Front-line staff from the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) staged a public demonstration in Windsor on Friday, December 19, 2025, voicing strong opposition to the provincial government's controversial plan to consolidate Ontario's network of conservation authorities.
Protest Targets Local MPP's Office
Approximately 20 employees, who are also members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3784, gathered outside the constituency office of Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie. The workers, representing the front-line environmental staff of ERCA, waved signs with messages like 'Local Issues Need Local Solutions' and 'Keep our Money in Our Watershed' at passing traffic on Tecumseh Road East.
The rally was a direct response to the recent passage of Bill 68, provincial legislation that mandates the amalgamation of Ontario's 36 individual conservation authorities into just seven larger regional bodies. The protestors called on MPP Dowie, a member of the governing Progressive Conservative party, to publicly denounce the consolidation plan.
Concerns Over Loss of Local Expertise
Under the proposed restructuring, the Essex Region Conservation Authority—which serves the Windsor, Essex, and Pelee Island region—would be dissolved. Its responsibilities would be absorbed into a new, vastly larger entity called the Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority.
This new authority's jurisdiction would stretch across parts of southwestern Ontario, extending north toward the Waterloo region. Protestors and critics argue that this dramatic geographic expansion comes at a high cost.
The ERCA staff and their union warn that the move will fundamentally undermine environmental stewardship. Their primary concerns include:
- Erosion of local decision-making on environmental issues specific to the Windsor-Essex watershed.
- Elimination of critical, place-based expertise that staff have developed over decades of working on local ecosystems.
- A significant weakening of long-term environmental protection for the region's natural spaces, water resources, and wildlife habitats.
Part of a Broader Provincial Backlash
The demonstration in Windsor echoes wider criticism heard across Ontario. The Ford government's amalgamation plan has been met with resistance from numerous municipal leaders and conservation professionals who fear the loss of localized service and accountability.
The workers at the rally emphasized that conservation challenges are inherently local, requiring solutions tailored to specific watersheds and ecological zones. They contend that merging authorities into massive regional bureaucracies will distance management from the communities and landscapes they are meant to protect.
The protest outside MPP Dowie's office marks a significant local mobilization against the provincial policy, highlighting the deep concerns of the professionals tasked with safeguarding southern Ontario's environment.
