Essex County Council is expressing concerns over the potential merge of conservation authorities.
Council met last week and asked to send a letter with their concerns over the change to the provincial government and to local MPP's.
Ontario Environment Minister Todd McCarthy announced plans at the end of October to amalgamate the province's conservation authorities - including the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA).
This change would consolidate Ontario's 36 conservation authorities into seven regional entities under Bill 68.
Minister McCarthy has said that no jobs would be lost as a result of this change, however the ERCA Board and now members of County Council have expressed concerns over what this could mean for developments in the region on lands that may not be able to handle it.
Tecumseh mayor and County Council member Gary McNamara says there is concern from the local level.
"We feel here that there has been some issues, or some problems somewhere in the province, and so forth, and that's where they should be paying more attention and not eliminating our local representation."
He says the county has to approve subdivision approvals throughout the individual municipalities with input from ERCA... which already takes weeks.
"It takes time, and so imagine looking at our new geographical area that we're going to be looking at, as far away as Guelph, and everything in between... how much longer is it going to take to get subdivision approvals?"
McNamara says the county is trying to raise more awareness to allow for more dialogue with the province.
"If there are issues or problems somewhere, okay... fix that. We understand that. If it ain't broke in certain areas, don't fix it. So, the fear for us is timely agreements coming for subdivisions, also what is the impact to the levy's to our communities."
The province plans to introduce legislation to establish a new provincial agency which would oversee this amalgamation, and also consult on the proposed boundaries of the new regional authorities.
The new structure is expected to roll out between late 2026 and into 2027.
ERCA is responsible for managing natural resources and protecting the environment in the Essex region, primarily by overseeing land use development, managing floodplains, preserving wetlands, and promoting conservation efforts within their watershed area.