Conservation Authorities Act

The Conservation Authorities Act (French: Loi sur les offices de protection de la nature) was created by the Ontario Provincial Legislature in 1946 to ensure the conservation, restoration and responsible management of hydrological features through programs that balance human, environmental and economic needs.

In 1941, conservationists from across the province met in Guelph to address the extensive damage to southern Ontario's environment.

Over the next four decades, the Ganaraska watershed became one of the largest forested areas of southern Ontario with two million trees planted.

[1] In 2019, the Government of Ontario passed amendments to the act, defining each conservation authority's required functions: 1.

[2] At the same time that the amendments were introduced into the Legislative Assembly, the Government cut its funding to conservation authorities for flood control from CA$7.4 million per year by half, wanting the authorities to focus on "core" activities.