Blake Ellis/The Independent

The pending amalgamation of all conservation authorities in Ontario hung in the air as the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority held what could be its last annual general meeting.

Ontario’s Bill 68, the Plan to Protect Ontario Act moved to create the new Ontario Provincial Agency, to oversee and potentially consolidate the existing 36 conservation authorities into seven. Bill 68 received royal assent on Nov. 27.

“I know we are in some uncertain waters, but hopefully we pull through this for the betterment of the organization,” said Lambton County Warden Kevin Marriott, in his remarks.

Newbury Mayor Dianne Brewer was more blunt about the plan. “Our council is fully behind not having amalgamation for these organizations because the service you people give us is way beyond what we will ever get if we have to amalgamate down to seven,” said Brewer. “That will leave us hardly with a voice so I hope everybody keeps fighting this and goes to your MPPs and keep after them so we can keep it like it is.”

St. Clair Conservation Board Chair Greg Grimes confirmed Brewer’s remarks reflects the message the organization and the board is hearing at the municipal level.

“We have nothing,” said St. Clair Conservation Authority General Manager Ken Philips, about the kind of solid information that the organization has about what happens next.

There are a lot of rumours at this point, but Phillips hopes to have more information when the Ontario Legislature returns in March. He hopes to know more about the final boundary and legislative adjustments by the end of March.

“There just is a lot of stuff circulating around. I just want to emphasize, we don’t know what is true,” said Phillips. At this point, he has had conversations with staff at the County of Lambton, just because he feels these changes will impact the county the most.