Ford’s latest scheme puts Ontario’s environment up for sale

QUEEN’S PARK — Shadow Minister for Environment, Conservation and Parks Peter Tabuns (Toronto—Danforth) says Doug Ford’s latest plan to centralize Ontario’s conservation authorities is an environmental disaster in the making.

“Doug Ford thinks that environmental decisions should be made from an office in downtown Toronto, rather than in the communities they’ll impact,” said Tabuns. “He’s hollowing out the very agencies that defend our land, water, and wildlife, all so his developer friends can build wherever they please.”

Ford’s plan to collapse Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities into several regional bodies under a new Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency will strip away local oversight, silence experts, and gut science-based decision-making. The changes limit the ability of conservation authorities to provide flood and erosion control while further weakening effectiveness in areas like pollution prevention, land conservation, and habitat protection.

“Environmental regulations are not red tape. Doug Ford calls this ‘streamlining’, but Ontarians will know it as flooding, contaminated water, and species loss. This is a blank cheque for developers, and the green light for sprawl and destruction.”

Tabuns also points to potential job losses stemming from the centralization of Ontario’s conservation authorities.

"Doug Ford is a jobs disaster. Does he expect Ontarians to believe that shrinking 36 agencies down into a few won't result in further job losses? This government must commit to protecting our environment and protecting jobs.”