Background

The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) initiated consultation on the “proposed boundaries for the regional consolidation of Ontario’s conservation authorities” on November 7, 2025. The proposal considers a transition from the current 36 watershed-based Conservation Authorities to seven “regional conservation authorities”. As outlined in the proposal, “no changes would be proposed to the overall extent of conservation authority jurisdiction within the province”.

This proposal is complimentary to amendments made to the Conservation Authorities Act through Bill 68, Plan to Protect Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2025 (No. 2), that enabled the creation of a new Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency.  

Modernization through Local Conservation

Conservation Ontario’s submission is informed by input from Conservation Authorities, elected officials, Indigenous community members, municipalities, environmental and agricultural groups, and more. The submission emphasizes the importance of maintaining local, watershed-based decision-making, on-the-ground service delivery, and collaboration with key partners, including municipalities, to achieve effective watershed management in Ontario.

Together with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, a separate letter was sent to the Honourable Todd McCarthy, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Four key recommendations were advanced in the letter, including:

• working with an implementation working group to develop practical solutions,
• requesting provincial commitments to clear implementation timelines and transition plans,
• sharing comprehensive financial, operational, and governance impact analysis to support evidence-based decision-making, and;
• restoring a 50-50 municipal-provincial funding partnership for CAs.

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario and Conservation Ontario propose a right-sized, simplified regional model that:

• is grounded in science-based watershed boundaries
• maintains strong municipal involvement and oversight
• preserves local relationships and community trust
• balances the need to stay connected at the community level with the needs of certainty, predictability, and consistency of service delivery standards for permitting and approvals
• avoids unnecessary complexity by allowing lands, major agreements (including employment), reserve funds etc. to remain within existing corporations                   

Watershed Perspectives

In addition to Conservation Ontario’s response, many Conservation Authorities provided independent responses to the proposal. Some of these responses are linked below, and outline the local circumstances, preferences, and watershed needs of Ontario’s Conservation Authorities.