Monday December 22, 2025 We…

Monday December 22, 2025
We vehemently oppose Ontario’s proposed boundary changes to the conservation authorities in Ontario and don’t support the merger. Our local conservation authorities are an integral part of our community. Having local conservation authorities allows community members to make meaningful partnerships and connections – local solutions for local issues. This will be lost by merging 36 local conservation authorities into 7 larger regional authorities.
Local Conservation Authorities play a major role in water management. They need to react immediately to reduce damages because of weather-related events such as flooding. They also play an important role in maintaining water quality and safety for recreational purposes. Currently Hamilton and Puslinch fund about 35% of HCA and have a direct say in watershed decisions. With the proposed merger our local voice will be lost regarding local issues. The proposed merger is not equitable, and municipalities will have to compete against one another. Unfortunately, sacrifices will be made to the current existing services. We would hate to see this erosion due to short sighted political decisions.
Where is the evidence that larger regional conservation authorities can provide the same level of services as smaller local conservation authorities? It astounds us that this proposal is even being considered. What we have in place is efficient, effective and has tremendous local community involvement that benefits each individual municipality. With the proposed merger the Conservation authority staff will have unrealistic expectations to provide the current services to a much larger geographical land area.
There is no explanation about why this proposal is needed. Who will pay for this costly change and how this is better than our existing 36 local conservation authorities? What research has been done and shared to justify such a drastic change in managing Ontario’s conservation lands?
We are proud active members of the Hamilton Conservation Authority. Strong conservation depends on local relationships with community groups, partnerships with municipalities, and volunteers. This is why we strongly oppose the proposed merger of our conservation authority’s lands. We are looking forward to having a follow up conversation to further discuss this matter.
Sincerely concerned Dundas residents