![\"minus](\"https:\/\/thenarwhal.ca\/wp-content\/themes\/thenarwhal\/assets\/icons\/remove-circle.svg\")
![\"plus](\"https:\/\/thenarwhal.ca\/wp-content\/themes\/thenarwhal\/assets\/icons\/add-circle.svg\"\/)
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Summary<\/p>\n
The amalgamation of Ontario\u2019s 36 conservation authorities into nine regional bodies is expected to take effect in early 2027.<\/p>\n
A new directive from Environment Minister Todd McCarthy orders conservation authorities to halt any major decision-making processes, such as changing staffing structures or purchasing property, in the meantime.<\/p>\n
After a meeting between Environment Ministry officials and conservation authority staff on May 6, 2026, one public servant told The Narwhal, \u201cThe province has essentially handcuffed conservation authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Friday, May 1, Ontario Environment Minister Todd McCarthy sent a letter to all conservation authority heads directing them to halt any \u201csignificant financial, asset or employment decisions\u201d as the government begins consolidating the agencies tasked with protecting watersheds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The letter signals that the work to amalgamate authorities from 36 to nine, and shift oversight to a new government agency that takes direction from McCarthy\u2019s office, has begun.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Five days later, senior ministry officials told authority staff in an internal meeting that this reorganization will be complicated and still contains many unknowns.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The directives \u201cwere not easy to write,\u201d a senior official said at the meeting. \u201cI\u2019ll be frank to say that this required us to get into the [conservation authority] business in a way that we as a ministry aren\u2019t typically.\u201d<\/p>\n
A recording of that meeting, which included discussion of the consolidation on drinking water protections, was shared with The Narwhal by one participant and independently verified by another. The Narwhal is not identifying the officials who led the meeting by name to respect their privacy as public sector workers with limited authority.<\/p>\n
In it, a director in the ministry\u2019s conservation and source protection branch notes the directive McCarthy sent out to authorities was not meant to affect the day-to-day business of conservation authorities, but to \u201cput some guardrails in place that would sort of mitigate against any decision, like extraordinary decisions that would not be to the benefit of the regional [conservation authority].\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Such guardrails are common in government-initiated mergers, the official said, to protect agencies and organizations from decisions that may harm their consolidated form. A staff member from McCarthy\u2019s office, speaking unofficially, told The Narwhal this is \u201cstandard operating practice\u201d for any amalgamation, designed to \u201cessentially keep things stable.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rhonda Bateman, chief administrative officer of Lower Trent Conservation, said in an email to The Narwhal, \u201cIt was not a surprise. We were expecting some direction.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen businesses amalgamate or are merged, there needs to be a baseline of information available and I believe this is the intent behind the direction,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ON-Conservation-Areas-Proctor-21.jpg\"\/)
Ontario\u2019s transition from 36 to nine conservation authorities will be managed by the government\u2019s new Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency, which has a handful of staff and a five-person board of directors made up of deputy ministers from different ministries. Photo: Laura Proctor \/ The Narwhal<\/p>\n
Along with the recording, The Narwhal was sent a copy of McCarthy\u2019s letter, which was later publicly posted<\/a> by the ministry. The Narwhal reached out to 10 conservation authority officials for comment, with most saying they were not allowed to comment, could not comment for fear of repercussions or were still trying to understand the implications of the directive. Five people agreed to speak to The Narwhal for this story, all on the condition of confidentiality.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe province has essentially handcuffed conservation authorities,\u201d one public servant who attended the meeting told The Narwhal. \u201cConservation authorities are not in control now [of the consolidation], and it seems that they won\u2019t be in control moving forward.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n One conservation authority official in central Ontario said they were \u201csurprised\u201d by the \u201csweeping\u201d nature of the directive, and felt that the consolidation was \u201cout of our hands.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Conservation authorities are tasked with protecting Ontario watersheds by safeguarding local drinking water sources and reducing the risks from natural hazards like flooding, erosion and drought. The government\u2019s move to amalgamate<\/a> them from 36 agencies to nine is the biggest disruption since the agencies were created 80 years ago, and has created widespread concern about their continued ability to preserve access to fresh water for more than 80 per cent of Ontario residents.<\/p>\n The government\u2019s 2026 budget officially greenlit the consolidation and gave the environment minister powers to issue directives as needed. It also created a new Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency, which will oversee the 36 conservation authorities during the transition, under the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks. This agency will work with Hassaan Basit<\/a>, a longtime conservation authority official who is now the province\u2019s chief conservation executive, and is staffed by a handful of bureaucrats, with a five-person board of directors made up of deputy ministers from other ministries. The agency\u2019s goal is to see resources equally shared among the consolidated conservation authorities.<\/p>\n Dive deeper on this topic<\/p>\n McCarthy\u2019s first directive on the consolidation restricts conservation authorities\u2019 actions to what has already been set out in their 2026 budgets. That includes making any changes to staff or governance structure, acquiring or disposing of any land, approving any new projects (like wells, for example) or making major purchases without explicit authorization from the government.<\/p>\n The official from McCarthy\u2019s office told The Narwhal they expect conservation authorities to be able to do things that are beyond their budget. \u201cWe\u2019ll likely approve it,\u201d they said. \u201cConservation authorities remain independent.\u201d They also noted that the restrictions don\u2019t apply to land donations, as \u201cthey are not an expense.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The directive notes there will also be exceptions in responding to \u201can immediate danger to human life, health or property.\u201d The official from McCarthy\u2019s office said, for example, this could be \u201cif the conservation authority has a dam and the dam is on the verge of breaking and they need to make emergency repairs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n These restrictions are in place until at least Feb. 1, 2027, when the consolidation is expected to take effect. They can be amended any time \u201cat the sole discretion of the minister,\u201d according to the letter.<\/p>\n Ontario\u2019s drinking water is tied up in conservation authority changes but officials have few details<\/p>\n The details of how McCarthy\u2019s directive will affect conservation authorities\u2019 work protecting drinking water remain unclear.\u00a0<\/p>\n The authorities work closely with community-led source protection committees, which include directors from industries like agriculture, manufacturing and tourism to protect and properly manage drinking water.\u00a0<\/p>\n The province\u2019s 19 source protection committees were created on the heels of the deadly water contamination crisis<\/a> in Walkerton, Ont. They are supported by staff from conservation authorities, who provide data and carry out protective actions as the source protection authority.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ON-Conservation-Areas-Proctor-66-1024x683.jpg\"\/)
During a meeting on May 6, Environment Ministry officials were pressed for details on how the consolidation of the province\u2019s conservation authorities would impact the protection of Ontario\u2019s drinking water sources. Officials could not provide answers. Photo: Laura Proctor \/ The Narwhal<\/p>\n