MEDIA RELEASE | Conservation Authorities Pleased with Proposed Changes to the Conservation Authorities Act

Conservation Authorities Pleased with Proposed Changes to the Conservation Authorities Act

NEWMARKET (June 14, 2017) Conservation Authorities are pleased with changes being proposed by the Ontario government to the Conservation Authorities Act and look forward to following up on implementation as outlined in a new document released today by the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF).

"We're very pleased that the proposed changes confirm the important role of Conservation Authorities as valuable watershed-based natural resource managers in Ontario," said Kim Gavine, General Manager of Conservation Ontario, the agency which represents Ontario's 36 Conservation Authorities.

Modernizing the Conservation Authorities Act

The details of how the changes to the Conservation Authorities Act will evolve is mapped out in a provincial document, Conserving Our Future: A Modernized Conservation Authorities Act.

In addition to providing long-term workplan priorities for implementing changes, it also reflects the feedback heard from stakeholders over the two-year consultation period.

Proposed Changes to the CA Act Respond to

5 Key Conservation Ontario Priorities

The Province's proposed changes address five key priorities identified and promoted by Conservation Ontario and the Conservation Authorities throughout the consultation stages. Specifically, they:

Confirm the broad and important role of Conservation Authorities as valuable watershed-based natural resource managers in Ontario,
Have a commitment to explore options for updating provincial funding levels for existing provincially mandated programs such as natural hazards and potentially new programs such as wetland conservation and climate change adaptation,
Establish a multi-ministry table to ensure increased coordination among provincial ministries regarding the wide-range of support Conservation Authorities provide to the multiple ministries,
Require Conservation Authorities to meet public sector best management practices and standards, and
Establish a multi-stakeholder Service Delivery Committee to address client service issues.

STAY CONNECTED: