The St. Clair Region Conservation Authority (SCRCA) held its 2025 Annual General Meeting on Wednesday in Watford at the East Lambton Community Complex. Prior to the business portion of the meeting, Authority Chair, Pat Brown reflected on the Authority’s achievements over the past year.

“The SCRCA had many successes in 2024,” said Brown, “I have had the pleasure of being the Chair of this organization for the past two years, and I am impressed with the continued commitment and dedication of our staff and Board in the implementation of services and programs that enhance the environmental health of our watershed and benefit our local communities.”

The meeting included a special presentation by Angela Coleman, the General Manager of Conservation Ontario. During her remarks, Ms. Coleman provided an overview of Conservation Ontario and highlighted the role of collaborations in driving the current and future success of conservation initiatives throughout the Province of Ontario.

The annual meeting also marked the release of the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority’s 2024 Annual Report which highlighted the work the Authority staff and Board completed over the last year. Of note in 2024, the Authority:

• • • Continued to meet the legislative requirements prescribed under new regulations issued through the Conservation Authorities Act by releasing a Conservation Lands Strategy and Watershed-based Resource Management Strategy. Both documents provide guidance, objectives, and direction for decision making as it pertains to Authority property, services, and programs.
    • Engaged over 12,000 students in conservation education throughout the watershed.
    • Continued to collaborate with the City of Sarnia and St. Clair Township to protect our shorelines from erosion with the addition of 600 metres of armour stone revetments along the St. Clair River and Lake Huron shorelines.
    • Planted over 71,000 trees and implemented 76 stewardship projects throughout the region.
    • Supported safe and resilient development throughout the watershed by issuing over 300 permits and providing comments on close to 200 Planning Act applications.
    • Completed trail and playground improvements at Wawanosh Wetland and Warwick Conservation areas thanks to a donation of over $172,000 from the Judith and Norman Alix Foundation. This included the installation of the SCRCA’s first natural playground at Warwick Conservation Area.
    • And lastly, thanks to a historical investment of almost $8 million dollars over four years by the Canada Water Agency, the Authority launched the Sydenham Phosphorus Reduction Initiative (SPRI) which will aim to reduce the loading of phosphorus into the Sydenham River, and ultimately, Lake Erie in an effort to fight against algal blooms.

Conservation Awards were presented during the meeting to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of community members and organizations to the health of the St. Clair Region.

Bkejwanong Eco-Keepers
Bkejwanong Eco-Keepers (BEK) is an environmental and conservation initiative operated by the Walpole Island First Nation Heritage Centre/Nin.da.waab.jig. The program is open to the youth of Walpole Island First Nation to thrive and reclaim their Anishinaabe roles as caretakers of the earth.

The program provides opportunities for youth to engage in cultural and environmental programs which helps them learn about their cultural heritage and empowers them to promote positive change and relationships within the Walpole Island community and beyond.

Through the partnership established between the SCRCA and the Healthy Headwaters Lab at the University of Windsor, Authority staff have had the opportunity to engage with the youth participating in the BEK program. Hands-on, days in the field have been organized to introduce participants to the different techniques and protocols implemented by the SCRCA to monitor aquatic health. More importantly, the engagement with BEK youth provided the opportunity to exchange western and Indigenous knowledge, helping to further build the Authority’s relationship with the Bkejwanong community in our commitment towards Truth and Reconciliation.

Plains Midstream Canada
Since 2019, Plains Midstream Canada (PMC) has provided financial support to the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority’s Conservation Education Program to deliver the Spring Water Awareness Program (SWAP) at schools throughout the watershed.

Delivered annually in the spring, the SWAP program teaches students about the potentially dangerous conditions associated with streams and rivers during the spring and provides them with safety guidelines. The program focuses on hazards associated with cold, deep, and fast-flowing waters and engages students through age-appropriate and curriculum-connected experiments, activities, and games. Since 2019, PMC has provided $35,000 to allow the SCRCA to deliver this important program free-of-charge to over 5,500 students.

In addition to PMC’s financial support, every year PMC staff have participated in the school sessions and during the COVID-19 pandemic, supported the SCRCA’s need to shift to online and schoolyard delivery of the program without hesitation.

The funding provided by PMC helps remove financial barriers that schools may be experiencing and allows the SCRCA to reach students with important health and safety messages like those discussed during the SWAP program.

Elections were held for the 2025 positions of Authority Chair and Vice-chair. Greg Grimes, representing the Village of Point Edward was elected Chair of the SCRCA while Kristen Rodrigues, who represents the Town of Plympton-Wyoming was elected Vice-Chair.