I strongly oppose the…

I strongly oppose the proposal to consolidate Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities into 7 regions. Centralization undermines the core strength of the CA model: local watershed management.

Loss of Local Expertise: A "super-region" covering vast areas (e.g., all of Southwestern Ontario) cannot understand local flood risks and terrain nuances as well as a locally based authority. We risk decision-making that is detached from on-the-ground realities.

Diluted Accountability: Merging authorities dilutes the voice of individual municipalities. Smaller communities will lose influence over local environmental decisions to a distant regional board.

Bureaucracy over Science: Creating huge regional bodies and a new Provincial Agency adds red tape, not efficiency. It increases the risk that science-based safety decisions will be overruled by top-down provincial directives to fast-track development in unsafe areas.

Please abandon this consolidation plan and focus on supporting the existing local authorities.