Changes to the provincial government’s planned overhaul of Ontario’s conservation authority system are being called an “improvement” by a conservation authority serving Chatham-Kent.
The Ontario government announced this week that it now plans to consolidate Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities into nine regional entities, rather than seven, following consultation with conservation officials, municipalities, stakeholders, and Indigenous communities on the proposed boundaries for regional consolidation.
The Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA) board of directors initially passed a resolution in December 2025 opposing the government’s proposed changes under Bill 68, the Plan to Protect Ontario Act, 2025.
Several conservation authorities, including LTVCA, raised concerns about the size of amalgamations, the loss of local services and the loss of local input into finances and programs.
However, the LTVCA said the revised framework is an “improvement” upon the original proposal, which would have seen a much larger regional conservation authority created locally with eight entities amalgamated into one.
Under the new framework, LTVCA will merge with the Essex Region, St. Clair Region, and the Upper Thames River conservation authorities to become the Western Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority.
The province has emphasized that local programs and services will continue, and that conservation areas and assets will continue to be owned and managed by conservation authorities. As well, the government has indicated that local expertise and established relationships with municipalities, developers, and builders will be retained within the new structure.
The consolidation is expected to take place by early 2027.