Consolidation of Ontario’s Conservation Authorities

On March 10, 2026, the. The 糖心直播 (UTRCA) will be part of the Western Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority, which will also include:

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The consolidation is expected to take place by early 2027.

Map of the Western Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority, showing the watersheds of the four CAs within it.

Other key elements of the Province鈥檚 announcement include:

  • While there are still many outstanding questions, the Province has emphasized that local programs and services will continue, and that conservation areas and assets will continue to be owned and managed by conservation authorities. Assets and liabilities currently owned by UTRCA will be transitioned via Statutory Amalgamation to the new Western Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority.
  • The Province has indicated that local expertise and established relationships with municipalities, landowners, and developers will be retained within the new structure.
  • One notable change within the proposed legislation identifies 鈥減articipating municipalities鈥� as upper-tier and single-tier municipalities In the UTRCA watershed, the Cities of London and Stratford and the Town of St. Marys are single-tier municipalities. Middlesex, Oxford, and Perth Counties are upper-tier municipalities.
  • The Province plans to require each regional Conservation Authority to establish one or more local 鈥淲atershed Council鈥� to ensure that watershed management decisions are informed by local knowledge and input, including from Indigenous representatives.

The UTRCA already collaborates closely with the CAs that will form the Western Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority on many initiatives. Above all, UTRCA remains committed to protecting the watersheds and residents of London, Stratford, St. Marys, Middlesex, Perth, and Oxford region.

The Province will be introducing legislative changes to the Conservation Authorities Act to set out the regional CAs, establish governance, and initiate the transition. The CAs will be reviewing the legislative changes in the coming weeks and will work with member municipalities through the transition period.

Throughout this process, CAs will continue to operate without disruption to the protection of public health and safety on a watershed basis. It is business as usual for watershed protection and environmental services, including conservation areas and trails, drinking water source protection, watershed protection and management, stewardship programs, agricultural extension services, and education.

This update is the result of consultation by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks in November 2025 on proposed consolidation of the 36 CAs into 7 Regional CAs. The consultation included virtual sessions with CAs, municipalities, interest holders, and Indigenous communities, as well as regional workshops with CA and municipal leadership. More than 500 people participated in these sessions and over 14,000 comments were submitted to the Environmental Registry of Ontario.

The UTRCA believes that the Western Lake Erie Regional CA solution is an improvement upon the Province鈥檚 original proposal, which would have merged eight CAs to create a much larger Lake Erie Regional CA.

Questions?

Reach out to Tracy Annett, General Manager.听

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