SVCA providing additional level of accountability through public feedback

The Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority (SVCA) will be providing an additional level of accountability to its Environmental Planning and Regulations department by allowing applicants and customers to provide feedback and input.

 

Beginning Nov. 1, each applicant who applies to the SVCA for a permit(s) will receive the opportunity to participate in a questionnaire regarding the level of service.

“We feel it’s an excellent means of obtaining feedback about our overall performance” says SVCA board chairman Luke Charbonneau. “The Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority is very dedicated to providing the best service we can provide."

 

The questionnaire will not only be available to those applying for permits, but also to those making general inquiries. “We are making a genuine commitment to our watershed residents to provide a level of accountability that they are looking for,” says Charbonneau.

 

He reminds residents that one of the main objectives of the SVCA is the protection of loss of life, property damage and social disruption from flood and erosion processes. "That’s where we come in," he says. "It’s our job to ensure that people and their property are protected and kept away from potential hazards but we owe it to our watershed residents to be more customer-focused and responsible to the needs of our residents and our municipal partners.”

 

Indeed, history has shown that conservation authorities have done an excellent job of protecting Ontario residents and their properties. In reviewing storm events over the past number of years, damage has been minimal (in terms of human life and their property), in Ontario.

 

“This is only one of several initiatives the SVCA board will be committed to over the next year in providing a more acceptable level of accountability to those we serve,” says Charbonneau.