The lower hall at Mono Community Centre in Mono Centre will be the scene this Saturday morning, April 28, of an information session sponsored by the Mono- Mulmur Citizens Coalition on "The Changing Role of Conservation Authorities."

Members of the coalition will be joined by representatives of the main conservation authorities in the area, as well as representatives from Conservation Ontario, the body that co-ordinates the many conservation authorities, to discuss the impact of some of the changes.

The 36 conservation authorities (CAs) in Ontario are responsible for implementing the policies of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). They have responsibility for all natural resources within their respective watersheds. They are also responsible for any hazards related to the ecosystems. In a third role, they serve as a commenting agency on issues associated with the Planning Act, e.g., flooding and erosion or ecosystems.

Although the CAs are only in a commenting role with respect to the municipalities, the municipalities have to listen to them. Disputes can and do go to the Ontario Municipal Board. The conservation authorities appear to find themselves in more complicated and perhaps enlarged roles in recent years and this is stimulating our need to better understand their important roles. Their stewardship over the watersheds where we all reside is crucial to the quality of our lives.

The 2005 Provincial Policy Statement, the Greenbelt Legislation and the Places to Grow Act have given municipalities more control over planning. As a consequence, some of them see their planning responsibilities overlapping with the CAs' planning role. With leapfrog development coming to this area, municipalities will be under increasing pressure to plan for development in areas where CAs have had primary jurisdiction until now. Are conflicts of interest inevitable? How are the different CAs finding the resources to carry out their increasingly challenging responsibilities?

Municipalities provide much of the funding for the CAs. Is this an unacceptable political situation? What happens when jurisdictional responsibilities are unclear and funding issues can complicate decisions?

A further issue that interests the membership is the question of how the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority and the Credit Valley Conservation Authority will administer the Ontario Government's new Clean Water Act. (In the Town of Mono, the Toronto District Conservation Authority and the Grand Valley Conservation Authority also have such responsibilities.)

The coalition has asked Conservation Ontario and the NVCA to make brief presentations in the first hour of the session (10 to 11 a.m.), in particular to explain the role of CAs as follows:

1. Explain the mandate of the CAs, including their role in the planning act.

2. Describe the CA role in providing advice to municipalities.

3. Describe the role of the CAs in source water protection and in planning

Then the NVCA will be asked to comment on the practical issues associated with carrying out these roles in the municipalities within their watershed. Representatives of the conservation authorities will join the panel to comment further and answer questions from the floor.

The citizen group has invited the mayors and councillors of Mono and Mulmur to join in so they can engage in discussion with the panelists and others in the audience on these questions as well as on any other issues relevant to the roles of conservation authorities.

There is no charge to coalition members but nonmembers will be charged $5 toward the cost of renting the hall.