The Ontario government's recent update regarding the proposed consolidation of conservation authorities appears to have raised new questions and concerns.
The Ford government announced an amended plan last week to merge 36 conservation authorities into nine regional agencies, up from seven proposed last year.
St. Clair Region Conservation Authority (SCRCA) General Manager Ken Phillips said the change benefits them since their group has decreased from eight authorities to four.
The SCRCA will join the Essex Region Conservation Authority, Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority, and Upper Thames River Conservation Authority as part of the Western Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority.
"From our perspective, based on what was proposed by the province, this is probably the best case scenario for us," Phillips said.
Unfortunately, there are still some outstanding issues, with the biggest concern being representation.
"At the present time, the SCRCA has 20 board members and the proposed new region will have somewhere between 15 and 20," he said. "How many representatives are there still going to be from the rural community is a big question. How many local representatives we're going to have is a big question."
The province again pledged the merger will not result in job losses, however, many are questioning how that will work out.
Phillips said they have heard that an executive project manager will be appointed to oversee the amalgamations and become the CAO of the region.
"We, being myself and my counterparts from the three other authorities and municipal representatives, will be on what they call a transition committee," he said. "We will be reviewing all of the policies and procedures, and the thousand other things theses authorities do and don't do the same, and figure out how that's going to move forward."
Phillips said there are also talks about creating watershed councils, but who and how many people will be on those councils is unknown.
There are also some budgetary questions.
The Ford government touted its consolidation plan as a way to cut red-tape in building homes faster, while supporting watershed management.
Phillips said watershed protection will be up to the determination of the new CAO and the new Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency (OPCA). He said they hope there's still a focus on the core mandate of flood prevention.
"They are stating that conservation authorities are part of an issue of getting permits out the door faster but we as conservation authorities know, across the province, there are tens of thousands of homes that have been issued permits that have not started construction yet," Phillips said. "So the question becomes, how is this a conservation authority problem? And this is something the province hasn't answered yet either."
Phillips said the province is expected to table legislation at the end of March and begin the consolidation process in May. If passed, the province is targeting a consolidation date of early 2027.
Lambton County councillors appealed to the province last year to pause these plans.
Meanwhile, the chair of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) Board of Directors said they are disappointed with the Ford government's March 10 announcement but will continue to work collaboratively with the province to emphasize the need for local input.
The ABCA will become part of the Lake Huron Regional Conservation Authority, which would stretch from just north of Grand Bend to Newmarket.
The Lake Huron Regional Conservation Authority will include the ABCA, Grey Sauble Conservation Authority, Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority, and Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority.
