Seen from above, a housing subdivision buts up against a verdant green forest.

Ontario’s Conservation Authorities

In Ontario, the work of managing watersheds largely falls to a network of 36 independent non-profit agencies called conservation authorities. (Their name is often abbreviated to “C.A.”)

Unique to Ontario, conservation authorities were created in the 1940s in response to concerns about the environmental impact of a growing population. After the disastrous impact of Hurricane Hazel in 1954, conservation authorities took on the work of flood-mitigation efforts. 

Today, their mandate is “to protect people and property from flooding and other natural hazards and to conserve natural resources.” 

They accomplish this by regulating urban development to mitigate flood risk, owning and operating protected natural areas and promoting ecological restoration efforts, among other activities.

A map depicting the boundaries of Ontario's 36 conservation authorities as of 2021.
There are currently 36 conservation authorities in Ontario, each managing its own distinct watershed. The Doug Ford government plans to merge those authorities into nine regional conservation authorities instead. Maps: Conservation Ontario; Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks

Each conservation authority is responsible for managing its own distinct region, and their boundaries generally line up with watershed boundaries. Most of the funding for conservation authorities comes from the municipal governments within their respective watersheds.

What changes is Ford making to Ontario’s conservation authorities?

Due in part to their role in regulating urban development, conservation authorities have come under fire in recent years as Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government has sought to speed up housing construction in the province. 

Increasingly, decision-making powers that once belonged to conservation authorities are being given to elected politicians instead. Starting in 2025, the Ford government gave itself veto power over the decisions of conservation authorities and later put forward a proposal to consolidate the province’s 36 conservation authorities into just nine agencies.

According to the Ontario government, the province’s population is expected to grow to 20.5 million people by 2051 — up from 16.1 million in 2024. In other words, the environmental pressures caused by population growth that gave rise to conservation authorities in the 1940s are likely to persist over the coming decades. 

That’s why The Narwhal will continue to cover conservation authorities in Ontario — and the Doug Ford government’s efforts to reshape how they function. You can read our coverage below.