As a lifetime resident of…

As a lifetime resident of Thunder Bay in Northwestern Ontario, I am OPPOSED to the Province’s proposed amalgamation of the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority (LRCA) with six other Conservation Authorities in Southern Ontario to form the “Huron-Superior Regional Conservation Authority”. Given the great distance of 1,500 kilometers from these other southern Ontario Municipalities, there is no regional watershed-based or municipal connection to support this amalgamation.

I have a variety of concerns, including fragmented communication between CAs, loss of representation for the North, and limited prioritization of regional issues and community-specific priorities. Amalgamation would combine the LRCA’s eight-member municipalities with 72 additional municipalities in Southern Ontario, leaving us with very limited local representation at the board level. LRCA will have reduced local control over budgets and levies imposed on member municipalities. This proposed amalgamation could result in delays in decision-making and local permitting, potentially increasing both wait times and costs for permits. Under the current Development Regulations program, LRCA staff issue permits within an average of five days. Following amalgamation, it is anticipated that permit processing times and associated fees could increase substantially. These changes could not only slow local service delivery but may also contribute to a higher incidence of infractions and regulatory violations in our region.

Rather than amalgamating the LRCA into the “Huron-Superior Regional Conservation Authority,” I support the recommendation that the LRCA form a stand-alone regional conservation authority as the “Northwestern Ontario Regional Conservation Authority (NORCA)”. With confidence, I can say that the LRCA, or proposed “NORCA,” has the capacity to continue to serve our watershed as a standalone Conservation Authority under the direction of the new Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency. The provincial government can avoid the use of taxpayer dollars for unnecessary transition costs and allow the LRCA to continue to succeed and grow as it has over the past 70 years of committed service to our Lakehead Watershed residents. At the very least, please consider establishing a “Lake Superior Regional Conservation Authority,” as it is the largest of the great lakes and it deserves its very own representation in this amalgamation.

The LRCA provides services which promote a healthy, safe, and sustainable Lakehead Watershed for future generations. Its Conservation Areas, Education and Stewardship programs connect the community to the land through an extensive variety of educational opportunities, ecological restoration projects, and outdoor recreation spaces. The government should not be proposing to take sovereignty away from an essential organization like this during a time of climate uncertainty. Our society needs to reconnect and deepen our relationships with the land, not remove ourselves from it even further through never-ending development and ecological fragmentation. Economics need to be in balance with environmental priorities - and TRULY, not through deceptive greenwashing rhetoric. The people deserve transparency and true environmental protections from our government.