Council supports conservation changes

Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Uxbridge council dealt with five pieces of correspondence Tuesday, all dealing with the province's proposed change to conservation authorities in Ontario.

Under the province's ERO #025-1257, the 36 different conservation authorities will see their boundaries changed to the extent there will be just seven conservation authorities. Uxbridge, which currently is in the Lake Simcoe Regional Conservation Authority (LSRCA) purview, will be in the Central Lake Ontario Regional Conservation Authority which covers the watersheds in parts of York Region, west through Peel Region, east through Durham Region and into parts of the Kawarthas.

Discussing the various pieces of correspondence, regional councillor Bruce Garrod said the province is seeking positive feedback on the planned changes, not opposition.

"It's going to happen," he stressed.

He noted that there are three North Durham representatives on LSRCA,

"That won't make sense under the revisions," he said.

Mayor David Barton said if the changes proposed by the province are done correctly "it will be a positive change for conservation."

In announcing the proposed changes late last year, the Ontario government said with the current system, each conservation authority follows different policies, standards and fees which has led to "unpredictable and inconsistent turnaround times for approvals across all conservation authorities, creating uncertainty and delays for builders, landowners and farmers seeking permits."