Saugeen Conservation has responded to the province’s proposal to amalgamate Ontario’s CA’s into 7 regional authorities.
For the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority, they would become part of the Huron-Superior Regional Conservation Authority which would encompass around 80 municipalities.
The SVCA say they do not support consolidation and while they do support the province’s goals of improving consistency and modernizing digital permitting, its objectives can be done without removing local governance or amalgamating watershed based agencies into large regional or provincial structures.
Erik Downing, General Manager and Secretary Treasurer of the SVCA says conservation work is local, flood forecasting, hazard management and planning review depend on detailed watershed knowledge and strong relationships with municipalities and communities.
