Green Resilience: Implementing restoration and green infrastructure in the Greater Saint John Area

Over the 2021 field season, ACAP Saint John worked with the community to incorporate four unique green infrastructure (GI) solutions into the urban environment of Saint John. Throughout the tenure of this project, ACAP Saint John and community volunteers installed a 200m2 rain garden containing over 400 plants, removed 100m2 of asphalt from a community park, naturalized a stormwater retention pond, and planted almost 1,300 trees. This project will help to reduce the impacts of increased rainfall, extreme weather and sea level rise predicted to impact the City of Saint John due to climate change. Through this work, ACAP has had the opportunity to demonstrate that GI is an effective method for climate change adaptation and has generated more discussions with community members, City councillors and institutions to move this work forward in Saint John.

Living Coastal: Exploring Coastline Changes in Saint John

The City of Saint John, New Brunswick is located on the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Wolastoq [St. John River]. As a municipality, many actions have been taken to address climate change impacts including increasing precipitation and temperatures, sea level rise, and increased storm severity. The City of Saint John’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan, adopted in November 2020, formalizes several objectives that aim to increase resilience and protect the city in the future. Objective 2 of this plan is focused on adaptations to sea level rise which is identified as a high risk for the municipality. Monitoring, infrastructure relocation, and information sharing are recognized as opportunities to protect and enhance communities at risk. This research intends to support the actions outlined in Objective 2 and can be used by municipal staff, stakeholders, and community members to protect, preserve, and restore the beautiful coastline that surrounds the city.

In 2020, sea level rise estimates for the province of New Brunswick were updated, reinforcing the severity of the issues and the urgency that climate change poses. The rising sea level is not the only threat to coastlines, as erosional processes are a function of marine, terrestrial (i.e., land use), and atmospheric (weather) systems. ACAP Saint John has collected data from ten sites throughout the city to inform adaptation measures and highlight the need for action. This report includes an overview of coastal erosion, historical analysis, results from site assessments, and information to guide adaptation.

There is no single solution for erosion, however preventative strategies can be taken to slow down the process, allow infrastructure to be relocated or supported, and protect the community. A large part of prevention is monitoring the changes that occur over time and building awareness about effective strategies that may help stabilize and enhance coastal areas. This report builds off research completed in 2016 and aims to provide a baseline for future monitoring of coastlines in the area.

Climate Change Adaptation Plan for Saint John

Executive Summary

The City of Saint John has a unique opportunity to recognize the risks associated with Climate Change and adapt municipal planning to enable the community to thrive under changing environmental conditions. Climate Change will result in an increase in temperature and precipitation, more frequent extreme weather such as post-tropical storms and ice storms, and rising sea levels. This shift in weather patterns and ocean levels will cause flooding, damage infrastructure, destroy habitats, isolate neighbourhoods, and create public health challenges. ACAP Saint John has completed a background report, Understanding Climate Change in Saint John, that describes the Climate Change projections and impacts for Saint John, New Brunswick. The Climate Change Adaptation Plan focuses on specific risks and actions that will be required to reduce the negative impacts of these changes on the natural and built environment.

ACAP Saint John has conducted extensive research to identify areas of concern throughout the City. Through a Gap Analysis of Existing Initiatives, Integrating Climate Change into Municipal Planning in Saint John, New Brunswick, was completed by reviewing municipal by-laws and existing municipal and provincial initiatives to identify available resources and reveal gaps in legislation. Research also involved community engagement which helped to voice public concerns. The public responses were included in the Risk and Vulnerability Assessment to highlight high risk issues in Saint John and guide the development of the Action Register, which provides 59 adaptation recommendations. The recommended actions are organized into eight objectives:

● Objective 1: Integrate Climate Change impacts into community planning.

● Objective 2: Reduce shoreline erosion & promote natural infrastructure.

● Objective 3: Protect natural spaces, local habitats & migration routes.

● Objective 4: Provide public education on how to deal with the impacts of Climate Change.

● Objective 5: Reduce the impact of Climate Change on human health.

● Objective 6: Support vulnerable groups to increase adaptive capacity.

● Objective 7: Increase resilience to flooding & sea level rise.

● Objective 8: Increase resilience to extreme weather.

The Adaptation Plan takes into consideration the ongoing social and environmental inequity that exists in Saint John, whereby areas with the most severe poverty rates are also those living in high flood risk areas or in closest proximity to highly vulnerable coastal areas. As well, the public health challenges associated with Climate Change are explored and specific actions are suggested to keep residents safe.

As municipal documents are updated, the Climate Change Adaptation Plan can be integrated, further encouraging implementation of the recommended actions and creating an aware and prepared society. Adapting to Climate Change is necessary for the City of Saint John to protect the communities that give this historic City the vibrant, maritime personality it is known for. Through implementation of this Adaptation Plan, the City has an opportunity to become a Canadian leader in climate resilience and coastal adaptation.

Central Peninsula Neighbourhood Climate Change Adaptation Plan: Summary Document

This is a brief Summary Document for the Saint John’s Central Peninsula Neighbourhood Climate Change Adaptation Plan. For a copy of the full plan and its background documents, please contact ACAP Saint John directly.

Maps contained within this plan are still in Draft and are subject to change.

North End Neighbourhood Climate Change Adaptation Plan: Summary Document

This is a brief Summary Document for Saint John’s North End Neighbourhood Climate Change Adaptation Plan. For a copy of the full plan and its background documents, please contact ACAP Saint John directly.

Maps contained within this plan are still in Draft and are subject to change.

Lower West Side Neighbourhood Climate Change Adaptation Plan: Summary Document

This is a brief Summary Document for Saint John’s Lower West Side Neighbourhood Climate Change Adaptation Plan. For a copy of the full plan and its background documents, please contact ACAP Saint John directly.

Maps contained within this plan are still in Draft and are subject to change.