On March 10th, Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority General Manager, Eric Downing, advised municipalities that the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks had announced the next step in the Province’s work to modernize Ontario’s conservation authorities.
This follows a period of extensive consultation with conservation authorities, municipal leaders, and other partners across Ontario. The Province indicated that the goal is to strengthen the conservation authority system by improving consistency across the province, supporting responsible growth, and ensuring conservation authorities have the tools and resources needed to deliver their mandates.
As part of the announcement, the Province confirmed its intention to move toward a regional model, consolidating Ontario’ s 36 conservation authorities into 9 regional conservation authorities.
When regional consolidation was first proposed during the consultation phase, the potential region that included Saugeen Conservation extended all the way north to Thunder Bay under what was referred to as a Huron–Superior regional model. Based on feedback received through the consultation process, that approach has since been revised.
Under the current proposal, Saugeen Conservation would instead form part of a Lake Huron Conservation Authority, which would include Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, Grey Sauble Conservation Authority, Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority, Maitland Conservation Authority and Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority.
The Province indicated that the transition will take place gradually. The new regional model is expected to come into effect for February 2027, following the next municipal election cycle and the appointment of regional conservation authority boards.
To support this work, a regional transition committee will be established to develop the transition framework and guide implementation. Conservation authorities will have representation in this process. Along with an appointee from the Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency (OPCA), Saugeen Conservation will be represented through both the General Manager and the Board Chair so that the perspective of our watershed and our member municipalities is part of the discussion.
Under the proposed governance model, upper-tier government, such as counties or regional governments, would appoint members to the boards of the regional conservation authorities. As a result, not every lower-tier municipality may hold a direct seat on the conservation authority board as they do today. It is anticipated that these regional boards would be comprised of 15-25 members.
To ensure local voices remain part of watershed management, each regional conservation authority would establish one or more watershed councils. These councils could include municipalities, Indigenous partners, and community stakeholders, ensuring that local watershed knowledge and priorities continue to inform decision making.
Existing agreements and contracts between Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority and individual municipalities would continue through the transition. As part of consolidation, the new Lake Huron Regional Conservation Authority would assume those agreements, with SVCA acting as the predecessor conservation authority, ensuring continuity of services and municipal partnerships.
Assets, lands, infrastructure, and liabilities currently held by SVCA would transition to the successor Lake Huron Regional Conservation Authority as part of consolidation. This would include conservation areas, water and erosion control structures, monitoring stations, and other operational assets currently managed by SVCA.
The current apportionment funding model is expected to continue, with municipal levies apportioned among member municipalities and supplemented by self -generated revenue and provincial support. The Province also announced funding to support the transition process, including resources to assist the Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency ( OPCA) in coordinating the consolidation and helping conservation authorities prepare for the regional model.
It is important to note that nothing changes in the day-to-day operations of Saugeen Conservation currently. SVCA will continue to deliver the services that municipalities rely on, including flood forecasting and warning, water monitoring, land management, permitting, forestry services, and conservation area operations.
“Conservation authorities have evolved many times over their history. This announcement signals that another period of change is ahead, and we will work closely with the Province, the OPCA and our municipal partners as the details of the transition are developed over the coming year,” said Downing.
