ca.office@ontario.ca Re…

ca.office@ontario.ca
Re. Conservation Authorities Act

To whom it may concern:

I do not support the proposal to consolidate CAs. The government indicates that they are trying to address unpredictable and inconsistent turnaround times for approvals across CAs which can create uncertainty for builders. Instead, they are creating uncertainty with CAs, which will undermine their purported objectives.

The best way to achieve the objectives would be through maintaining the existing CA model while actually investing in their operations. The government could establish consistent policy, like they do with municipalities through the PPS. Additional funding could be tied to meeting objectives set out by the province.

Currently, the government wants it both ways – with them controlling the CAs and municipalities paying for the CAs and the government’s actions. As the primary funders of CAs, municipalities should be the ones to identify whether amalgamation is necessary.

Instead of proceeding with this vague plan the government should actually engage with CAs and municipalities to find out what supports are needed. **If consolidation of backend operations is necessary, CAs could be obligated to enter into MOUs within smaller regional groupings that reflect closer proximity and similar watersheds. **The CAs could be obligated to identify one lead CA to report to the government on their progress. This would allow CA boards to identify which services could be shared and how they would be paid for without massive disruptions to services. The idea that CAs could operate locally without a general manager and HR services is absurd and likely contrary to health and safety legislation.

The government must make a firm statement soon that they are not proceeding with this proposal as originally envisioned. Alternatively, you risk alienating the municipalities that pay for these organizations and the qualified staff who provide the essential services. There are lots of opportunities elsewhere for engineers….