Dear Premier Ford,

I’m writing to you today to ask you to remove Schedule 6 from Bill 229, an amendment to the Conservation Authorities Act under the Budget Measures Bill.

I’ve heard from thousands of concerned constituents in my riding of Guelph and from across Ontario

, many municipal elected officials, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Caucus of Ontario Big City Mayors and almost every conservation authority in the province.

All of them have expressed their concerns and opposition to the amendments proposed inSchedule 6, Bill 229.The proposed amendments under Schedule 6 will remove the ability of Conservation Authorities to provide scientific data on the watersheds that cross municipal jurisdictions in Ontario. The role of Conservation Authorities is important to protect wetlands, including swamps, marshes and bogs, which are natural catch-basins that can quickly absorb much of the excess water dumped by increasingly fierce storms.

The most financially responsible decision would be to strengthen Conservation Authorities so they can provide better watershed data to help the province avoid more costly floods. The average cost to repair a flooded basement is $43,000. Whereas the Conservation Authority only costs a resident in the Grand River watershed $2.81 per year. This is a bargain at a time when scientists warn flooding costs will triple over the next decade.

The proposed amendments will remove non-partisan, non-political science based decisions from Conservation Authorities and will give ultimate authority for granting development permits on conservation land to political Ministers.

For these reasons, I ask the government to remove Schedule 6 from Bill 229 and support theimportant scientific work of Conservation Authorities in Ontario.

Sincerely,

Mike Schreiner MPP, Guelph