The Ontario government has passed legislation which would create a new Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency to provide oversight and strategic direction for Conservation Authorities. In addition, the province has posted a proposal on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO 025-1257) that would consolidate the current 36 Conservation Authorities into seven Regional Authorities. It is proposed that Cataraqui Conservation would become part of a new 18500 sq km St Lawrence Regional Conservation Authority along with Mississippi Valley, Rideau Valley, South Nation, and Raisin Region CA.
We encourage residents to consider the programs and services they use or benefit from currently, the governance structure and local representation within the current Conservation Authority structure and how these aspects would work within the regional model the province is proposing. The public can visit the Environmental Registration of Ontario to review the proposal and submit feedback. Comments can be submitted to the ERO posting page or to ca.office@ontario.ca. The deadline for commenting is December 22, 2025.
Below you will find several documents to provide local context and summaries of the changes being proposed:
- Full Authority Board Report (Dec. 03, 2025) IR-096-25 Bill 68 and Proposed Conservation Authority Consolidations
- Summary of ERO Posting 025-1257 - Attachment 1 of Report IR-096-25
- Summary of Bill 68, Schedule 3 - Attachment 2 of Report IR-096-25
- Presentation - Bill 68 & Proposed Regional CA Consolidations