Wanderings – Playing the consolidation long game

There is a growing trend within the Ontario government to concentrate power. It started in 1995, waned for a while in the 2000s, and since 2018 has ramped up efforts to eliminate other authorities.

Premier Doug Ford’s introduction of Bill 68, which will eventually consolidate the province’s 36 conservation authorities into just seven regional bodies, is one of the latest changes that will focus more power in Toronto. Citing the need to harmonize development rules and standards, the legislation will create a new agency to govern CAs and then work to consolidate those regionally. Having standards and regulations across the province, especially in municipalities where two or more CAs may operate, makes sense. But that could already be done through updating the regulations through the Conservation Authority Act. Creating a new agency to govern the CAs sounds like adding red tape, not reducing it. There is more to this.

When CAs were first set up, there was—and still is—local control. Municipal councils appoint representatives to serve at the CA board. Those representatives set the budget and direction of the organization, focusing on local priorities. CAs also have taken on some municipal services and even some health unit services that those organizations did not want or have the means or expertise to provide, or it made sense for a CA to do instead of duplicating roles at other organizations. That varies, and critics say CAs sometimes overstep their delegated authority. Those could be resolved again through reforming the existing regulations in the existing legislation.

Many CAs, including South Nation Conservation, own and/or manage land that has been designated for conservation. SNC manages or owns over 20,000 acres—much donated to protect sensitive areas. If the province succeeds in taking over CAs and merging them together, the province will have effective control over that donated land. Local decisions become provincial ones. Even if some token representation by municipalities or the public is granted to these new regional bodies, will an organization that spans from Belleville to Pembroke, east to the Quebec border including Ottawa and Kingston be responsive to local flooding in Brinston or Crysler?

By consolidating the 36 Conservation Authorities into seven regional bodies under the control of a provincial agency, the province is seizing control of these entities from municipalities. The province can do this because CAs, like school boards, health units, and even municipalities, only exist at the will of the province.

CAs are the latest but not the only power-grab. The Ministry of Education is looking to remove elected trustees, which will end public input into at least part of how our education systems operate. Some health units have recently consolidated. Health teams replaced local health networks, merging areas together into larger units.

This matters because, for decades, we have operated with systems that allowed local control over parts of our governance. Health Units have local representation, as do conservation authorities, school boards, and health teams. Not all are democratically elected, but there is local control over many of the appointments and that means local representation. Removing that local control means everything that is not federal will be run by the province. No matter the colour­—blue, red, or orange—Toronto runs the show. Toronto-based political mandarins have no knowledge or understanding of anything outside its self-induced bubble. If they do understand issues, they are far enough removed to not care.

Ford loves to quote U.S. Republican President Ronald Reagan. A recent ad run by Ford in the U.S. featured a quote by Reagan. There’s another Reagan quote applies to Ford’s consolidation of power. “Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.”

This column was originally published in the November 26, 2025 print edition of the Morrisburg Leader.