In response to increasing housing demand, conservation authority working to protect ‘what matters while helping communities grow safely and sustainably’
Public institutions rarely make headlines for getting things right. Quiet progress doesn’t shout its successes. But at the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority, something important is happening.
Over the past year, we’ve begun changing how we work. Faced with growing pressure from housing demand, economic development and climate change, our board, staff and new chief administrative officer made a conscious decision: to build a better, faster, more transparent conservation authority for developers, businesses and residents alike, one that protects what matters while helping communities grow safely and sustainably.
We’ve introduced e-permitting and digital workflows that now save 45 minutes of staff time per application. Our new triage system allows straightforward permits to move quickly so staff can focus on complex or high-risk files. New planning and engineering staff and peer reviewers have helped clear a long-standing backlog — set to be cleared by July 31.
These are important technical and process changes, but what matters most is the cultural shift they represent.
We’ve moved away from a mindset of gatekeeping. Our role isn’t to say “no.” It’s to bring science, experience and local insight to the table and help shape what responsible, safe, sustainable growth looks like. We’ve reframed our work around the idea that process is not the purpose — outcomes are.
And we’re not doing it alone. We’ve launched a working group with BILD, the Building Industry and Land Development Association, to foster better co-ordination and earlier collaboration. The goal is simple: fewer delays, fewer surprises and better results for the communities we serve.
At the same time, our core mission continues. We remain a trusted partner in environmental education, stewardship, restoration, and watershed science. That hasn’t changed — and won’t. But alongside that work, we’re now delivering faster, more predictable planning reviews, stronger relationships with our member municipalities and a renewed commitment to customer service.
This transformation is the result of deliberate leadership from both our board and staff. It has meant making tough choices, investing where needed and listening to what our partners — municipalities, developers, businesses and residents — have been telling us.
There’s more to do. Timelines can always improve. Relationships can always deepen. But after a year of change, the results are beginning to speak for themselves. We’ve cleared a backlog of more than 100 files. Our customer satisfaction scores for planning and permitting rose from 68 per cent in 2022 to 73 per cent in 2023 to 90 per cent in 2024. And we’re now hitting our approval timelines more than 98 per cent of the time.
In doing so, we’ve built trust. And we’ve begun to show what it looks like when a conservation authority delivers both protection and progress.
We can build homes, new businesses, new factories — and protect nature. We can support growth and deliver environmental leadership. The Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority is proving it.
Jonathan Scott is chair of the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority and is a councillor in Bradford West Gwillimbury.