This is clearly another PC…

This is clearly another PC Government initiative to enrich Premier Doug Ford's 'buddies' by making the destruction of Ontario's natural resources faster and easier. The proposed agency, Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency, will just be one more agency staffed by over paid Conservative Party has-beens and like so many other PC initiatives end up under investigation by the Auditor General, the Integrity Commissioner and the RCMP for wasting tax payers money and questionable/illegal practices.

The Government keeps saying that local woodlots are important, but, there will be no knowledgeable person available locally to monitor and advise on the control and eradication of emerging forest diseases, invasive species and tree diseases.

Local knowledge of soils, drainage, flood risk, and land use is critical to safe and sustainable development, and, land owners and residents need to have access to decision makers nearby not in the lofty towers of downtown Toronto. Rural communities need strong representation and should not be marginalized in large regional systems or by a government that doesn't care.

Conservation lands were built through community donations and partnerships and should remain locally stewarded and protected. This move by the PC Government is another attempt to bull doze over rural resident's rights and transfer local forests to Doug Ford's developer "buddies". A strong framework is needed to prevent corruption and fraud related to public lands!!!!

The Province of Ontario needs to take environmental priorities seriously — and that includes funding them properly. Provincial funding now represents only about 3% of Conservation Authority operations; this is not an equal partnership. Spend some $s on trees and nature instead of giving millions to the beer companies.

Conservation Authorities are committed to working collaboratively with municipalities, residents, farmers, and Indigenous communities — and this cooperative model should be strengthened, not replaced