Three local environmental groups, Friends of the Salmon River, Lennox & Addington Stewardship Council, and Friends of the Napanee River have joined together to oppose Bill 68 which proposes the consolidation of Ontario’s 36
Conservation Authorities (CAs ) into seven regional entities as well as other changes that will adversely impact the ability of the Province to protect our environment.
The three groups have written Ric Bresee, MPP for Hastings, Lennox & Addington to ask for his support to oppose this Bill as the proposed changes are not in the public interest for the following reasons:
1. Loss of Local Input: Merging local CAs into large regional bodies (some representing up to 80 municipalities) will dilute local accountability and ignore the unique environmental challenges and specific watershed needs of different regions.
2. Reduced Quality of Service and Expertise: Decisions will no longer be informed by deep local knowledge and technical expertise but rather become politically driven by development interests. The proposed one-size-fits-all approach will compromise the ability to effectively manage local natural hazards such as flooding, erosion, and invasive
species. Conservation Authorities were created in 1946 but substantially strengthened in 1954 in the aftermath of the destruction of Hurricane Hazel to enable local control of hazards associated with inappropriate land use. Will it take another disaster to realize the value of our local Conservation Authorities? 3. Risk to Source Water Protection: Loss of local control places local source water protection at risk. The Walkerton experience clearly demonstrates the consequence of the Provincial Government cutting back resources at the local level.
4. Increased Costs and Financial Burden: Municipalities, such as Belleville and Amherstburg, have expressed concerns that the consolidation may result in additional financial and operational burdens being downloaded onto them.
5. Ministerial Overreach: The proposed legislation includes provisions that would grant the Minister the power to approve specific development proposals, even if CAs oppose them based on natural hazard and public safety criteria, which we see as undermining the authorities’ mandate.
6. Lack of Consultation: Conservation Authorities were not involved in the planning of this legislation and learned of the consolidation plan only an hour before the public announcement, thus decades of watershed knowledge were ignored in the planning process.
Marilyn Murray, Chair of the Lennox & Addington Stewardship Council stated that “The founding principle of the 1946 Ontario Conservation Authorities Act was ‘Conservation for the People by the People’. This proposal is another example of the Ford government’s power grab which once again, omits local voices – contradicting the above principle.”
Susan Moore, Chair of the Friends of the Salmon River noted that “The Friends of the Salmon River has depended on the expertise and resources at Quinte Conservation for 20 years. This loss of our local partner will reduce our ability to protect the Salmon River watershed.”
Ted Darby, Chair of the Friends of the Napanee River remarked that “The recognition that Conservation Authorities must embody local needs and be led by local voices, was central to their establishment. Also fundamental was the understanding that solutions were NOT to be imposed by the government.”
The three organizations have written MPP Bresee to request that he act in the public interest by vigorously opposing this Bill and supporting the good work provided by our current Conservation Authorities
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