THUNDER BAY – The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority is flagging concerns over regulatory changes proposed by the province that could impact its ability to maintain its popular conservation areas, among other effects.
Those worries are shared by Thunder Bay’s city council, which voted earlier this month to push the province to provide additional funding and ensure continued operation of conservation areas.
Regulations that could be enacted by the Ford government after a consultation period ends on June 27 would require conservation authorities to take on new responsibilities without necessarily providing new funding.
They would also make the agencies’ role in recreation “non-mandatory,” meaning municipalities served by them would no longer be required to support services like conservation areas.
In the longer term, Lakehead Region Conservation Authority CAO Tammy Cook worries that could make it impossible to maintain its eight conservation areas, many of which are hugely popular with the public.
“If we can’t find enough self-generated revenue, like our Explore card sales, parking sales, or outside funding, [then] if the municipalities decide not to fund that in the future, we may have to close our conservation areas,” she said.
The LRCA spends about 10 per cent of its $2.4 million budget on conservation areas, which do not currently generate enough visitor revenue to support themselves, despite a recent boom in visits.
Cook also has concerns over the capacity of LRCA staff to manage new reporting and planning requirements, and administer a Public Advisory Board above its existing board of directors, made up of representatives from member municipalities.
The advisory board would be made up of members of the public and advise the board of directors around strategic direction.
“In our area, we’re not sure we’ll be able to get enough interest to have a secondary board, and we feel it would probably be redundant,” said Cook.
At a city council meeting on June 7, Coun. Andrew Foulds shared those sentiments, saying conservation areas were important to residents.
“I have some real serious concerns about the legislation, and how this potentially could pit municipalities against municipalities in the same conservation authority,” he said.
Council unanimously passed a resolution stating the province should provide additional funding to support any new requirements, and to preserve funding for conservation authorities’ recreation activities, most notably maintaining local conservation areas.
The city will make an official submission through the province’s consultation process around the changes.
Members of the public can also comment on the changes through Ontario’s environmental registry until June 27.
https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-2986
Cook said there was widespread concern among conservation authorities over the proposed changes, with individual authorities and Conservation Ontario submitting comments.
LRCA board will meet on June 23 to review staff comments and develop its own submission to the province.
