Other people may have something to add, but actually conservation authorities are funded primarily at the lower tier, usually by municipalities. I don't know, but perhaps Dr. Bruce might know, whether the Province of Ontario actually funds it.
The funding that comes in through COA-type funding is very important for conservation authorities, as it has been in our area and also for the River Institute and its work. The size of the municipality obviously makes a big difference with respect to the complexity of problems, so certainly the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority is known to be the flagship conservation authority. It is really quite integrated and quite evolved with respect to the abilities that they contain. As you go out, for example, Cornwall, which is essentially an area where they have a regional conservation authority, it is an office of about eight people, just to contrast that.