At the November 26, 2025 Board Meeting, the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority (LRCA) Board of Directors passed a resolution OPPOSING the Province’s proposed “Huron-Superior Regional Conservation Authority” boundary configuration as outlined in Environmental Registry Notice 025-1257, which proposes to consolidate the LRCA into a region 1,500 kilometres from the Lakehead Watershed with 72 other southern Ontario municipalities. The resolution also recommends that the LRCA form a stand alone independent Regional Conservation Authority, as the “Northwestern Ontario Regional Conservation Authority” to ensure that the interests of Northwestern Ontario are equitably represented. Additionally, the Board is also requesting that the Ministry engage directly with affected municipalities of the LRCA before finalizing any consolidation boundaries.
“While the Board of Directors of the LRCA acknowledges the Province’s goals in amalgamating conservation authorities, we strongly believe that the LRCA is unique in both its location and the region that it serves and therefore should not be amalgamated with conservation authorities with no watershed or municipal connection,” says LRCA Chair Donna Blunt. “The LRCA has over 70 years of experience representing the local watershed, and I am confident in its ability to continue to serve our watershed under the direction of the new Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency”.
“The dedicated staff of the LRCA are committed to continue to provide front-line services to our watershed residents utilizing our unique knowledge of northwestern Ontario,” says LRCA CAO Tammy Cook.
We encourage the public to review ERO posting 025-1257 and provide comments prior to the December 22, 2025 deadline, at the following link: https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/025-1257.
