Amalgamating 36 Conservation…

Amalgamating 36 Conservation Authorities into 7 regional Conservation Authorities is not an effective, efficient or responsible approach to addressing some of inefficiencies and policy adjustments sited by the Ontario government. For over six decades, the Conservation Authorities have played a vital role in watershed management by providing source water protection, and by protecting communities from natural hazards like floods.

These watersheds contained within the boundaries of the existing Conservation Authority framework reflect a local approach which is what is needed. These are not homogenous landscapes(i.e.all of the same character). And they reside on a vast geographic scale. The new plan does not take this into account. CAs review and issue development activity permits for builders, municipalities and property owners in areas affected by risks for natural hazards like flooding for good reason. Permitting ensures that developments do not happen in unsafe areas like on floodplains, wetlands, shorelines, river and stream valleys. The impacts of flooding and erosion are inevitably worsening due to the unavoidable impacts we are now facing with the effects of climate change. CAs will not be effectively and efficiently evaluating projects and issuing permits in a timely way if the CA staff involved are 100s of km away from a municipality needing the work to get done.

Conservation Authorities were originally formed at a local scale where there institutional, site-specific knowledge, partnerships and relationships that have been built up over years for community resiliency. These partnerships and relationships between the Conservation Authorities and municipal governments etc are building blocks for healthy communities.

Here in the North, and I will specifically site the Conservation Authorities in Sault Ste Marie and Thunder Bay who are both distant from others, cannot be expected to operate efficiently and effectively if decisions are being made hundreds of miles away. People have no concept of local circumstances surrounding the complexities of water issues which are being exacerbated by climate change.

CAs also deliver all kinds of programs and services that further the restoration, conservation and management of natural resources. In Sault Ste Marie, for instance, there is the Hiawatha Highlands that operates a critically important summer and winter hiking, biking, skiing and snowshoeing trail system for the community on Conservation Authority lands.

This whole approach has not taken into account to discuss with the local Conservation Authorities. They are the experts in watershed management and should be at the table assisting the Ontario government in finding solutions for improving efficiencies.

There is always room for improvement but tearing up a 60-80 year old system of incredible watershed management in our province is absurd and will in the end be very costly.

I will end on noting that the Lakehead Regional Conservation Authority is an example of a CA that has been doing important work with partnership with Indigenous people from Fort William First Nation and others in the surrounding area. We are reminded time and again from the TRC that we must work locally for true reconciliation because of the unique circumstances and traditional knowledge that lives among and with Indigenous people everywhere. Keeping CAs in tact in their current watersheds is very important for the future.