Ontario’s conservation authorities are governed by the Conservation Authorities Act which is administered by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP). The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) is responsible for conservation authorities’ activities related to natural hazard management.
The Conservation Authorities Act was originally enacted in 1946 as conservation authorities began to be established and has undergone amendments since that time.
Transition Plan
In accordance with Section 21.1.4 of the Conservation Authorities Act and Regulation 687/21
December 2021
1. Purpose
The passage of Regulation 687/21 “Transition Plans and Agreements for Programs and Services Under Section 21.1.2 of the Act” requires the development of Transition Plans by each Conservation Authority. The Transition Plans are to outline the process and timelines for the development of cost apportioning agreements with municipalities within their jurisdiction for non-mandated programs and services in order to meet the implementation deadline of January 1, 2024. The Credit Valley Conservation Authority (CVC) Transition Plan sets out the process and timelines for the development and execution of memorandum of understandings (MOUs)/agreements between CVC and our partner municipalities to fund program and services that are not deemed to be provincially mandatory core services to be funded by general levy.
2. Participating municipalities and apportionment
CVC has 7 participating municipalities of which Peel Region is the largest contributor due to watershed size and current value assessment (CVA). The lower tier municipalities within Peel also fund CVC directly under service level agreements but are captured under the Peel umbrella for purposes of budget.
| Municipality | % Apportionment 2022 CVA |
|---|---|
| Peel Region | 91.6492 |
| Halton Region | 5.1757 |
| Town of Orangeville | 2.3773 |
| Town of Erin | 0.6141 |
| Town of Mono | 0.1129 |
| Township of East Garafraxa | 0.0595 |
| Township of Amaranth | 0.0113 |
3. Transition Plan Requirements and Timeframe
3.1. Overview
The key components and deadlines for Transition Plan and Agreements Regulation (O.Reg. 687/21) are illustrated below. The purpose of the transition period is to provide conservation authorities and municipalities with the time to address changes to the budgeting and levy process based on the delivery of mandatory programs and services (Category 1), municipal programs and services (Category 2), and other programs and services (Category 3) and the need, in some cases, to reach agreements. Conservation authorities are required to develop a Transition Plan on or before December 31, 2021. There are two phases to the Transition period. The first phase is to develop and circulate an Inventory of Programs and Services. The second phase of the Transition Period includes developing and finalizing the conservation authority/municipal agreements in accordance with the regulations. These agreements must be complete by January 1, 2024. CVC will endeavour to co-ordinate with neighbouring conservation authorities to reduce workload on municipal staff and maintain consistency where possible.
Key Components and Deadlines for Transition Period
3.2. Phase 1 Transition Plan Timelines and Actions
| Timeline | Action | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Summer 2021 | Meetings held with all participating municipalities to discuss Act changes and pending regulations | Complete |
| Fall 2021 | Development of Transition Plan | Complete |
| December 10, 2021 | Shared Transition Plan with CVC Board | Complete |
| December 24, 2021 | Submission of Transition Plan to Ministry of Environment and Conservation and Parks (MECP) and CVC municipalities | Complete |
| December 24, 2021 | Post Transition Plan on CVCs website | Complete |
| October 2021 – February 2022 | Development of Inventory of Program and Services – identification of category classification, funding sources, annual cost. | Complete |
| October 2021 – February 2022 | Ongoing work to complete Inventory of Programs and services including co-ordination/consultation with adjacent CAs and municipal partners | Complete |
| February 18, 2022 | Presentation of Inventory of Program and Services to CVC Board | Complete |
| February 28, 2022 | Submit Inventory of Programs and Services and record of consultation to MECP and municipal partners | Complete |
3.3 Phase 2 of Transition Timelines and Actions
| Timeline | Action | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2021- June 2023 | Discussions with municipal staff teams, neighbouring CAs regarding timing, form, and content of MOUs/agreements, programs and services desired under Category 2 or 3 and budget | Ongoing |
| March 2022 – January 2023 | Drafts of MOUs/agreements with participating municipalities | To be completed |
| January 2023 – June 2023 | Final MOUs/agreements drafted for municipal approval | To be completed |
| July 2023 | Submission of draft budget for 2024 to Regions of Peel and Halton with MOU’s/SLAs CVC Board approval of 2024 preliminary levy submission | To be completed |
| July 1, 2022 | Submit Progress Report to MECP | Complete |
| October 1, 2022 | Submit Progress Report to MECP | Complete |
| January 1, 2023 | Submit Progress Report to MECP | To be completed |
| April 1, 2023 | Submit Progress Report to MECP | To be completed |
| July 1, 2023 | Submit Progress Report to MECP | To be completed |
| Fall, 2023 | Update Programs and Services Inventory | To be completed |
| October, 2023 | CVC Board endorsement of Funding MOU/agreement and 2024 levy submission | To be completed |
| October 1, 2023 | Submit Progress Report to MECP | To be completed |
| December, 2023 | Municipal partners Approval of 2024 MOU/agreements | To be completed |
| December 31, 2023 | Post Cost Apportionment Agreements to CVC Website | To be completed |
| January 31, 2024 | Submit final programs and services inventory and confirmation of MOU completion to participating municipalities and MECP | To be completed |