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Province 'premature' in asking for conservation program cuts

Local conservation authorities react to letter from minister; 'There needs to be dialogue,' LSRCA official says
Lake

The province is asking conservation authorities to “wind down” some of their programs, but a lack of details has local officials scratching their heads.

Jeff Yurek, environment, conservation and parks minister, sent a letter to conservation authorities advising them to start eliminating programs and services not part of their core mandate.

“The changes being proposed by the government to the Conservation Authorities Act haven’t even been proclaimed and we are only starting discussions about the regulations that go with the legislation, which will specify which actual programs and services are mandatory,” Kim Gavine, general manager of Conservation Ontario, said in a news release.

It’s a concern shared by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority.

“We understand the province inherited a deficit situation and we’re willing to work with them, but there needs to be a dialogue,” said Mike Walters, the local agency’s CAO. “We were looking to work more collaboratively with the province to identify those (core and non-core) services. This collaborative approach was not represented in this letter.”

Without having determined what programs fall under the core mandate, “it’s a little premature to say, ‘Start winding down programs,’” Walters said.

As a result of the lack of information, “it’s hard to predict what the impact will be,” he said.

In the big picture, the province’s funding contributions for conservation authorities is small. Through transfer payments and operational dollars, provincial funding accounts for 1.5 per cent of the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority’s budget.

And since the organization is well into its budget process, Walters said it is “business as usual” for now.

The Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority has also spoken out against the province’s directive. In a letter to Yurek, posted to the authority’s website, CAO Doug Hevenor said he was “shocked and frustrated” when he read the minister’s letter.

“In light of the fact that your government funds less than two per cent of the NVCA's budget, we question the province's authority to make this request,” Hevenor wrote. “There has been no consultation with conservation authorities or our municipal representatives as they are the ones who ensure that our programs are responsive to local needs.”

He made it clear he would not be asking the organization’s board to cut the budget.

“The NVCA stands up to the great work that we do. Therefore, we will continue our work as directed by our member municipalities. On Aug. 23, 2019, I will be presenting our budget proposal to our board members, asking for a three per cent increase, while challenging them to advocate for the conservation authority that protects their environment and helps build their economy.”


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Nathan Taylor

About the Author: Nathan Taylor

Nathan Taylor is the desk editor for Village Media's central Ontario news desk in Simcoe County and Newmarket.
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