CONSERVATION AUTHORITIES 

 BRANCH 



ESTABLISHED in 1944 as a part of the Department of Planning and Develop- 

 ment, the Conservation Authorities Branch was transferred to the Department 

 of Lands and Forests on January 1, 1962. 



The Conservation Authorities Branch is concerned with the administration 

 of The Conservation Authorities Act (1946). Under this Act, Conservation 

 Authorities may be estabhshed on a watershed or group of adjacent watersheds in 

 Ontario. The Branch advises municipalities on the organization of Conservation 

 Authorities and directs and assists these Authorities in the carrying out of con- 

 servation projects within their watersheds. The Branch is also concerned with the 

 administration of The Grand River Conservation Act of 1938 and The Parks 

 Assistance Act of 1960. 



Conservation Authorities are autonomous and corporate bodies. They involve 

 the concept of local responsibility for the development and management of the 

 renewable resources of the watershed. Authorities have the power under the Act 

 to undertake programs in all fields of conservation. The initiative to form a 

 Conservation Authority must come from the municipal level. Once formed, the 

 responsibility to carry out programs remains essentially within the Authority. It is 

 only when government financial assistance is requested that the Branch examines 

 proposed plans and projects to ascertain if provincial funds are to be wisely 

 expended. 



CONSERVATION AUTHORITIES 



On March 31, 1964, 32 Conservation Authorities were in existence. These 

 Authorities encompass a total area of 21,952 square miles. They include 468 

 municipalities and have a total of 747 members. 



Two new Authorities were formed during the year. One was enlarged and 

 two were joined together to form one. In October 1963, the Raisin River 

 Conservation Authority (208 square miles) was formed in Eastern Ontario. In 

 November, municipalities in the Sault Ste. Marie area formed the 83-square mile 

 Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority. In August, the Twelve Mile 

 Creek Conservation Authority was enlarged to take in the smaller watersheds 

 between it and the Spencer Creek Authority. In December, the Twelve Mile Creek 

 and the Sixteen Mile Creek Conservation Authorities voted to merge. The new 

 Authority is called the Halton Region Conservation Authority. 



Conservation Surveys and Reports 



Newly established Conservation Authorities are usually not in a position to 

 identify their conservation problems. It has been the policy of the Branch to carry 

 out certain preliminary surveys of the watersheds of these new Authorities. 

 Information gathered in these surveys is the basis of a conservation report to the 



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