On Halloween this year, Doug Ford’s PC government announced some seriously spooky news: they are proposing to consolidate Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities into just seven. But this isn’t the first time the Ford government has attacked the Conservation Authorities by weakening their authority. The Narwhal has excellent in depth pieces on the major attacks in recent years – 2022, 2024, and most recently 2025, but here’s a succinct rundown. 

First off, what are Conservation Authorities and why are they important? Conservation Authorities are unique to Ontario, and, according to Conservation Ontario, “are local watershed management agencies, mandated to ensure the conservation, restoration and responsible management of Ontario’s water, land and natural habitats.” 

The legislation creating conservation authorities was passed in 1946 by a Progressive Conservative government in response to poor conservation practices and habitat degradation, particularly from the impacts of deforestation by settlers which made areas prone to more flooding. 

A decade later, Hurricane Hazel drove home exactly why this integrated approach was needed. The 1954 storm killed 81 Ontarians, destroyed homes built on floodplains, and revealed the deadly consequences of unregulated development in hazardous areas. In response, the province expanded Conservation Authorities’ powers so they could acquire vulnerable lands, regulate flood-prone areas, and provide coordinated watershed-scale planning to protect communities. Not only do CA’s protect the environment, they protect lives.

 Now, back to the attacks. 

The 2022 rollback: Through Bill 23 (More Homes Built Faster Act) and related legislation, the Ford government dramatically reduced Conservation Authorities’ mandate. They were barred from reviewing most development applications for environmental harm, pollution risks, or conservation issues, and limited to commenting strictly on “natural hazards” like flooding or erosion.

Municipalities were prohibited from requiring Conservation Authority reviews for most planning decisions. Authorities were ordered to identify land for potential housing development, their fees were frozen, permit deadlines were shortened, and they lost the ability to require certain scientific studies or mitigation measures they previously used to protect wetlands, headwaters, and valley systems.

The 2024 centralization: In 2024, the province replaced the 36 individual Conservation Authority regulations with a single province-wide rule and shifted major permitting powers to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. This change gave the minister sweeping authority to issue, deny, or modify development permits, effectively overriding Conservation Authorities’ technical expertise.

New exemptions allowed more projects to proceed without permits, including in areas traditionally viewed as hazardous. Required buffers around wetlands and watercourses were reduced, limits were placed on what environmental impacts Conservation Authorities could consider, and developers were given more options to challenge scientific assessments and permit conditions. 

And now, the 2025 overhaul: Legislation to consolidate the 36 conservation authorities into as few as seven large regional bodies, which would be overseen by a newly created provincial agency. This amalgamation would strip away the local watershed expertise that has guided flood prevention for decades and replace it with a more centralized system, far easier for the PC government to influence.

Critics from municipal leaders to environmental experts, are arguing that the move isn’t about “efficiency” and “standardizing” permitting as the Ford government touts, but rather is about clearing the way for politically connected developers by weakening the last independent bodies capable of slowing or stopping risky projects. It is clear that Ford’s consolidation plan would gut local oversight, sideline scientific assessment, and prioritize the interests of land speculators and donors over public safety, flood resilience, and long-term environmental stewardship.

The Narwhal gives a stark example: “Take the proposed Huron-Superior conservation authority. It would bring together seven authorities spanning roughly 1,400 kilometres and 78 municipalities from Thunder Bay, on Lake Superior through Bruce, Grey and Dufferin Counties, Simcoe County, York Region, Kawartha Lakes and Durham Region. The natural systems that feed Lake Huron, Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay differ significantly from those along the north shore of Lake Superior. Each has distinct geology, land use and flood-risk patterns.” 

This move marks the culmination of the Ford government’s multi-year campaign to dismantle conservation authorities and allow developers to run unchecked through sensitive areas. And Ontarians are still waiting to see the affordable housing this was all supposedly for.

 The proposal is now posted on the Environmental Registry of Ontario for public feedback until Dec. 22, 2025. We encourage all residents to submit a comment, and to contact your MPP to let them know that you care about Conservation Authorities and they should not be dismantled. Our MPP for Simcoe North is Jill Dunlop, who can be reached by email at jill.dunlopco@pc.ola.org and phone at 705-326-3246. 

Green Orillia is a grassroots organization focused on climate action, social justice, advocacy, education, democracy, and community resilience in Orillia and area. We operate on Anishinaabeg Williams Treaty Territory. Follow Green Orillia on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, join the Facebook Discussion Group, sign up for the e-newsletter, or check out the website. Get in touch at greenorillia@gmail.com.