The Ontario government plans to introduce legislation that would overhaul the province’s conservation authority system, creating a new centralized body aimed at speeding up housing and infrastructure approvals while standardizing watershed management across Ontario.
The proposed Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency (OPCA) would oversee the province’s 36 conservation authorities, which currently operate independently with varying policies, staffing levels, fees, and permitting timelines. The government argues that this fragmentation has created delays and uncertainty for municipalities, builders, landowners and farmers seeking development permits.
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