Proposed changes to Ontario’s conservation authorities have raised alarm bells.
ERO posted 025-1257, which, was on the Environmental Registry of Ontario for comment until Dec. 22, proposes the creation of a new Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency, “…to provide centralized leadership, efficient governance, strategic direction, and oversight of Ontario’s conservation authorities.” The post proposes to amalgamate Ontario’s 36 conservation areas into seven.
“The new, dedicated agency would work with conservation leaders to ensure faster, more transparent permitting and more front-line services so we can reduce delays to get shovels in the ground sooner, support economic growth and keep our communities safe from floods and other natural hazards,” Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Todd McCarthy said.
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) is worried about what this will mean, since the minister will have more power in land-use decisions on the land used by anglers and hunters.
“We have serious concerns about the proposed amalgamation,” OFAH Fish and Wildlife Biologist Matthew Robbins said. “It seems likely this decision will redirect decision-making power away from subject-matter experts, producing opportunities to sidestep existing checks and balances. The continued consolidation of decision-making power could also result in sweeping changes to recreational opportunities, if the minister is ever inclined, and with little recourse for anglers and hunters.”
Originally published in the Jan.-Dec. 2026 issue of Ontario Out of Doors
