TORONTO – The province is moving ahead with a plan to merge Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities into nine regional entities. The government announced the revised plan March 10.
Previously announced last year when the government created its new Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency to streamline CAs and harmonize regulations between them, it was initially proposed to reduce the number of organizations from 36 to just seven.
The province undertook a 45 day consultation period which officials claim provided “extensive feedback” leading to its plan to be amended. Instead, nine regional conservation authorities will be established.
In Eastern Ontario, this means the Mississippi Valley, Rideau Valley, South Nation, and Raisin River CAs will be merged into the St. Lawrence River Regional CA when the amendments (if passed) go into effect in early 2027.
“We listened and used feedback from last fall’s consultations to refine and strengthen our plan, including optimizing regional boundaries to better reflect local needs, knowledge and relationships,” said Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks Todd McCarthy.
The government claims the changes will reduce administrative duplication, redirect resources to front-line conservation and streamline/modernize regulations to make infrastructure projects begin faster.
The province says it has a goal of improving customer service at the local level.
“Today marks a milestone for conservation in Ontario,” said Chief Conservation Officer Hassaan Basit. “By building a modern, more unified system, we’re protecting local expertise while supporting front-line programs that communities rely on.”
Under the original proposal last fall, the Cataraqui Region CA was included in the St. Lawrence River region. That CA has been moved to the Eastern Lake Ontario Regional CA. The Town of Prescott, and the Township of East Hawkesbury were both removed from the CA boundaries under the changes.
The reforms were initiated in part due to some municipalities having multiple conservation authorities within their municipal boundaries — each with different rules for land use and restrictions. This was seen as “red tape” for development.
Once enacted, the number of municipalities within the boundaries of two CAs will decrease by 73 per cent to just 16, while the number of municipalities served by three CAs drops by 79 per cent to just four. Only one municipality will have four CAs within its boundaries.
Governance of the new regional conservation authorities will be different from the current model. Upper tier (counties) and single tier municipalities would be “participating municipalities” and be responsible for appointing members and paying levies. Lower-tier municipalities like South Dundas or South Stormont would not longer be participating members.
Board members would be appointed based on each municipality’s percentage of population within the regional CA. The province said that small municipalities would have to have at least one member each. There may also be caps on board sizes.
The OPCA will receive about $3 million to assist with the transition for the conservation authorities.
No information has been provided as to where the new St. Lawrence River Regional CA would operate from, or if there would be job losses. Last year when the initial announcement was made, McCarthy said there would be no job losses.
Discover more from Morrisburg Leader
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.