CAO Reflections on 70 Years of Credit Valley Conservation 

By Quentin Hanchard, Chief Administrative Officer 

A Milestone Year 

As the calendar year for Credit Valley Conservation’s (CVC) 70^th anniversary comes to a close, I feel extremely fortunate to have been part of this milestone and here for this stage of our organization’s journey. Seventy years is a long history and as an organization, we have come an amazing distance. 

The Conservation Authority Movement 

As I look back, we can see the ways in which CVC and the conservation authority movement has changed and evolved. Through all of this, we have retained a strong commitment to our core work. And interestingly, each conservation authority in the Province has evolved in slightly different ways, to reflect the needs of the funding partners and communities, as well as the changes in funding for conservation authorities.   

Over the years, I have heard many former conservation authority leaders say that Hurricane Hazel fundamentally altered the conservation authority agenda. And I think that is absolutely true. The Conservation Authorities Act was proclaimed in 1946 and Hurricane Hazel was in 1954, the same year that CVC was formed. In 1946, when the legislation was enacted, concerns around the state of Ontario’s natural resources were being raised and watershed-based natural resource management was the primary driver.   

The Power of Partnerships 

Like confederation in Canada, where not all the provinces joined confederation at the same time, conservation authorities were also not all created at once. The legislation in 1946 allowed them to be created, but it took drive from the community, municipal partners and interest groups to demonstrate the need for the conservation authority.  

Conservation authorities were always envisioned as being a partnership between the local municipalities and the Province of Ontario, which is why a vote of all of the participating municipalities is required to form a new one. Historically, the province was an equal partner in funding conservation authorities. And while the province is still a critical partner for conservation authorities, the funding model changed in the 1990s when provincial funding was drastically reduced and conservation authorities had to shift focus to partner more closely with our member municipalities.  

So, it’s not surprising that there is no one template of what a conservation authority is, or the services that it provides. Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities are diverse and respond to local interest and needs within the community. These needs change over time and the conservation authority movement, CVC included, has also changed with it. 

Serving our Communities 

Our world has changed a lot over the past 70 years. Conservation authorities have remained relevant and are key local partners that have evolved with the communities we serve. Credit Valley Conservation is advancing work in six critical areas:  

1. Leading Environmental Science: We are environmental science leaders in the Credit River Watershed and share our knowledge and expertise.  
2. Resilient and Effective Watershed-based Planning: We work to protect residents from natural hazards through our planning and regulatory responsibilities and our flood forecasting and warning services. 
3. Enduring Ecosystems: We’re making on-the-ground change through restoration and stewardship to foster environmental resilience.  
4. Nature-rich Parks and Greenspaces: We’re growing our network of parks and welcome more than a million visitors every year.
5. Active and Involved Communities: We continue to build on our engaged network to connect people and communities to nature. 
6. Future-ready: We’re anticipating future changes and preparing our organization for emerging opportunities. 

Watershed-based Model 

After 70 years, the watershed-based model is still the envy of many areas of Canada and the world. I am both proud of this and at the same time incredulous to the fact that this amazing model has not been implemented elsewhere. And fortunately for us, the approach does not need to be each watershed for itself – we are not alone in the journey. We are part of a conservation authority network that supports each other. And I see such great opportunities for building upon and further enhancing our partnerships and collaboration. 

As I look to our next 70 years, without a doubt, we have many challenging times yet to come. But I am confident, that with our dedicated, talented and tenacious staff, we will not only continue to be extremely relevant as an agency, but that we will continue to be a model of what dedicated staff and committed municipalities can do when we work together.