At the Regular Meeting of…

At the Regular Meeting of Council, December 18, 2025, West Elgin Council passed the following resolution:

That West Elgin Council hereby receives the report Proposed Boundaries for the Regional Consolidation of Ontario’s Conservation Authorities from Robin Greenall, CAO, And

That West Elgin Council resolves that the Municipal of West Elgin calls on the Government of Ontario to maintain local, independent, municipally governed, watershed-based conservation authorities to ensure strong local representation in decisions related to municipal levies, community-focused service delivery, and the protection and management of conservation lands; AND

FURTHER THAT while the Municipality of West Elgin supports provincial goals for consistent permit approval processes, shared services, and digital modernization, and imposing a new top-down agency structure without strong local accountability and governance risks creating unnecessary cost, red tape, and bureaucracy, thereby undermining efficiency and responsiveness to local community needs; AND

FURTHER THAT the Municipality of West Elgin supports efforts to balance expertise, capacity, and program delivery across the province, and requests that the Province work collaboratively with municipalities and local conservation authorities to determine the most effective level of strategic consolidation to achieve both provincial and local objectives, AND

FURTHER THAT a copy of this resolution be sent to the Ontario Minister of Environment, Conservation, and Parks, to the local MP and MPPs, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Rural Ontario Municipal Association, and municipalities and Conservation Authorities in Ontario.