A conservation authority serving Chatham-Kent has announced its opposition to the Ontario government’s planned overhaul of the province’s conservation authority system.
During a special meeting late last month, the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA) board of directors unanimously passed a resolution opposing the government’s proposed changes under Bill 68, Plan to Protect Ontario Act, 2025. The bill, announced by Environment Minister Todd McCarthy on October 31, proposes consolidating Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities into seven regional entities and creating an Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency to oversee them.
Should the legislative changes move forward, LTVCA would become part of the Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority, which would include eight local conservation authorities and 81 municipalities across the proposed region. The region would have a total population of around 2.2 million.
The LTVCA board has expressed several concerns with the proposed change, especially in regards to geographical size. The conservation authority said consolidation would create a vast and administratively complex entity that joins southwestern rural and urban municipalities throughout the province, with little shared watershed connection or economic alignment.
The LTVCA added that the government’s plan would dilute local accountability and municipal partnerships.
“The main concern was accountability from the Regional Conservation Authority to the local municipalities. Local service delivery is critical to maintaining on-the-ground services to builders, developers and residents,” LTVCA said in a statement. “The creation of a huge regional conservation authority will not only decrease accountability, but increase bureaucracy, costs and timelines for local communities.”
The board of directors is asking the Environment Ministry to engage directly with affected municipalities and conservation authorities before finalizing any consolidation boundaries or legislative amendments.
Conservation officials are also asking the public to submit comments through the Environmental Registry of Ontario and contact local MPPs to express their views. The period for public comments ends December 22.
