ERCA board chair and vice chair acclaimed for second term

Amherstburg Coun. Molly Allaire, and Windsor's Ward 10 Coun. Jim Morrison were acclaimed to serve as chair and vice chair of the ERCA board for a second term. Jan. 2026. (Source: ERCA)

It’s status quo on the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) board.

During ERCA’s Annual General Meeting on Thursday, Jan. 22, Amherstburg Coun. Molly Allaire and Windsor’s Ward 10 Coun. Jim Morrison were acclaimed to serve as chair and vice chair of the ERCA board for a second term.

Allaire stated she was honoured to be named chair for a second year, and shared her experience on recently meeting with Environment Minister Todd McCarthy to speak about the province’s plan to amalgamate Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities into just seven.

The province announced plans in October to introduce legislation to establish a new provincial agency which would oversee this amalgamation.

Allaire says it’s an honour to be acclaimed, “I’m so thrilled... everyone and their support and just believing that I’ve been doing a good job for the past year, and just going to keep fighting the fight, and making sure that we stay ahead of the times right now.”

Allaire said they continue to fight the fight against the amalgamation plans, “I strongly believe that we have made our case well known, and I was able to speak to the Minister of Environment at the ROMA conference, and to say that we had a good meeting is an understatement. I actually felt like he listened, and he paid attention to everything that the board brought to him.”

Allaire added she’s always had a soft spot for ERCA, “My parents received a conservation award... when I was a kid we planted trees throughout my entire life basically on our farm. And they’ve always been in the spotlight for us. They’ve helped out agriculture, they’ve helped out the development, so it’s so amazing to be a part of it.”

Allaire has been an active member of ERCA’s board since 2022.

She says looking into 2026, there’s a ton of events coming, a large number of trees to be planted, and improvement plans to the Hillman Marsh.

ERCA board meetings are held monthly.

ERCA is an organization responsible for managing natural resources and protecting the environment in the Essex region, primarily by overseeing land use development, managing floodplains, preserving wetlands, and promoting conservation efforts within their watershed area.