Hamilton conservation groups push back against province’s plan to merge authorities

Hamilton’s conservation regulator is making a push for more voices on the province’s massive overhaul of its conservation authority system.

The Ford government is accepting public feedback on its proposed legislation until Dec. 22. Climate advocates say the time is now to express your views as they believe such broader changes could leave land and watersheds at risk.

Even in the winter conditions the water from Ancaster Creek continues to flow down the escarpment valleys, one of Hamilton’s key components of its watershed

“We need the experts that understand that local area, just like how Ancaster Creek works, just like how Spencer Creek works just behind us here,” said Peter Appleton from Save our Streams Hamilton.

Appleton is pushing back against the Ford government’s proposed boundary changes to its conservation authority system.

He says a localized authority is the appropriate structure when it comes to preventing disasters like flooding and the aftermath – something he says the Dundas area has experienced before.

“That costs hundreds of thousands to many millions of dollars. Not only that, it creates a system whereby the erosion that was caused during those events never gets mitigated,” said Appleton.

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Earlier in the fall, Environment Minister Todd McCarthy announced that the Ford government aims to merge Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities and create seven new regional bodies, which includes consolidating Hamilton with Niagara, Halton and Peel regions.

They said the changes will ensure faster front line services and delay reductions to get shovels in the ground quicker.

The Hamilton Conservation Authority released a statement this week, also calling on residents to voice their opinions on the province’s environmental registry before the deadline passes later this month.

They tell CHCH News, “key concerns include the loss of local decision-making, the lack of evidence that a merger would solve existing challenges, the potential for increased costs, and the possibility that Hamilton’s local voice could be diluted within a much larger regional authority.”

The province says under the proposed consolidation, the new regional conservation authorities will remain as independent organizations with municipal governance and oversight

“They’re saying that, but again, there’s no clarity in terms of how these are actually going to be governed, where the municipal decision making is going to be. You’re seeing municipalities push back on this change and other changes over the fact that the province is essentially taking away municipal authority,” said Tony Morris, Conservation Policy and Campaigns Director at Ontario Nature.

McCarthy’s office tells CHCH News, “to be clear, conservation authorities will continue to provide the same programs and services they deliver today … their mandate, service areas, and funding models will remain unchanged, and boards will continue to be municipally appointed.”

Feedback on the province’s environmental registry ends on Dec. 22.

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