ERCA merges into a new regional conservation authority Feb. 1: what it means for Windsor-Essex
ERCA merges into the new Western Lake Erie conservation authority Feb. 1, 2027, as Ontario cuts 36 authorities to 9. The Province says flood and drinking water protections continue. ERCA warns local costs may rise. Comments close Dec. 6.
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Correction, Oct. 31, 2026: An earlier version of this story said "source water protection." We restored our original wording, "drinking water." No facts changed.
Ontario plans to amend the Conservation Authorities Act and the Clean Water Act, 2006, as it merges the province's 36 conservation authorities into nine regional ones on Feb. 1, 2027, according to a notice the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks posted on the Environmental Registry of Ontario on Oct. 22.
Locally, the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) will merge with the Upper Thames River, Lower Thames Valley and St. Clair Region conservation authorities to form the Western Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority, ERCA says.
What the Province says the changes do
The ministry says the planned amendments would keep protections from natural hazards such as flooding and protections for sources of drinking water under the new regional framework. They would set rules for how the regional authorities are governed, confirm which municipalities belong to each one, and let the Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency coordinate the merger.
Under the Clean Water Act changes, existing source protection areas and plans would stay in place. ERCA says the current 19 source protection committees would continue until watershed councils are set up, and those councils would then take on some of their duties.
What it means for Windsor-Essex
Local control. Each regional authority must set up one or more watershed councils so that "watershed management continues to be informed by local knowledge, expertise and input," the ministry says. The rules for those councils have not been written yet; the Province is asking for early ideas on what they should look like. ERCA says the Province has said local offices and local staff expertise will be kept.
Levies. The Province asked every authority to pass a status quo 2027 budget before Dec. 31, 2026. ERCA said its 2027 budget does not include merger costs, and ERCA has warned its municipalities "may experience greater upward adjustment as costs are harmonized within a consolidated WLERCA model with a higher blended cost base." Starting with 2028, the levy moves from lower-tier towns to upper-tier and single-tier governments, so Essex County and the City of Windsor would pay instead of the seven county municipalities, according to the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority's June 2026 update.
Planning and permits. Existing permits, enforcement actions and agreements transfer automatically to the new authority, ERCA says. The Province says it wants to modernize permitting across the regions.
How to comment
The Province is taking comments on its regulatory proposals under the Conservation Authorities Act, the Clean Water Act and the Lake Simcoe Protection Act until Dec. 6, 2026. Comments can go through the Environmental Registry notices linked from ERO notice 026-1069 or by email to ca.office@ontario.ca. The ministry is holding an online information session on Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., ERCA says.
