This comment is in response…

This comment is in response to the proposed consolidation of Ontario’s Conservation Authorities.
The Authorities provide a significant bulwark against willy-nilly land use. The devasting floods in Abbotsford, BC have caused extensive property damage on repeated occasions where development was allowed on the flood plain. As you are likely aware, BC does not have Conservation Authorities.
The proposal states, “These proposed improvements to the conservation authority system would reduce duplicative administrative costs, . . .” How does creating a new provincial agency and 7 new regional agencies reduce administrative costs? Is it the intention of the proposal to set up bricks and mortar regional offices? If so, where would they be located?
Broadly speaking, the North East Region covers over 180 square kilometres. The proposal indicated that the staff in the local Conservation Authorities’ offices will continue to monitor regulations, but decisions under this proposal, are shifting to regional and/or provincial levels. How will this result in the “efficient governance” as stated in the proposal?
The proposal reads “. . . under consolidation the new regional conservation authorities would remain independent organizations operating with municipal governance and oversight. . . “ Independent of what?
It’s understood large cities have staff resources to knowledgeably review permit applications. However, here in northeastern Ontario, our municipalities and townships do not have such resources. They count on the Conservation Authorities for this expertise. Thus this doesn’t fit:
“. . .relationships between conservation authorities and municipalities – reducing administrative duplication and overlap for municipalities and conservation authorities to simplify accountability and strengthen local partnerships. . . ”
On the structure of CA governance, the current governance model is flawed. The Board members should be skills based, not comprised of elected officials . Municipal councillors make decisions based on their individual community’s interest, not on science or sustainable land use. Nor are most municipal councillors trained in sustainable land use planning. As elected officials, councillors focus on reducing cost and curbing regulations for expanding the tax base. For example on curbing regulations, shoreline vegetative buffers are rarely specified in development permits here and when they are, there is no enforcement. Enforcement is expensive and unpopular. How will the province’s proposal strengthen sustainable land use requirements?
A skills-based Board could have a strong fiscal policy taking into account the member municipalities’ ability to pay and a stronger accountability in the land use planning decisions.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.