Contact(s)
The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) manages water and other resources on behalf of close to one million people and 38 municipalities in the Grand River watershed.
The GRCA is the oldest water management agency in Canada and one of the oldest in the world.
The GRCA is a member of Conservation Ontario, an organization representing all 36 Conservation Authorities in the province.
Board of Directors Meetings, Management and Governing By-laws |
Board of DirectorsA 26-member board of directors oversees the policies, programs and budgets of the GRCA. Municipalities appoint the members of the board. Many appointees are also municipal councillors while some are citizen appointees. The board has adopted mission, vision and values statements. The GRCA Strategic Plan was approved in 2018. Under the Clean Water Act, the members of the GRCA board also serve as members of the Grand River Source Protection Authority (GRSPA). GRSPA meetings are held when required to carry out duties associated with drinking water source protection. More information is available on the website of the Lake Erie Source Protection Region. Agendas, reports, minutes and live-stream webcastThe live-stream meetings, board agendas, reports and minutes are available on our board meeting webpage. The board meets monthly, usually on the fourth Friday of the month. ManagementThe operations of the GRCA are overseen by Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Samantha Lawson and supported by Karen Armstrong, Deputy CAO and Secretary-Treasurer. Department managers report to the CAO and Deputy CAO. The GRCA has about 140 full-time employees. Most of them work in the Administration Centre at 400 Clyde Rd., Cambridge. Others work at conservation areas and nature centres throughout the watershed. Visit the Contact Us page for more information. |
Municipal Agreements |
Municipal Memorandums of Understanding will be linked here upon completion. Existing Memorandas are provided in our Inventory of Programs and Services. |
Legislation, regulations and GRCA by-law |
The GRCA is governed by the Conservation Authorities Act and provincial regulations:
On October 4, 2021 the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) released the Phase 1 regulations to implement amendments to the Conservation Authorities Act made in 2019/2020. These regulations include:
You can find information and requirements related to our transtion plan on our Conservation Authorities Act – Regulation 687/21 page. To implement recent amendments to the Conservation Authorities Act, the following regulations and a policy, as listed below, have been finalized under the Act:
On December 28, 2022, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry provided a letter (101KB PDF) outlining legislative and regulation changes affecting conservation authorities, and issued the Minister's direction (204KB PDF) regarding fee changes associated with planning, development and permitting fees. Our 2023 fee schedules are available under GRCA Fee Policy and Schedules. |
Budget and Financial Statements |
The GRCA budget is approved by the board at the Annual General Meeting, held the fourth Friday in February. Financial statements are reviewed every year by independent auditors. |
Strategic Plan |
Our Strategic Plan serves as our guide to enhance and build on our programs and services. |
GRCA Fee Policy and Schedules |
In accordance with the Conservation Authorities Act section 21.2, the GRCA has developed a Fee Policy (237KB PDF) to be implemented January 1, 2023, which includes the following fee schedules for programs and services as approved by the Minister:
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