KIM BURTON-SCHRAM
Local journalism initiative reporter
The municipal portion of the Raisin Region Conservation Authority’s budget will increase by about $52,000 in 2026.
Member municipalities will be expected to pay $1,019,410, an increase of $51,815, RRCA General Manager Alison McDonald told North Glengarry council at a recent meeting.
The total operating budget of $4,311,515 would also be funded by the following: Provincial $623,203.71; Federal $441,980.62; Authority Generated $1,195,524.86; Partners $906,395.34; 2025 Carry-forward $125,000.
RRCA’s capital budget project is $273,000, funded through $94,500 in reserves, $65,000 by the province and $114,000 by the municipal levy.
The RRCA will be hiring SDG Counties’ IT Services for $30,000 in 2026, which will help bring the authority under the local umbrella of the Counties, with everyone using the same computer systems. In addition, the RRCA has applied for $360,000 from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and $120,000 from Environment and Climate Change Canada. These grants would be put towards developing and enhancing the Lakeview Marsh in South Stormont. Currently, the Lakeview Marsh has a small network of trails that the RRCA hopes to develop into a conservation area similar to Cooper’s Marsh.
The provincial government’s amalgamation of the 36 conservation authorities worries municipal councillors, who are concerned that rural parts of Ontario with large expanses of conservation area and wetlands, close to 23,000 acres in SDG, may not receive the needed support and attention without local conservation authorities.
The provincial government only funds a small portion of the conservation authorities, with local municipalities funding between 25-50 percent.
North Glengarry Deputy Mayor Carma Williams says she will raise the merger issue at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference in January.
L’article Townships to pay $51,000 more for Raisin Region Conservation budget est apparu en premier sur Cornwall Seaway News.
