Conservation authorities commit to ‘transparency’ during amalgamation

The Grand River Conservation Authority and three others operating near Waterloo Region put out a joint statement committing to “transparency and accountability” as amalgamation takes place.

The Grand River Conservation Authority, Catfish Creek Conservation Authority, Kettle Creek Conservation Authority, and Long Point Region Conservation Authority will join to create the Eastern Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority (ELERCA).

It will become official in February 2027, but until then, the organizations are working to streamline efforts into one authority.

To showcase its efforts of “openness,” with the process, the authorities put a joint statement explaining the guiding principles it will work towards, which include commitments to accountability, fiscal responsibility, talent retention and trust, among others.

This is part of a plan the provincial government is pushing to amalgamate the authorities from 36 down to nine.

The original plan, proposed in October, would have seen seven consolidated CAs created, but pressure from the existing authorities, municipalities and concerned residents forced the province to revise that plan.

The province created the Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency, which will oversee the transition. This summer, it will meet and will consist of a representative from each of the amalgamated authorities.

Todd McCarthy, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, told 570 NewsRadio this move is happening because, in the government’s opinion, CA’s have been operating under a fragmented system that has produced inconsistent results when it comes to flood prevention and customer service.

Skeptics worried about the outcome

Kevin Thomason, with the Grand River Environmental Network, told 570 NewsRadio he’s not buying the notion that this is being done to improve the organizations.

“We’re in an era of increasing climate change with more flooding risks, heck, look right now, I’m sure the lead item on the news the last few days has been the flooding in New Hamburg and Ayr and so many other parts of our region and our province,” said Thomason.

He believes it’s all about development: “And yet, here’s the government, in a desperation to build 1.5 million homes anywhere at any cost, trying to remove all the— what they claim is red tape, but all the guardrails and precautions as possible and open everything up.”

One of the issues the province is looking to tackle, according to McCarthy, is the slow turnaround for permitting. The province’s press release on Tuesday mentioned the intention to modernize the permitting process.

“When you have inconsistent, unpredictable outcomes, it doesn’t work for homeowners when it comes to basic renovations. It doesn’t work for farmers when they seek permits. It doesn’t work for builders of new communities. It doesn’t work for municipalities,” said McCarthy.