The idea to consolidate…

The idea to consolidate conservation authorities is short-sighted and neglectful. The fact that CAs currently cross into sometimes many different municipalities is only beneficial and forces those with a shared responsibility over water to keep each other accountable and responsible for its use and protection. I think orienting CAs with watershed boundaries in Southern Ontario when they were created back in the 1940s was a very wise choice and it remains important in ensuring the right local stakeholders are at the table to make local decisions about protecting this most valuable resource as well as keeping the public safe from flooding and erosion. By centralizing much of the operations I worry that the local needs will no longer be met, water quality will decline, property damage and human injury from these events will increase.

I have had the opportunity to work with a handful of conservation authorities over the years and appreciate the very localized requirements of their jobs and knowledge bases. Having more centralized leadership and standardized requirements will disempower them and hurt their ability to effectively manage the water quality and the safety of the waterways in Southern Ontario. It will also reduce their ability to help municipalities, developers and property owners plan effectively, preventing costly errors due to building on important habitat, floodplain or improperly rerouting waterways. Finally their ability to be responsive in empowering local communities to know their local ecology, connecting to nature on their properties and tackling the very local requirements of protecting biodiversity and eradicating invasive species will certainly suffer if the decision making power is centralized.

Our conservation authorities are our regional leaders in helping the public access all the positive mental and physical health benefits of exploring in natural spaces. I fear that without locally reactive leadership and decision making boards of local stakeholders it will be more difficult for the centralized leadership to see all the hidden values that CAs provide. I see this centralizing of command as a major step backward and worry that it is a sign that this government will continue prying funding away from these environmental-based programs and using them as a scapegoat for slowing down development which is absolutely undeserved.