could have on the protection and management of the water levels on our lake as well as the larger impacts on the Mississippi and Carp watersheds.

The SLA supports change that leads to improvements in service delivery and cost efficiencies.
The current model, in which the MVCA works with and is primarily funded by the 11
municipalities within its area of control, is highly effective and, by all metrics, highly efficient. We
cannot imagine that increased centralization will lead to any positive outcomes. On the contrary,
merging the authority for the Mississippi and Carp watersheds with the St. Lawrence Seaway is likely to lead to significantly worse outcomes for our local watersheds. North Frontenac Township has a strong voice on the MVCA, which ensures that local concerns are heard by local conservation staff. The NFLAA also has a strong working relationship with MVCA staff, which further ensures that the concerns of waterfront property owners are represented within the MVCA. We are deeply
concerned that the close connections between waterfront property owners - who both affect and
are affected by the watersheds - and the authority that manages the watersheds will be lost with the proposed consolidation. The resulting weakening of these connections will benefit neither the
waterfront property owners nor the integrity of the watersheds.

We urge you to reconsider this consolidation plan and to prioritize the needs and wishes of the local
waterfront property owners. Our watersheds are unique and valuable and deserve to be preserved
and protected.