Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon say there hasn’t been enough local consultation on Ontario’s plan to consolidate conservation authorities – a move one group says would lead to fewer homes being built.

The Ontario government says it’s planning to consolidate the province’s 36 conservation authorities into nine bodies by 2027, including the proposed amalgamation of the Credit Valley Conservation into a Western Lake Ontario Regional Conservation Authority.

While the changes would support the province’s goals of modernizing services, reducing duplication and accelerating housing approvals, the CVC board said consolidating into a regional conservation authority will lead to “less shovels in the ground and less houses being built.”

Last month, the Region of Peel passed a motion opposing the proposed consolidation, while Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown have reportedly sent an opposition letter to the province.

The region says municipalities within the Credit River watershed “have not been adequately consulted on a proposal that would fundamentally change the governance and management of locally funded watershed services and conservation lands.”

It is calling on the province “to leave the governance structure of Credit Valley Conservation unchanged,” and pause the proposed consolidation “until full and meaningful consultation has occurred with watershed municipalities and mayors.”

CVC officials say the local conservation authority currently processes development permit applications in an average of 14 days or so, “far exceeding the province’s 90-day service standard.”

The CVC also “protects public safety in a complex urban watershed where flood risk management requires highly specialized local expertise, including floodplain mapping, modelling, ice-jam management and real-time flood forecasting,” the board says,

CVC board chair and Brampton city councillor Michael Palleschi has said the CVC “is already delivering exactly what the province says it wants — efficient approvals, strong municipal coordination and the protection of public safety.”

“We support modernization, but dismantling a high-performing authority that is already meeting provincial objectives does not advance that goal,” he said.

Environment Minister Todd McCarthy has said there would be no job losses as a result of the plan to consolidate conservation authorities.


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