While the Ford government’s plan aims to speed up housing development, opponents warn about risks to watershed management and public safety
On March 10, the Government of Ontario announced they will consolidate the province’s 36 conservation authorities into nine regional authorities overseen by a single entity, the Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency.
These changes were proposed as amendments to the Conservation Authorities Act under the conservatives’ omnibus budget Bill 97, Plan to Protect Ontario Act. The bill was passed by the legislative assembly on April 23. Now the province plans to transition watershed governance from the former agencies to the new, regional authorities in early 2027.
A collection of over 74 individuals, elected officials and civil society representatives known as the Watershed Conservation Coalition has called for the province to stop this merger, citing concerns that it will undermine local, science-based watershed management.
What are conservation authorities?
The Conservation Authorities Act was established in 1946, at the request of municipalities, to enable collective management of watershed systems. Conservation authorities ensure local decision-making over natural hazards like flooding and erosion. They also regulate development on hazardous land (like floodplains) and conduct surface water and groundwater monitoring, amongst other responsibilities.
Under the Clean Water Act, conservation authorities are designated source protection authorities and carry out the policies outlined in Ontario’s 38 source protection plans. Source protection plans are part of Ontario’s drinking water framework; they aim to monitor and ensure the safety of municipalities’ drinking water beginning at its source.
Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities own and protect a total of 150,000 hectares and 95 per cent of the province lives in a watershed managed by these bodies, according to Conservation Ontario. That makes conservation authorities the province’s second-largest landholder, with the ability to sell off surplus land, due to changes in Bill 23, the Build More Homes Faster Act, 2022.
What is the reasoning for consolidating Ontario’s conservation authorities?
By consolidating conservation authorities, the province aims to improve planning and administrative processes, thus reducing “fragmentation” and “administrative duplication,” according to a March 10 news release from the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Todd McCarthy.
With nine conservation authorities overseen by a centralized, provincial agency, the government hopes to speed housing development and planning approvals. The Ontario government claims that organizational inefficiencies are responsible for “uncertainty and delays for builders, landowners and farmers,” while also making it harder for authorities to effectively carry out their role in protecting communities from natural hazards.
According to McCarthy, centralizing leadership with independent oversight from the OPCA would “better position conservation authorities to support the building of new homes and infrastructure while continuing to protect communities from flooding and other natural hazards.”
But critics are confused as to why conservation authorities are being slated as an impediment to housing development. The provincial government’s own report—the 2022 Report of the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force—listed 55 actionable recommendations to improve access to housing, and not a single one mentioned conservation authorities as a hindrance.
While the province hopes this overhaul will cut “red tape,” conservation authorities issued 96 per cent of planning and development permits within established timelines, according to Conservation Ontario’s 2024 annual report.
How would Guelph be affected by these changes?
Guelph is located within the Grand River watershed, along with other major population centres Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Brantford. The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) currently manages all 6,800 square kms of the Grand River watershed, including all the land drained by the Grand River and its tributaries. This watershed is also home to the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
The GRCA will be merged with Catfish Creek Conservation Authority, Kettle Creek Conservation Authority, and Long Point Region Conservation Authority to form the new Eastern Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority.
GRCA Chair John Challinor II is confident that the GRCA is well-equipped to handle the amalgamation without any disruptions to the authority’s service delivery.
“We believe we can make it work. We don’t believe for a minute that our constituency will be impacted, whether that’s individual residents who use our facilities, or the 38 municipalities that make up the GRCA today,” Challinor said.
However, Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner has been vocal in his opposition to these amendments.
“I think [the consolidation] is devastating to Ontario because it’s going to undermine local decision-making and the history of effective watershed management. And by doing that, it’s going to put people’s homes, property, businesses, and our community’s infrastructure at risk,” Schreiner said.
Leaders from Ontario’s conservation authorities and municipal officials expect to learn more about the consolidation in the coming weeks and months.