Local officials say they’re worried rural communities could lose their voice after the Ontario government confirmed plans to merge the province’s conservation authorities.
The province announced this week it will move ahead with a plan to consolidate Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities into nine larger regional bodies beginning early next year.
Under the proposal, several conservation authorities in southwestern Ontario — including the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority, Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority, Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, and Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority — would be combined into a new Lake Huron Regional Conservation Authority.
The changes are part of Plan to Protect Ontario Act, which the province says will modernize conservation authority operations, reduce administrative duplication and help accelerate housing and infrastructure development.
Ontario officials say the new regional model will strengthen watershed management and improve flood protection while allowing projects to move forward more quickly.
However, some local leaders say they are concerned about how the new system will represent rural communities.
Scott Greig, chair of the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority, says the proposed regional authority would cover a very large geographic area and include communities with very different needs.
Greig says there is concern that smaller rural conservation authorities could be overshadowed by larger, more urban areas such as the Lake Simcoe region.
The province says it received more than 14-thousand public comments during its consultation period and made adjustments to the plan before moving forward, but Grieg is calling for more transparency as none of those public comments that he’s aware of have come from anyone in Grey Sauble.
Officials say the new regional authorities will be required to create watershed councils that include local municipalities, Indigenous communities and stakeholders to ensure local knowledge continues to guide decisions.
Local conservation authority boards are expected to continue discussing the proposal in the coming weeks as the province prepares legislation needed to implement the merger.
Greig says the GSVA will hold a public meeting on March 25th to further discuss the matter and provide feedback to the province.