Dear Ministry Staff, I am…

Dear Ministry Staff,

I am concerned the proposed Conservation Authority Consolidation will not achieve the intended outcomes of improved service delivery and will instead result in worse service for municipalities and property owners because of the creation of overly large boundaries and adding additional layers of bureaucracy.

Working in the industry, I recognize there is a need for continued improvement and consistent service delivery across CAs. However, I question if the proposed consolidation is the best method to achieve these objectives. As proposed, the consolidation threatens to be disruptive, inefficient and unresponsive, contrary to the current strengths of CAs. Instead, focusing on adequate, consistent and equitable support (e.g. financial, technical, policy etc.) would be an effect way to achieve the objectives of modernizing CAs.

Better support from the province would allow CAs to improve current services and respond to local watershed challenges. I request that the province consider alternative approaches to achieve their intended objectives including shared systems, collaboration and voluntary service agreements between CAs instead of creation of large regional CAs.

Thank you.