Somehow, despite the comment…

Somehow, despite the comment period for this proposal ending today (December 22, 2025), legislation was passed almost a month ago amending the Conservation Authorities Act to create a new Ontario Provincial Conservation Authority (OPCA), under Bill 68, the so-called “Plan to Protect Ontario Act”.

The idea of consolidating Ontario's 36 very distinct and locally managed Conservation Authorities into 7 regionally managed authorities shows a complete lack of understanding of the work these Conservation Authorities do and a complete disregard of the local knowledge and expertise that locally managed Conservation Authorities provide.

Conservation Authorities serve the communities and watersheds they are in. Their work is driven by science, geography, and knowledge of local hydrology. There is no possibility that a regionally managed administrative body could know, understand, or respond to local watershed issues or responsibly protect our natural resources from overdevelopment. Our watersheds need to continue to be managed by local Conservation Authorities who have the local expertise to protect and conserve our watersheds---especially from overdevelopment and the pollution and flooding risks that such overdevelopment can cause.

My local Conservation Authority is the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA). CLOCA works with local municipalities, landowners, and residents to protect and conserve the land, water, and biodiversity in the watersheds in our region, including the Lynde Creek, Oshawa Creek, Black/Harmony/Farewell Creek, and Bowmanville/Soper Creek watersheds, which all flow from the Oak Ridges Moraine toward Lake Ontario. CLOCA has helped our municipalities to grow responsibly, to increase our resilience to the increasing effects of climate change, to protect our watersheds and our homes from flooding, and by providing expert advice (e.g., on issues such as land permit requests and the control of invasives). It has worked with landowners to build our tree canopy, to reduce erosion and flooding, and to conserve and increase the biodiversity in our local waterways. Our family visits Conservation Areas on a weekly basis for our health and well-being. Having access to natural areas that are well-managed and protected means we can experience the peace and calm that being out in nature provides, engage in recreational activities (such as hiking, birdwatching, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and biking) in a healthy setting (away from traffic combustion), and enjoy seeing biodiversity. We also regularly participate in educational programming and stewardship events that CLOCA offers, and because of it, my children have grown up to understand the importance of caring for our land, water, and biodiversity.

Under the new OPCA, CLOCA would be part of the proposed Eastern Lake Ontario Regional Conservation Authority, encompassing more than 50 municipalities from Durham Region and the City of Kawartha Lakes to Prince Edward County and the Bay of Quinte. This is far too large of a region. Each watershed has different needs and concerns, and since local municipalities provide the majority of the funding that Conservation Authorities receive, local municipalities deserve to have local and expert oversight over their watersheds. Housing goals should not be prioritized over responsible local watershed management that can protect the quality of our water, can protect us from flooding, can help mitigate the increasing effects of climate change (e.g., flooding, droughts, extreme heat), and so much more.

I strongly urge the Province to re-empower Conservation Authorities rather than consolidating them---and to completely withdraw the proposal to merge Conservation Authorities into seven regions. This is about protecting land, water, homes, and biodiversity in our communities---using local experts and with local input. The Ontario Conservation Authorities Act was founded on the idea of “conservation for the people by the people”: a regional-based administrative body would be disastrous to the protection and health of our local watersheds, communities, and drinking water. It would further be a disservice to Ontarians who expect and deserve community oversight and local expert management of our local watersheds.