Conservation Authorities Act
Below is information about Ontario's Conservation Authorities Act (CA Act), associated regulations, and some NVCA documents about the
Act and its implementation in our watershed area.
Visit this link for current Bill 23 impacts to NVCA.
Conservation Authorities Act – Regulations
In October, 2021, the Province of Ontario released Phase 1 regulations designed to implement amendments to the
CA Act.
The regulations will now give conservation authorities until January 1, 2024, to complete the transition to a new budgetary framework with their municipalities. These extended timelines will provide sufficient time for conservation authorities to prepare a transition plan, finalize an inventory of programs and services, and enter into Memorandums of Understanding and/or Agreements with their participating municipalities.
The following three new regulations have been made under the
CA Act:
Ontario Regulation 686/21: Mandatory Programs and Services:
Ontario Regulation 686/21 prescribes the mandatory programs and services conservation authorities would be required to provide, including core watershed-based resource management strategies.
This regulation requires conservation authority activities be positioned into three categories:
- Category 1: Mandatory programs and services (defined in regulation; where municipal levy could be used without any agreement)
Category 2: Municipal programs and services provided at the request of a municipality (with municipal funding through an MOU/agreement)
Category 3: Other programs and services an authority determines are advisable (use of municipal levy requires an MOU/agreement with participating municipalities)
Download the NVCA's Inventory of Programs and Services
Download this reference document for more information about CA how conservation authority programs and services are required to be classified based on categories of programs and services under the CA Act and its regulations.
Please refer to the 2021 NVCA Annual Report to learn more about NVCA's work.
Inquiries about the inventory may be directed to
Doug Hevenor, CAO of NVCA
Phase 2 Regulations and Minister's Fee Policy
The Phase 2 Regulations and the Minister’s fee policy, as listed below, were finalized under the
CA Act in April 2022:
Requirements to increase transparency of conservation authority operations and those related to fees that conservation authorities may charge will be in place by January 1, 2023, while those related to budget and municipal levy apportionment processes will be in place by July 1, 2023, to align timing with conservation authority 2024 budgets.
These regulations and policy are part of the transition process of conservation authorities to the new funding framework and three categories of programs and services that were established by recent amendments to the
Act and first phase of regulations, by January 1, 2024.
Conservation authorities must develop a written fee policy and fee schedule for all chargeable programs and services. The policy and fee must include principles and practices regarding fees charged under un-proclaimed provisions of Section 21.2 of the
CA Act.
Download NVCA's Fee Policy and Fee Schedules Here
Ontario Regulation 687/21: Transition Plans and Agreements for Programs and Services Under Section 21.1.2 of the Act:
Ontario Regulation 687/21 requires each authority to have a ‘transition plan’ that would outline the steps to be taken to develop an inventory of programs and services and to enter into agreements with participating municipalities to fund non-mandatory programs and services through a municipal levy, among other things. It also establishes the transition period to enter into those agreements.
This document lists all the programs and services the authority is providing as of February 28, 2022, and intends to provide after February 28, 2022.
The current inventory has been developed with financial information from past years’ actuals, current budget and five-year financial forecast. This document provides very brief descriptions.
Download the NVCA's approved Transition Plan (approved the NVCA's Board of Directors on November 26, 2021
Download NVCA's Transition Plan Timeline
Ontario Regulation 688/21: Rules of Conduct in Conservation Areas
Ontario Regulation 688/21 consolidates the current individual conservation authority ‘Conservation Area’ regulations made under Section 29 of the CA Act into one Minister’s regulation that regulates the public use of authority owned land.
The Province of Ontario is currently developing the Consultation Guide for Phase 2 regulations: municipal levy and conservation authority budget processes regulation; municipal levy regulation for specified municipalities under the Ontario
Clean Water Act,
2006 and
Lake Simcoe Protection Act; and classes of programs for which conservation authorities can charge fees. Once posted, there will be a period of time to submit comments to the Province of Ontario on the proposed Phase 2 regulations.
Additional information
Documents are available
in alternate formats upon request.
