The provincial government is eyeballing 50% cuts to flood management payments for Conservation areas, and that could mean higher municipal taxes or reductions in services.
Brian McDougall GM of the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority says that impacts a lot of work.
“For flood forecasting and warnings, flood and erosion control, municipal input, administration and communication services,” McDougall explains. “And that’s going to see us having to rely more on our local municipalities to pick up some of the costs to ensure we continue to be able to provide those services.”
The Lower Thames Valley Conservation Area is looking at a budget hit of $76,000, while the Essex Region Conservation Authority will miss out on $100,000.
McDougall doesn’t have a final number yet, but says it will be ‘more than that’ for the St Clair Region.
“We’re going to look at a variety of options, but certainly service cuts is a possibility,” McDougall says. “There’s no way that we’re looking at walking away from the McKeough Dam, which provides flood protection to Wallaceburg and areas up and down stream from there, we will have to look at we fund those programs, not only for 2019 but for the future as well.”
