Proposed Consolidation of Conservation Authorities
On November 7, 2025, the Province opened public consultation on an Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO #025-1257) proposal to consolidate Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities into 7 large regional authorities. Under this proposal, a new Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority would be created by merging eight existing conservation authorities — Catfish Creek, Essex Region, Grand River, Kettle Creek, Long Point Region, Lower Thames Valley, St. Clair Region, and Upper Thames River. This new regional conservation authority would span a large geographic area from Windsor through London, Brantford, and north of Waterloo and include 81 municipalities.
The proposed consolidation follows changes made to the Conservation Authorities Act, including the establishment of a new agency, the Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency, to provide leadership, governance, and strategic direction to conservation authorities (CAs). The changes to the Act were part of Bill 68, “Plan to Protect Ontario Act” which was introduced and passed without consultation.
Your Voice Matters
The ERCA Board of Directors supports the province's stated goals of improved efficiency and consistency. However, it also encourages our watershed partners and interest-holders to carefully evaluate the Province’s proposal to consolidate the CAs. A pause for real dialogue with municipalities, Indigenous communities, and local partners would go a long way toward building a solution that actually delivers on the province’s goals, as this proposal has serious, long-lasting implications for local watershed management.
ERO #025-1257 is open for public comment until December 22, 2025.
-
Submit your comments at https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/025-1257
-
Provide comments to your local Member of Provincial Parliament
-
MPP Andrew Dowie, Windsor-Tecumseh - andrew.dowie@pc.ola.org
-
MPP Anthony Leardi, Essex - anthony.leardi@pc.ola.org
-
MPP Trevor Jones, Chatham-Kent-Leamington - trevor.jones@pc.ola.org
-
MPP Lisa Gretzky, Windsor West - lgretzky-co@ndp.on.ca
Key Messages to Share
-
Reduce the Size of the Proposed Region - The proposed Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority - covering 8 conservation authorities and 81 municipalities - is far too large to remain responsive and effective. Smaller, focused regional models can improve efficiency while preserving local knowledge.
-
Ensure Local Representation in Governance – The ERCA was created in 1973 as a partnership between member municipalities to use local knowledge and expertise to make decisions regarding the management of the watershed’s natural resources. Our 9 watershed municipalities appoint a Board of 19 locally elected officials who determine the programs and services the ERCA provides to watershed communities. A single board representing 81 municipalities will dilute local voices. The governance model must ensure meaningful local representation.
-
Keep Conservation Local – Windsor-Essex-Pelee Island faces unique challenges: flat, low-lying land, impermeable soils, rapid runoff response, aggressive shoreline erosion, and neighbourhoods that have experienced flooding far too often. Solutions require boots-on-the-ground expertise close to affected communities — not offices hours away. Local conservation staff and offices understand the water, land, people, and challenges of the watershed in ways centralized decision-makers cannot.
-
Protect Existing Programs and Services – The ERCA delivers programs that directly support the unique requests and needs of watershed residents, municipalities, and communities. Education programs, the museum operations at John R. Park Homestead, community based tree planting and watershed cleanups are at risk under a centralized model. These locally valued services must be preserved.
-
Support Efficient Planning and Permitting – ERCA provides timely responses and approvals that meet or exceed provincial timelines. What’s more, developers need direct access to our staff to quickly help find creative solutions to complex development challenges. Regionalizing permitting must not create delays, bottlenecks, or reduced access to technical expertise.
-
Ensure Fair and Transparent Funding – A regional funding model must be fair to municipalities and avoid cost shifts that disadvantage small communities. With roughly one third of ERCA’s funding currently coming directly from local municipalities, residents deserve clarity about how those dollars will be redistributed inside a much larger regional authority — and whether they’ll still be supporting priorities here at home.
-
Recognize the Value of Local Conservation Lands – The ERCA owns and/or manages more than 1824 hectares (4,500 acres) of land within the watershed. Decisions about lands and resources should stay close to the communities that use and care for them. In the Essex region, where merely 8.5% of our region is in a natural state – the importance of local natural resource decisions cannot be overstated.
-
Maintain the Principles of Integrated Watershed Management – Watershed decisions should be based on science, geography, and local hydrology, not overly large administrative boundaries.
-
Ask the Province to Listen to Local Communities – The Province should carefully consider input from municipalities, landowners, conservation authorities, Indigenous communities, and community groups before any final decision is made.