I am opposed the…

I am opposed the consolidation of Conservation Authorities. I live in Dundas and have made many visits to the lands and facilities operated by the Hamilton Conservation Authority. HCA operates very efficiently and I have no confidence that a larger consolidated authority would be any more efficient. In all likelihood, there would be another layer of management, which would increase administrative costs and make local operations more distant from the decision-making senior management and Board.

A related issue is responsiveness to local needs. I am concerned that a larger authority will be less concerned with local issues and more likely to put in place policies that are not really workable over a large area.

The bottom line is that there is no legitimate reason for this consolidation proposal. There will be no savings of costs and, more likely, there will be more costs. There will be no improvement in service to the public, which is already very efficient. There will be more distancing from the people being served and those who make the decisions about that service.