Town council against CA amalgamation proposal

Jeff Helsdon, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Tillsonburg council added its name to the list of municipalities asking the province to reconsider a proposal to amalgamate its conservation authorities.

The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks is proposing to amalgamate the province’s 36 conservation authorities into seven, citing the need for consistent regulations and to expedite planning approvals. The proposal would see the Long Point Region Conservation Authority amalgamated with other authorities that stretch from Lake St. Clair, to Windsor, along the Lake Erie shoreline almost to the Niagara River and north to Waterloo.

The motion, which was passed at the Jan. 12 meeting, states Tillsonburg “does not support the proposed consolidation boundaries presented in ERO #025-1257 without evidence-based analysis, transparent consultation, and clear articulation of impacts to municipal budgets, local service delivery, and donor lands.” It also encouraged the province to work with municipalities and conservation authorities “to identify opportunities for improved consistency, modernization, and shared-service approaches within the existing watershed governance framework.”

Deputy Mayor Dave Beres, who presented the motion and was chair of LPRCA until his term ended at the recent annual meeting, said, “Thirty-six conservation authorities shrinking down to seven isn’t in best interest of the people and municipalities in the watershed.”

He provided the example that LPRCA’s primary focus has to do with the watersheds associated with Lake Erie.

“Our area would include Lake St. Clair, which really, we have nothing to do with the watershed of Lake St. Clair,” he said.

He expanded on the local situation, talking about LPRCA’s woodlots, which includes land and cash donations.

“What’s going to happen to those,” Beres asked. “People have given them in good faith and philanthropists have given a lot.”

He also pointed to LPRCA’s endowment fund.

“What’s going to happen to that money,” he questioned. “If it goes to a bigger agency, are they going to build a park in Waterloo?”

Mayor Deb Gilvesy agreed this was an important issue, and she supported the motion at the county.

“Bigger is not always better,” she said.