Ontario to consolidate 36 conservation authorities into nine

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TORONTO - Ontario will consolidate its 36 conservation authorities into nine across the province.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/03/2026 (204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO – Ontario will consolidate its 36 conservation authorities into nine across the province.

Environment Minister Todd McCarthy says there will be no job losses as a result.

He says the province listened to feedback after several town halls and 14,000 comments on its plan, which initially proposed having seven conservation authorities.

Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Todd McCarthy speaks to media following the release of the Ontario auditor general's annual report at the Ontario legislature in Toronto, on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan
Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Todd McCarthy speaks to media following the release of the Ontario auditor general's annual report at the Ontario legislature in Toronto, on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

McCarthy says the new authorities will operate under the newly created Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency and be operational by 2027.

The conservation authorities are responsible for issuing permits for various types of housing and infrastructure development in floodplains, shorelines and wetlands.

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner says Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government is dismantling critical agencies that would keep communities safe in order to make development easier.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2026.

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