Windsor councillors push back on province’s plan to overhaul conservation authorities

What happened at city council on Monday? CTV Windsor’s Michelle Maluske provides an update on what’s happening in Windsor.

Windsor city council is urging the province to slow down sweeping changes to Ontario’s conservation authorities, voting unanimously to ask the Ford government to pull those amendments from its omnibus Bill 68 and reintroduce them separately.

Bill 68 would overhaul the current system by merging Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities into seven large regional bodies and centralizing responsibilities such as permitting, watershed planning and oversight of natural hazards.

Local officials and residents worry the shift could weaken environmental protection in Windsor-Essex, where shoreline conditions, flooding risks and watershed pressures are unique to the region.

Coun. Kieran McKenzie, who brought the motion forward, said Windsor risks losing important influence over how and where development takes place.

“The changes that are being proposed really could have some sweeping changes… on local decision-making authority as it relates to planning matters — where we build things,” said McKenzie.

He said the region’s geography demands caution.

“There are very significant consequences… if we go forward with decisions to build things in places that they don’t belong.”

During the meeting, Ward 4 resident Marion Overholt told councillors the province has provided little clarity about how such a major restructuring would work.

“We have received scant information about the contemplated changes… These matters are too important to be subjected to ad hoc regulation.”

She described the natural areas managed by the Essex Region Conservation Authority as “sacred public places” that rely on informed decision-making rooted in local knowledge.

Rick Labonte, speaking on behalf of labour and environmental groups, warned that Windsor could lose its voice under a much larger regional authority.

“A lot of people have this stigma that Windsor is often forgotten. Decisions are made in London,” said Labonte.

He said long-standing partnerships between ERCA and local organizations — from school-based water conservation programs to large-scale tree planting — could be weakened if decisions shift outside the community.

An ERCA report submitted earlier this month calls the restructuring “extremely challenging,” noting the province has yet to explain how governance, staffing or funding would work under the new model.

The agency also pointed out that past provincial efforts to amend conservation rules raised concerns about development pressure near sensitive or flood-prone lands.

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said the uncertainty surrounding the bill has led many to question the pace of the reforms.

“All of the answers aren’t clear right now… In the absence of all the information, people are saying, ‘Let’s stop the presses until we have all of the information.’,” he said.

He also reflected on Windsor’s long-standing struggle to be heard at Queen’s Park.

“There was a time where that was always a common scenario — Windsor was forgotten, decisions were made elsewhere.”

Dilkens said even if the province proceeds with consolidation, decisions cannot be made far from the communities they affect.

“This can’t be centralized decision-making up in the GTA. You’re going to need people with the expertise, with boots on the ground.”

Council’s vote, he added, sends a message that Windsor expects to be part of those decisions.

“These types of motions get their attention,” said Dilkens.

“It gets them to look at what they’re doing.”