I completely oppose this…

I completely oppose this proposed legislation to merge 36 local Conservation Authorities into seven massive regional bodies! This regressive plan is terribly concerning to me - as it is a blatant attempt to consolidate power into the hands a of few, distant administrative bodies.

This is not democracy in Ontario! And it most certainly will not promote sustainable healthy environments, which is needed more than ever in a world rapidly showing signs of climate change.

We need innovative and respectful decisions based on local knowledge and expertise, with outcomes that allow both people and nature to thrive.

Mega-mergers don’t create efficiency. They erase local knowledge and weaken oversight of these critical areas - areas that are essential in our fight against the climate crisis, that protect our watersheds, and ensure needed habitat in and around the province for our wildlife.

As a reminder - our system of watershed-based Conservation Authorities came about in response to the impacts of poorly controlled land use on waterways in the 1930s and ‘40s when loss of natural cover and erosion was devastating many areas of Southern Ontario. The impact of Hurricane Hazel in 1954 only added urgency to the need for better watershed management.

The existing watershed-based boundaries for Conservation Authorities make even more ecological sense today. I implore you to recognize that moving decisions farther away from local communities, weakening local oversight - risk stripping away local expertise, and making decisions that impact local citizens without their input, threaten drinking-water protection, flood prevention, and watershed health.

Therefore, I urge you to not proceed with the consolidation. Please meaningfully work with Indigenous communities, municipalities and civil society to empower conservation authorities to use their local expertise to increase our flood resiliency, safeguard our water and conserve our natural areas.