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Orangeville council joins CVC in opposing province’s proposal for amalgamation

January 29, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

Credit Valley watershed growth brings opportunities to communities, but also increases pressure on green spaces.

Terri Leroux, the CAO at Credit Valley Conservation Authority (CVC), said during Orangeville council’s Jan. 26 meeting that the group wants to preserve a local voice against amalgamation to best address watershed concerns and opposed the consolidation of authorities.

The provincial government has a plan to create the Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency, which will consolidate regional watershed conservation agencies into seven entities from 36.

“Orangeville does not want to get lost in this consolidation,” Councillor Joe Andrews said. “I think our voice needs to be heard.”

Larger centres with louder voices south of Orangeville may render smaller northern voices to whispers.

Leroux said the CVC opposes such a move to ensure local issues aren’t washed out by those of larger centres.

“Across our watershed in all programming areas, we’re responding to three major trends: accelerating climate impacts, increasing natural hazard risks, and population growth and demand for green space,” she said.

The authority anticipates “wilder, wetter, and less predictable” conditions in the coming years. These include intense storms, flooding, and heat waves, and their impacts on people in the watershed.

Intensifying weather events are increasing such risks across the watershed, including floods, erosion, ice-jam hazards, and the havoc the fallout from those events will have on municipal infrastructure.

The CVC’s budget this year contains measures to enhance real-time flood forecasting and ice-jam prediction. Flood plain maps will also be updated and modernized.

“We give municipalities the tools to protect residents,” Leroux said.

In 2026, the CVC will accelerate land acquisition and implement an invasive species strategy and a sustainable forest management plan.

For Orangeville specifically, Leroux said the CVC will update Mill Creek and Monora Creek floodplain mapping. A multi-risk flood analysis of municipal properties will be undertaken to support emergency preparedness.

“This gives the town a clearer picture of which assets are most vulnerable,” she said. “And where proactive investment will have the most impact.”

The CVC will investigate how groundwater issues contribute to the risk of basement flooding. And water quality impact assessment data will be provided to the town to support wastewater treatment requirements.

Other plans for the year touch on drinking water issues, monitoring restoration on private lands, hazard tree management at Island Lake Conservation Area, and public engagement by way of community stewardship events.

The municipal general levy for Orangeville, the town’s contribution to the CVC’s budget this year, will increase by about two per cent or a little more than $5,000 over last year’s contribution.

Deputy Mayor Todd Taylor said he was critical of the CVC last year. But he acknowledged the “great strides” the organization has made over the last few months.

Coun. Tess Prendergast said money received from the municipal levy can’t be used for programs at Island Lake. Rather, it has to go toward practical initiatives like floodplain work and such.

That leaves revenue from public admissions and parking fees that can support recreational pursuits.

“If we’re looking to increase services at Island Lake, I think we need to start going through the main gate,” she said.

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