To whom it may concern, I am…

To whom it may concern,

I am a regular user of Upper Thames River Conservation Authority lands, and I use these areas primarily for biking on conservation trails. I am strongly opposed to the proposal to fold UTRCA into an oversized Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority.

A region spanning eight conservation authorities and more than 80 municipalities is too large to remain responsive or accountable. Conservation works best when decisions are made close to the watershed. UTRCA’s effectiveness comes from local staff, local governance, and deep knowledge of the Upper Thames River system. That strength will be diluted under a centralized regional structure.

For bikers like me, trail maintenance is not a secondary issue — it is the main reason we use conservation lands. Trails require frequent, hands-on attention: clearing storm damage, managing erosion, fixing drainage, and responding to heavy use. These are local, physical problems that do not get solved by regional planning documents. I am concerned that user fees and revenues generated locally could be redirected to regional priorities elsewhere, such as Lake Erie shoreline erosion or development pressures in distant municipalities, leaving local trail systems underfunded and neglected.

The proposal’s strong emphasis on expediting development permitting is also troubling. While efficiency matters, this framing aligns with a business-first approach that risks prioritizing development over environmental protection and public access to green space. Recent events, including the Greenbelt land swap scandal, have seriously undermined public trust that environmental protections will be upheld when development pressures are involved. In that context, proposals that centralize authority and weaken local oversight deserve heightened scrutiny, not blind confidence.

Ontario has recent experience with large-scale amalgamations that were promised to improve efficiency but instead reduced local responsiveness. The consolidation of Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) led to increased bureaucracy, slower decision-making, and confusion over accountability — problems that became painfully clear during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conservation authorities play a critical role in flood protection, climate resilience, and land stewardship. Disrupting effective local systems in pursuit of administrative efficiency risks repeating the same mistakes.

I urge the Province to reduce the size of the proposed Lake Erie region, guarantee strong and meaningful local representation, protect locally delivered programs such as trail systems and outdoor recreation, and keep conservation decisions grounded in watershed science and local knowledge.

Sincerely,
A Concerned Upper Thames River watershed resident and trail user