Plan to reduce conservation areas from 36 to nine moving forward

The plan to reduce the number of conservation areas is going forward, with the 36 conservation areas to be reduced to nine.

The nine conservation areas is two more than the original proposal, with the size of the conservation area (CA) that this region will be in being reduced. The Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) will become part of the Western Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority  along with Lower Thames Valley, St. Clair Region and Upper Thames River CAs. 

ERCA chair Molly Allaire said she was “angered and disappointed” when she got the word last week.

“It’s crazy to think I’m the last chair of the Essex Region Conservation Authority,” she said.

Allaire said there is some comfort in knowing the reduction in size of the new region this area will be part of has been reduced. She found it ironic the announcement was made in a period when there were flood warnings issued by ERCA.

“They made the announcement and said we’d get more information shortly,” said Allaire, also an Amherstburg councillor. “Hopefully we’ll get them to listen again.”

Allaire said “my heart broke” when the news came down.

“I was expecting 19 authorities,” she said. “I was going in optimistic and I was very disappointed.”

According to Allaire, Source Water Protection agencies currently operate within CA boundaries. 

“If those boundaries are removed or significantly altered, the structure supporting these agencies could be affected, potentially creating challenges for the implementation of the Clean Water Act,” she said.

Allaire said current information is that frontline staff would remain and possibly reestablished into new roles. Assets like Holiday Beach Conservation, John R. Park Homestead and many others would be kept but there are still questions as to funding for maintenance.

Amalgamations are expected to take effect in early 2027. Allaire said ERCA will continue to do its job in the meantime.

“This has changed nothing as of now,” she said. “We’re still working hard for sure.”

Pointing out this region is surrounded by three bodies of water, climate matters, education and stewardship matters still have to be dealt with.

“The environment doesn’t listen. It makes its own rules,” she said.

ERCA said via press release, it has identified that in the coming weeks, it will amend the Conservation Authorities Act to confirm the regional CAs, establish governance, and initiate the transition, which will be coordinated through the Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency (OPCA).

“While details of the transition remain to be answered, the province has emphasized that local programs and services will continue, that frontline staffing levels will not be affected, and conservation areas and assets will remain owned and managed by conservation authorities,” said Allaire.

The province has also stated that local expertise and well-established relationships with municipalities, developers, and builders will be retained within the new structure.

“Above all, ERCA remains committed to protecting the watersheds and the residents of the Windsor-Essex County-Pelee Island region,” said ERCA CAO Tim Byrne.

In making their announcement, the Ontario government says it follows “extensive consultation on how conservation authorities can help get shovels in the ground faster on homes and other local infrastructure projects, while strengthening their vital role in managing watersheds and protecting communities from floods and natural hazards.”

According to the province, the consolidated regional conservation authorities would reduce administrative duplication, redirect resources to frontline conservation and modernize permitting to help the province deliver on its plan to protect Ontario by cutting red tape and building an economy that is more competitive, resilient and self-reliant, to help keep workers on the job in the face of tariffs and economic uncertainty.

“Ontario’s improved approach would feature watershed-based regional conservation authorities operating under consistent provincial standards, modern tools and strengthened capacity – delivering stronger watershed management, flood resilience and better support for housing and infrastructure growth,” said Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Todd McCarthy. “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.”

The current system sees “varying policies, processes and capacity, which has created a fragmented system with inconsistent standards and timelines. This has created uncertainty and delays for builders, landowners and farmers, and has made it more challenging for conservation authorities to carry out their role in protecting communities from floods and natural hazards.” 

The OPCA was created last fall and the province said it began consulting with conservation authorities, municipalities and other partners on proposed boundaries. 

The Ontario government believes with a centralized leadership and independent oversight of conservation authorities by the OPCA, a regional conservation authority system “will reduce administrative duplication across the system and allow conservation authorities to redirect resources to front-line services, operate with greater consistency and transparency and deliver strengthened services to municipalities and permit applicants. This 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. Programs and services delivered by conservation authorities would remain the same, including watershed management, natural hazard management and source water protection.”

Under the plan, local watershed councils would be created to “help identify local priorities for watershed-based conservation programs and services. Regional conservation authorities would remain municipally governed, with regional municipalities, counties and cities appointing members to conservation authorities. Lower-tier municipalities in counties, such as towns and townships, will no longer be participating municipalities of a conservation authority under this approach.”

During the transition, the OPCA will get $3 million, beginning in 2026. After the transition, this annual $3 million funding is planned to go toward helping regional conservation authorities for programming.

Plan to reduce conservation areas from 36 to nine moving forward

By Ron Giofu