Our Changing Coast

Coastal risks are created when coastal hazards such as flooding and erosion affect people, property, buildings, sensitive habitats, cultural sites, infrastructure, or other valued things. Risks can vary from place to place, even along the same coastline. We also expect that risks will change over time, through sea level rise and more intense storm effects under climate change. By understanding where risk is present, and how it might change over time, we can start to plan proactively on how to prepare and respond. This will help us make better decisions about where to build and what to do to protect our communities and our environment.

One of the most important places to start is to understand how people living in the RDN are experiencing coastal risks, what they value and want to protect along our coastlines, and any questions they might have on the topic. As an initial first step, we conducted a Coastal Risk Survey in the fall of 2024 for residents to share their experiences and help us better understand their perceptions, concerns and questions related to coastal risk in the RDN. The results will help us develop a communications and engagement approach that supports continued conversations about coastal risks in our area and helps us connect residents with the information they have told us they would like to have.

Coastal Risk Survey Highlights

For the complete summary of What We Heard, view the Coastal Risk Survey Engagement Summary Report here.

The conversations about Our Changing Coast have only just begun. There will be more opportunities to share your experiences, ideas and points of view as this work progresses.

To be kept up to date on the progress of the Our Changing Coast initiative through direct email, you can subscribe by clicking the Stay Informed tab.

Understanding Coastal Risks - Technical Work

The Our Changing Coast initiative will also help improve our understanding of Coastal Risk through two technical studies:

A Coastal Flood Risk Assessment will help us better understand where areas important to the community (e.g., infrastructure, homes, essential services, parks, etc.) have the highest exposure to coastal hazards, and how this may evolve with climate change. Part of this work involves taking time to hear from our community members and understand what is important to them.

An Erosion Hazard Assessment will help us understand where the shoreline is increasing or decreasing, and by how much.

Together, this technical work will help us identify risk hot spots, understand what is at risk in those areas, and give us some of the information needed to figure out how best to prepare and respond.

Understanding how to prepare and respond

Impacts of climate change on coastlines can occur quickly through intense storm and erosion events, and more slowly through sea level rise that happens over decades. In coastal areas, solutions are often expensive, involve more than one jurisdiction, and can have unexpected impacts on other values, like fish and shoreline habitats. The results of this information coupled with sound collaboration and engagement will inform the co-development of a Coastal Climate Adaptation Strategy for the region at the end of the four-year program.

The Strategy would include the development of effective and coordinated actions, and the long-term relationships needed for sustained action. The Strategy creation and implementation would be guided by a range of interest holders including First Nations, Local Governments, supporting agencies and interest groups, shoreline property owners, businesses, and community members to prepare for coastal climate change impacts.

Addressing Coastal Climate Adaptation Together

Addressing the complexities of a changing climate along our coastline requires collaboration across geographies, jurisdictions and scales. It requires the contribution of interdisciplinary knowledge and approaches to address multiple needs and issues within our region. To do so effectively and meaningfully, this work must consider the range of values and perspectives in our region.

The impacts of climate change are not felt equally. This work will create intentional opportunities for inclusive and accessible participation and ensure the equitable distribution of climate adaptation efforts while considering ways to balance individual and community needs and values within our region.