Environment committee  Yes, it is.

Environment committee  Within the conservation authorities in Ontario, we have an umbrella body, so we do share information that way, and we have a big annual conference in Ontario. I think that maybe the concept of watershed-based partnerships or institutions like this is more recent in some of the ot

Environment committee  There were two big examples we were thinking about when we did that. I think they were just on the borderline of connection here with urban conservation, but I think one could take it a step further. As an example, we were looking at restoration activities in the Grand River it

Environment committee  We have a culture of collaboration. It has developed over the last 40 years, I would say. Right now we are working with the provincial and federal agencies and the municipalities on a water management plan, which is all around waste water, water supply infrastructure, and that

Environment committee  It actually was a turning point for the river in terms of the community's recognition of it as an asset. It really was a sewer in its old day, and up through the 1980s, even as the quality improved, people still perceived it that way. The designation really rallied the communitie

Environment committee  Just from a social perspective, people need to know them to value them. With so many people living in urban areas these days, if we want natural spaces to be valued, then people have to be able to get to them and they have to be there for them in the first place. That's a pretty

Environment committee  In terms of conservation and restoration—

Environment committee  Wetlands in Ontario are set aside from development, although we can get isolated pockets. We have been partnering with a large number of groups, including the Eastern Joint Habitat Venture, Ministry of Natural Resources in Ontario, and the habitat stewardship program, in order

Environment committee  We have several. Right now Environment Canada is working very closely with us on the water management plan, because we're looking not only at improving the water quality in the Grand but also its impact on Lake Erie. That's one of the things, and we've been working on that for

Environment committee  Yes, they absolutely do.

Environment committee  I have to admit that setting the flood plains aside from development about 50 years ago after Hurricane Hazel—Hurricane Sandy is on its way—left us with a legacy of a natural river corridor connecting the cities through the watershed, but looking ahead, we are working now on a Gr

Environment committee  Absolutely. Our municipal partnership and their group partnership with others is very strong in the watershed. It really has been the key to success.

Environment committee  The conservation authority exists as an institution. Its funding structure and those sorts of things are all set up under the Conservation Authorities Act in Ontario, so it is a sustained institution, so to speak. However, I would say that we are not doing all the collaborative w

Environment committee  Good afternoon. I'm Lorrie Minshall, the water management plan director with the Grand River Conservation Authority. I'm here on behalf of Joe Farwell, our chief administrative officer, who is currently on vacation. I am pleased to have this opportunity to provide input on ur