Re: ERO #025-1257:…

Re: ERO #025-1257: Expressing My Opposition to Bill 68 – Amalgamation of Conservation Authorities

Dear reader,

I am writing this letter to express my opposition to Bill 68 – Amalgamation of Conservation Authorities.

I agree with the comments submitted to ERO by the Hamilton Conservation Authority and I agree with the comments expressed by the City of Hamilton’s Motion (Planning Committee: December 2, 2025 Opposition to Bill 68.) I will not repeat those comments but, instead, share briefly why strong local decision-making and local conservation areas matter to me.

Several years ago, my husband and I chose to make our home in Ancaster because it was close to the perimeter now governed by the Hamilton Conservation Authority. My relationship to that specific piece of land is of critical importance to me. So important, in fact, that my husband and I recently committed a sizeable portion of our estate for the well-being and upkeep of that area.

I believe that the caretaking of local lands needs to be done locally. It is only through immediate and intimate knowledge of, and relationship with the land, that one can understand its needs, challenges, beauties and rhythms. And such understanding is, in turn, critical not only for maintenance of trails, protection of species, and managing recreational use. Intimate knowledge of the land is critical for both its and our own wellbeing. Something as alive as a unique ecosystem cannot be managed properly through amalgamation and standardized policies. And decisions impacting it should not be made by politicians or bureaucrats in distant places whose primary interest is in finding ways to circumvent local wishes in order to rubber-stamp development applications.

I urge you, once again (because this government repeatedly ignores the environmental concerns of its residents) to look at the large, long-term picture and adopt a way of managing multiple needs without sacrificing the well-being of environment and future generations for short-term political and economic gain.

Respectfully,
Resident, Ancaster ON L9G2V6