Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club is among groups speaking out against plan to consolidate Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities — including the Sault’s — into seven

Today is the last chance to share your opinion on the Ford government’s plan to consolidate the province’s 36 conservation authorities into seven regional bodies — a move that would lump in Sault Ste. Marie with Timmins, North Bay and Sudbury.

Ontario insists the revamp would improve services and result in no job losses. The proposed areas for the seven new regional authorities will also be better aligned with natural watersheds and help reduce duplication, the province says.

If approved, the Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority would become part of the new Northeastern Ontario Regional Conservation Authority. Its focus, the Ford government says, would be “maintaining healthy waterways, protecting natural habitats, and promoting sustainable land and water use across major watershed areas that span parts of Northern Lake Huron, the Abitibi, Missinaibi, Mattagami, Wanipitai, French, and Upper Ottawa River systems.”

Locally, the plan has been widely criticized. Sault Ste. Marie City Council voted last week to oppose the proposal, calling on the province to instead “maintain existing conservation authorities in northern Ontario that recognize our geographic realities and ensure strong local representation related to municipal levies, community-focused service delivery, and the protection and management of conservation lands.”

The Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club is also calling on its members to voice their objections to the plan. Along with Hiawatha Highlands, their trail systems operate on conservation authority lands.

“The Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club is concerned amalgamation could reduce local decision-making, delay trail maintenance and permitting, and weaken long-standing community and volunteer partnerships,” it said in a statement. “The club supports efficient governance, but believes local lands, recreation, and stewardship require local oversight.”

People have until midnight tonight to submit their comments HERE.