Better Together Circle is a…

Better Together Circle is a citizens’ environmental group based in Westport, Ontario, dedicated to protecting the lakes, rivers, wetlands, and forests that make our community healthy and resilient. Our community lies within the Frontenac Arch Biosphere, a UNESCO‑recognized region of exceptional ecological diversity and connectivity that links the Canadian Shield to the Adirondack Mountains.​

Our community is served by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, whose watershed‑based planning and on‑the‑ground stewardship are vital to local safety and environmental health. One of its properties, Foley Mountain Conservation Area, lies directly north of the Village of Westport and provides forest cover, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, and a natural buffer that helps protect the village and surrounding lakes from erosion, flooding, and other climate‑related impacts.​

Conservation authorities are one of Ontario’s most effective tools for protecting people and property from flooding and other natural hazards, safeguarding drinking water sources, and conserving wetlands and natural heritage. Consolidating 36 conservation authorities into a small number of large regional bodies will weaken local knowledge, local accountability, and the ability to respond to the distinct watershed conditions that communities like Westport face within the Frontenac Arch Biosphere.​

The proposal also risks creating inequities between urban and rural communities that rely on conservation authorities for technical expertise in floodplain mapping, erosion control, and natural heritage planning. If local offices are closed or services centralized, our community will face longer delays, reduced attention to site‑specific risks, and potentially higher costs as municipalities are forced to find alternative expertise or bear greater responsibility for hazard management.​

In an era of climate change, when extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe, it is counter‑intuitive and dangerous to weaken the very institutions designed to plan and manage at the watershed scale. Instead of cutting and consolidating, the province should strengthen conservation authorities’ capacity to deliver science‑based flood prevention, land use advice, and source water protection that reflect local realities, particularly in globally significant landscapes such as the Frontenac Arch Biosphere and in communities like Westport that depend on nearby protected areas such as Foley Mountain Conservation Area.​

For these reasons, Better Together Circle respectfully requests that the Government of Ontario withdraw the current proposal to reduce and consolidate conservation authorities, undertake full and transparent consultation with affected communities, and commit to strengthening watershed‑based conservation planning with stable funding for flood prevention, natural heritage protection, and source water protection. Any future reforms must preserve strong local representation and decision‑making for each watershed, particularly in rural communities and in ecologically significant regions such as the Frontenac Arch Biosphere and the Rideau Valley watershed.

signed
Better Together Circle