To Premier Doug Ford, it would seem that conservation authorities are annoyances that just get in the way of the province’s land developers.

And so, it is full speed ahead with consolidating the current 36 authorities into nine regional authorities.

Under the original consolidation scheme, much of southwestern Ontario would have been lumped into the Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority, which would have covered watersheds draining into Lake Erie, including the Thames, Grand, and Sydenham systems, supporting agriculture, industry, and shoreline communities.

In November of last year, we spoke with Dusty Underhill, General Manager of the Catfish Creek Conservation Authority, who conceded the word ‘consolidation’ is certainly not music to his ears.