Province of Ontario Updates Plan to Consolidate Conservation Authorities

Essex Region - On March 10, 2026, the Province of Ontario announced its revised framework for the consolidation of Conservation Authorities. Under this proposed update, Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities will be merged into nine. The Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) will merge with the Upper Thames River, Lower Thames Valley, and St. Clair Region Conservation Authorities to form the new Western Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority.

The Province 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. The consolidation is expected to take place by early 2027. 

“While details of the transition remain to be answered, the Province has emphasized that local programs and services will continue, that front-line staffing levels will not be affected, and conservation areas and assets will remain owned and managed by conservation authorities,” said Molly Allaire, ERCA Chair. The Province has also stated that local expertise and well-established relationships with municipalities, developers, and builders will be retained within the new structure.

Throughout this transition process, ERCA will continue to provide its programs and services without disruption, including conservation areas and trails, drinking water source protection, watershed management services, stewardship programs, agricultural extension services, and education programs. “Above all, ERCA remains committed to protecting the watersheds and the residents of the Windsor-Essex County-Pelee Island region,” said Tim Byrne, ERCA CAO.

The Essex Region Conservation Authority is a public sector organization established by the Province of Ontario in 1973 and governed by local municipalities. For more than 50 years, it has delivered local programs and services to further the conservation, restoration, development and management of natural resources in watersheds in the Windsor-Essex-Pelee Island region.