‘Keep conservation local’: Windsor rally calls on province to reverse conservation authority restructuring

A vocal group of activists gathered on Friday evening to express their concerns about centralizing conservation authorities, CTV Windsor's Sanjay Maru reports.

A rally outside the office of Windsor-Tecumseh’s MPP is calling on the province to reconsider changes to how conservation authorities operate across Ontario.

The demonstration Friday is in response to Bill 68, legislation that has already received Royal Assent and restructures conservation authorities by consolidating Ontario’s 36 existing authorities into seven larger regional bodies under a new Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency.

Under the province’s proposal, the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) would be folded into a new Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority, stretching from Windsor-Essex and Pelee Island through parts of southwestern Ontario and north toward the Waterloo region.

Union members representing ERCA workers say the changes raise concerns about job security and the loss of local expertise.

“We’re out here mainly about jobs,” said CUPE Local 3784 president Lisa Limarzi.

“There are 4,000 people across the province of Ontario who don’t know what’s happening to their jobs next year. There doesn’t seem to be a plan so we’re very concerned.”

Signs at Friday’s rally carried messages such as “Keep Conservation Local” and “Our Community Deserves Local Responsiveness.”

Limarzi said she has not been provided details about how the amalgamation would work or how staff would be affected. She also warned that moving decision-making to a much larger regional authority could weaken local responsiveness.

“We have experts who are trained and who know the topography around here, the little pockets, the problems, the issues,” she said.

“Developers who come in will want to sit down and talk about their projects. Do they have to travel to London now? To Kitchener now? Whereas down here, we can address those problems directly because we know the area.”

MPP Andrew Dowie, whose office served as the backdrop for the rally, was not present during the demonstration. Speaking to CTV News at a separate event earlier in the day, he said he has already met with critics and relayed concerns to provincial decision-makers.

“I invited everybody in. We had about two hours of discussion,” Dowie said. “I listened, I took notes. I sent all the information to the policymakers. So I don’t understand the rationale for being out here today.”

Limarzi responded that the rally was aimed at informing the public, not just one elected official.

“I don’t think the public understands that they are going to lose their local voice,” said Limarzi.

The province has said the restructuring is intended to streamline how conservation authorities operate, cut red tape and free up resources to help speed up housing and infrastructure approvals, while still protecting watersheds and communities.

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens weighed in on the province’s move this week.

“Whether we agree with their decision or not, at least it shows an openness to look at efficiency,” Dilkens said.

“Ultimately, it will be up to the province to figure out whether it was more efficient in terms of the money savings and the speed at which applications are approved.”

Windsor city council has already taken a formal position against the changes.

In November, council passed a motion calling on the province to withdraw the conservation authority sections of Bill 68 and allow the proposed changes to go through a full legislative process, including committee review and public consultation.

Coun. Kieran McKenzie attended Friday’s rally and said while the legislation has since passed, there may still be an opportunity to address concerns through the regulatory process, where implementation details are finalized.

“For some of the more challenging or risky pieces, perhaps there can be some changes made at that level.”

Public consultation on proposed regional conservation authority boundaries is open on Ontario’s Environmental Registry until Dec. 22.