Public comment on plan to merge 36 conservation authorities into seven open to Dec. 22

Quinte Conservation wants residents in its watershed to express concern and provide comments on the province’s plan to merge 36 authorities into seven regional conservation authorities, and create a new agency to oversee them.

Quinte Conservation, along with six other conservation authorities, are to form the Eastern Lake Ontario Regional Conservation Authority – an area covering 48 municipalities and 16,000 km2, stretching from Whitby to Napanee, north to the Kawarthas and south to Prince Edward County.

The community-based environmental protection agency currently serves 18 municipalities in about 6,000 km2 of the watersheds of Prince Edward County, the Moira, Napanee and Salmon rivers.

The province has passed Bill 68, ‘Plan to Protect Ontario Act’, which will establish a new provincial agency to oversee the activities of conservation authorities and will have the power to direct regional strategic planning, and financial and operational matters.

The 18 municipalities that sit on Quinte Conservation’s Board of Directors would fund the new regional authority and assist with future funding of the new provincial agency.

“No further details have been provided as to how local municipalities would retain meaningful oversight or control increases to municipal levies. Currently, municipalities fund 51 per cent of Quinte Conservation’s annual operating budget compared to a provincial contribution of 13 per cent,” stated Quinte Conservation’s Kirsten Geisler, Communications Specialist.

“Since 2021, over $1.54 million dollars of local, municipal funds have been invested into 16 of the 40 dams owned by Quinte Conservation. Additionally, another $1.2 million in grants was secured to help implement those capital works,” stated Geisler.

Quinte Conservation has been working with municipalities and residents since 1947 providing essential services such as flood forecasting and protection, low water response, source water protection, planning and regulations, water quality monitoring, and land preservation.

Quinte Conservation also owns, manages, and operates 40 dams, 13 conservation areas, and 30,000 acres of protected and patented land. Staff are experts in their field and possess the knowledge necessary for understanding and working on or near the unique natural features and land hazards of the watershed.

“Under the consolidation, the province is proposing that all of Quinte Conservation’s assets and liabilities will be the responsibility of the regional conservation authority. It is not known at this time how prior commitments between municipalities, donors, organizations, and the authority will be affected,” added Geisler.

“We encourage watershed municipalities and all residents to express concerns and provide comments prior to Dec. 22,”, said Don Kuntze, Chair of the Board of Directors. “Given the current details provided so far, we can’t say how exactly our communities will be affected. Our fear is that turning a 6,000 km2 watershed region into a 16,000 km2 region will come with growing pains that ultimately affect you. So, I ask for your participation. We all need Mother Nature and the water she provides.”

The province’s proposed new CA boundaries can be viewed on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/025-1257 (posting 025-1257). Feedback and comments can be submitted there. The comment period ends Dec. 22.