The Progressive Conservative…

The Progressive Conservative’s proposal to create the Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency (OPCA) makes me question who the Ford government is serving and whether it wants to stay in power.

All governments like power and control. But what would happen in Canada if there was a proposal to reduce the number of provinces and territories to two—Ontario and Quebec—and centralize the power base of the former western provinces and territories in Toronto, and centralize the power base of the former eastern provinces and territories in Montreal.

I’ll tell you. It wouldn’t go over too well.

I live in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry (SDG). It is a P. C. stronghold. As the Ford government tries to reduce the number of conservation authorities (CAs) in Ontario from 35 to seven, even our Upper Tier municipality smells something falling afoul.

SDG is unimpressed with the proposal. It has reminded the province, in its Nov. 17, 2025 council resolution, that local municipalities established the region’s CAs—South Nation Conservation in 1947 and the Raisin Region Conservation Authority in 1963—and that local municipalities provide between 25% and 50% of total conservation funding, while the Province of Ontario provides approximatively 3%.

Is this an attempted power grab by the province?

We have learned the aim of creating the OPCA is to “get shovels in the ground faster on homes and other local infrastructure projects, while strengthening the vital role conservation authorities play in managing watersheds and protecting communities from floods and natural hazards.” This statement appears balanced. Yet we all know the Ford government is pro-business. It put new slogans on our license plates: “A place to grow” and “Open for business.” We also watched in shock as this government tried to sell off green belt land.

Protecting the environment requires a measured, deliberate process. Ontario borders four of the five great lakes.

Just what is the aim of this legislation? Is it to streamline a permit system for the rich one per cent, or is it to protect the environment and take care of the needs of the rest of us?

Right now, I can drive 45 minutes to access conservation authority personnel, services, and board meetings. That could more than double if our area becomes part of St. Lawrence Regional Conservation Authority. That doesn’t impress me. I know the people in Ottawa, and far-flung Kingston, have little interest in where I live.

But I guess I’m most worried about having a bunch of people centred in Toronto, with their long arms, reaching into our backyards and orchestrating this process. I bet a lot of other fiscally conservative people will feel the same way, once the details of this proposal become more widely understood.