TRCA’s Response to the Province’s Release of Conservation Authorities Act Phase 1 Regulatory Proposal Consultation Guide

May 18, 2021, Toronto, ON – On May 13, 2021, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks posted on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) for public comment, “REGULATORY PROPOSAL CONSULTATION GUIDE: Regulations Defining Core Mandate and Improving Governance, Oversight and Accountability of Conservation Authorities.” The Guide focuses exclusively on these topics for the first phase of the Ministry’s review.

Since January, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) has been a valued member of the Province’s Conservation Authority Working Group and has appreciated the opportunity to provide insight to the Province to help inform aspects of the Ministry’s Guide.

TRCA continues to support the provincial requirement for three types of programs and services that conservation authorities provide: (1) legislated as mandatory by the Province, (2) requested by our partner municipalities, and (3) those that TRCA undertakes to further our own objectives. TRCA views these in the context of the Act’s purpose of, “providing for the organization and delivery of programs and services that further the conservation, restoration, development and management of natural resources in watersheds in Ontario.”

TRCA is currently reviewing the Ministry’s proposed scope of the mandatory programs and services that TRCA would be required to provide. Through engagement with our partner municipalities on non-mandatory programs and services, TRCA is at the forefront of meeting what is envisioned in the Consultation Guide, as we continue to establish comprehensive, updated Memorandums of Understanding, and to refine existing municipal-CA agreements, where required. Finally, based on feedback received from our municipal and agency partners to date, TRCA does not anticipate any changes to its self-sustaining programs and services that benefit our watersheds and the 4.8 million residents and diverse stakeholders within our jurisdiction.

A staff report on TRCA’s response to the Province’s Consultation Guide will be provided to TRCA Board of Directors prior to the ERO deadline of June 27, 2021. As a science-based agency, TRCA continues to advise the Province on pragmatic concerns and practical regulatory solutions regarding governance, planning, permitting and enforcement sections of the legislation, vital to this consultation and the next phases of the Province’s work. TRCA recognizes that some of these areas of focus are unique to our conservation authority, given that over a third of Ontario’s population lives within our jurisdiction.

TRCA would like to thank Minister Yurek once again for allowing our organization to take part in the Working Group and we look forward to continuing to add value to the consultation process going forward.

About Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
With more than 60 years of experience, TRCA is the largest of 36 Conservation Authorities in Ontario, created to safeguard and enhance the health and well-being of watershed communities through the protection and restoration of the natural environment and the ecological services the environment provides. Well over ten percent of Canada’s population (five million residents) live within TRCA-managed watersheds, and many others work in and visit destinations across the jurisdiction. These nine watersheds, plus their collective Lake Ontario waterfront shorelines, span six upper-tier and 15 lower-tier municipalities. Some of Canada’s largest and fastest growing municipalities, including Toronto, Markham and Vaughan, are located entirely within TRCA’s jurisdiction.

Media Contact:
Michael Tolensky
Chief Financial and Operating Officer
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
416-706-9093 | michael.tolensky@trca.ca