I live in Hamilton and my…

I live in Hamilton and my house was almost flooded in 2023 after a series of heavy rainfalls. The normal municipal drainage system in my neighbourhood was overwhelmed by these rain events which were caused by our changing climate. And climate change is worsening due in part to the inaction of our provincial government. My municipal government worked with our Conservation Authority to save many homes in Hamilton from flooding, including mine. But even those resources were overwhelmed by the devastation of those floods.

My point is, that if our provincial government does anything to undermine the current watershed-based Conservation Authorities, I fear no help at all will be available in a timely manner for residents like myself the next time our neighbourhoods flood. And we all know there will be devastating floods again because Premier Ford denies the scientific facts that have proven world-wide that we are in a CLIMATE EMERGENCY! This EMERGENCY is evidenced by the multitude of severe natural disasters happening around the globe that have already killed so many innocent people. Ontario is not immune to more severe flooding and erosion problems in a future with unchecked climate change. We're all in much deeper trouble if the Ford government weakens our Conservation Authorities any further!!!

Combining so many Conservation Authorities into only seven in Ontario would be just as disastrous as city amalgamations which HAVEN'T SAVED TAXPAYERS ANY MONEY OR MADE ANYTHING MORE EFFICIENT! TOO BIG IS TOO INEFFICIENT AND EXPENSIVE!

LEAVE OUR CONSRRVATION AREAS ALONE! If the province does anything, please give back the powers you've already stolen from our Conservation Authorities!! WE NEED THEM TO KEEP OUR CITIES SAFE TO LIVE IN!

In my opinion, this amalgamation of Conservation Authorities is a VERY THOUGHTLESS POOR PLAN!! MUCH LIKE THE OLT REVERSING THE DECISION OF HAMILTON COUNCIL TO SAVE THE GARNER MARSH IN THE HEADWATERS OF THE ANCASTER CREEK! THESE KINDS OF DECISIONS ARE MADE TO KEEP RESIDENTS LIKE ME SAFE! NO ONE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO OVERTURN THOSE DECSIONS!! THE PROVINCE CLEARLY DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEX HYDROLOGY OF MY CITY! Our Conservation Authority does!

What happens upstream is felt downstream in a watershed, with land owners downstream being most negatively being the most effected after thoughtless changes are made upstream.

We also need to preserve the natural systems that support our supply of clean water -- replenishing our water table, creeks, ponds and lakes. That means protecting wetlands and waterways from pollution and inappropriate development -- the job of our CONSERVATION AUTHORITIES! When smart local decisions to protect residents are already being overturned by the Ontario Land Tribunal, of course we know that our city would be MUCH WORSE OFF WITH THE PROVINCE'S BAD PLAN TO STEAL EVEN MORE POWER FROM LOCAL OFFICIALS!

WE ARE NOT FOOLS BUT THE PROVINCE TREATS US LIKE WE ARE. WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE POWER TO OVERTURN PREMIER FORD'S MULTITUDE OF HORRIBLE PLANNING IDEAS (like paving water regenerating morraines; cutting down hindreds of trees at night against the public will for a mega-spa being built by an unreliable company; destroying Science North; building a tunnel in Toronto which will probably just flood; draining wetlands for warehouses we don't need; paving the Holland Marsh for a highway; promoting only fossil fuel dependent energy infrastructure; etc., etc.)!!!! How can we trust the provincial government to do ANYTHING PROPERLY TO PROTECT US?! I ALREADY FEEL THAT I CAN NO LONGER TRUST THEM!

So PLEASE, for all our sakes, do not amalgamate our existing Conservation Authorities because it would be completely irresponsible and dangerous to the public to weaken them any further!! I DON'T WANT MY HOUSE TO FLOOD but if you continue eliminating wetlands and ignoring the GLOBAL CLIMATE EMERGENCY, those of us who live downstream will definitely be met with even worse flooding in the near future.

The parent soils underneath the Garner Marsh in Ancaster hold tonnes of water that will be released to flow overground to other properties if that marsh is paved over. The functional flood-control abilities of those absorbent parent soils, which developed over many decades, can't be replicated in a different location. The OLT's decision to allow this marsh to be "moved" is not scientifically supported and would result in worse flooding for residents who end up with that marsh's tonnes of stored underground water in their house basements!

Can someone who understands the worth and sensitivity of turtles and frogs in our human-health-related ecosystem PLEASE educate the provincial government as to why we NEED Conservation Aurhorities to keep us safe! It's basic Geography 101.

The Premier needs to be reminded that a politician's job is to PROTECT THE PUBLIC. So please, ANYONE WITH MORE AUTHORITY, step in and save us from these provincial planning schemes that, in my opinion, only serve to make property around our cities available to rich land speculators for bad development ideas.

I'm not stupid. I pay taxes in Ontario. My family has been threatened by flooding within our city limits recently. These severe flood events are new in our neighbourhood. We've lived in Ontario our entire lives and have never seen flooding so damaging as we have over the last few years...gradually worsening as climate science has proven would happen repeatedly if we don't address THE GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE EMERGENCY!

WE ARE DOOMED IN ONTARIO WITHOUT BETTER PRACTICAL PROVINCIAL PLANNING. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A DEMOCRACY! BUT OUR LOCAL DECISIONS CONTINUE TO BE OVERRULED BY THE VERY UNDEMOCRATIC OLT!! It has to STOP!

DOUG FORD STOP HURTING MY FAMILY AND OUR BEAUTIFUL LIFE-SUPPORTING NATURAL HERITAGE! SPECIES EXTINCTION DOES MATTER -- EVERY SPECIES LOST WEAKENS THE RESOURCE BASE FOR HUMAN USE AND DEGRADES ALL OF OUR LIVES IN MULTIPLE WAYS. STRENGTHENING BIODIVERSITY WILL MAKE HUMANS BETTER OFF PROVIDING CONNECTIONS IN THE NATURAL WORLD TO KEEP US ALL HEALTHIER. OUR PREMIER CLEARLY DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN YOU PAVE WETLANDS OUR DRINKING WATER SUPPLY IS FURTHER THREATENED!

NO CA AMALGAMATION!! IT'S A BAD PLAN THAT WILL HARM ONTARIO RESIDENTS!!!

MY FAMILY HAS BECOME VERY FRUSTRATED BY THE PROVINCE'S TRUMP-LIKE BEHAVIOR ON IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT ARE CRITICAL FOR OUR SURVIVAL - ESPECIALLY UNDER THE GREAT THREAT OF A QUICKLY CHANGING WORLD CLIMATE.

DEMOCRACY NEEDS TO RETURN TO THE PLANNING PROCESS IN ONTARIO SO WE CAN EFFECTIVELY PROTECT OURSELVES FROM OUR OWN PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT AT THE LOCAL LEVEL!

Very seriously,
Long-time Ontario taxpayers who has watched our democratic rights being eroded by our own premier