Welland – MPP Jeff Burch confirmed today that the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authorities' attempted use of an outdated Order In Council from 1994 to oversee new appointments is not valid.
An official from the Ministry of Natural Resources stated in an email to the MPP’s office that the power to appoint and replace members of an authority now supersedes any direction provided within a previous Order in Council, or other past process governing the appointment of authority members.
The statement outlined that the Order in Council in question was made under a previous version of the Conservation Authorities Act that has since been revoked. New provisions of the act have come into force that provide participating municipalities with the clear authority to appoint and replace members. The Conservation Authorities Act was amended in 2017.
Burch says “It’s time for defeated Fort Erie Councilor Sandy Annunziata and the rest of the board to step down and allow the individual municipalities to make their appointments to the NPCA Board as set out in the Conservation Authorities Act.”
He believes that due to this statement from the Ministry, the NPCA needs to tell the taxpayers of Niagara just how much it cost them for this legal opinion that has been proven incorrect.
“I hope this outgoing board apologizes to the people of Niagara for once again dragging a previously respected Conservation Authority through the mud with this desperate last grab at power.