Lorne St. Phase II Stormwater Mitigation
Town of Sackville
sackville.com/contact
Yes
Nature-Based Approaches: projects that mimic natural processes to reduce climate risks (e.g. naturalized stormwater management ponds or mitigation)
water
community
In winter 2019, the Town of Sackville began construction for a naturalized stormwater wet pond near Lorne Street. This naturalized wet pond will store ~40,000 cubic feet of stormwater during major events, which will then slowly be released through existing stormwater infrastructure into the Tantramar River. The goal of the project is to reduce flood risk. The pond is being designed to protect and enhance other ecosystem services, including recreation and habitat space.
Home | Town of Sackville Official Website
Protecting Old Growth Forest and Community Water Supply
Nature Conservancy of Canada
Yes
Natural Infrastructure: projects that conserve/restore/protect natural ecosystem functions for climate resilience and store carbon.
natural-infrastructure
community
In 2018, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Village of Riverside-Albert worked to secure 326 acres (132 hectares) of Acadian forest, of which 22 acres (9 hectares) has been transferred to the Village to protect its local water supply area. This work has not only protected critical forest habitat, but ensures the community will continue to benefit from a range of other ecosystem services provided by the area (e.g. water infiltration, water quality, etc.).
https://tinyurl.com/yaxdvwqh
Port Elgin Sewage Lagoon Natural Shoreline Stabilization
EOS Eco-Energy, Shediac Bay Watershed Association, Nature NB
info@naturenb.ca
Yes
Natural Infrastructure: projects that conserve/restore/protect natural ecosystem functions for climate resilience and store carbon.
land-conservation
community
In fall 2018, EOS Eco-Energy, Shediac Bay Watershed Association and Nature NB organized a tree and shrub planting event with the local community and school to restore a compacted recreation trail adjacent to the village's sewage lagoon using native trees and shrubs. Deep rooted, salt tolerant native species were selected to help anchor the bank and protect the area from ongoing erosion concerns.
Research and Knowledge Initiative: Supporting Municipalities with Nature-Based Climate Solutions
New Brunswick Environmental Network, Nature NB
nben@nben.ca, 506-855-4144
Education/capacity building
natural-infrastructure
provincial
New Brunswick Environmental Network’s Supporting Climate Risk Mitigation for Municipalities with Nature-based Infrastructure - Research and Knowledge Initiative.
New Brunswickers are already feeling the impacts of climate change including flooding, more frequent hurricanes, storm surges and erosion. Not only is it urgent to prevent as many of the effects of climate change as possible, but also to prepare for the impacts to come. Nature-based climate solutions that protect and conserve nature while reducing the risks of climate change impacts can be key responses to adapting to climate change that are cost-effective and provide many co-benefits that improve quality of life and wellbeing in communities.
We are looking at developing tools and building capacity to support local governments to implement nature-based climate solutions in communities across the province. To develop this tool, we want to hear your views on nature-based climate infrastructure and what you would like to see in your communities. We want to understand what your communities value in terms of co-benefits of the infrastructure and what your largest areas of concern are in responding to climate change. These solutions should meet your needs and alleviate your concerns in the face of the climate crisis.
This project is at its early stages.
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Town of Riverview- Mill Creek Naturalized Stormwater Pond project
Town of Riverview
info@townofriverview.ca
water
municipal
Riverview, NB — The Town of Riverview is pleased to announce that the Mill Creek Naturalized Stormwater Pond project is now complete, thanks to an investment of $800,000 from the Government of Canada through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF). This new stormwater infrastructure will support future residential development, reduce flood risks, and create long-term environmental benefits for the community.
The project aligns directly with CHIF objectives by building resilient infrastructure that enables higher-density housing in a growing community, and supporting sustainable development to benefit present and future residents.
The Mill Creek Naturalized Stormwater Pond will:
Reduce local flood risks by collecting and managing stormwater from a 39.43-hectare catchment area.
Enable almost 1,000 new housing units in the Carriage Hill area, providing much-needed housing supply to meet Riverview’s growing demand.
Support affordability and density targets by allowing multi-unit housing developments and rezoning applications to move forward.
Improve environmental outcomes through a naturalized design that enhances water quality, supports biodiversity, and reduces erosion over time.
The pond uses wetland vegetation and low-maintenance natural features to filter stormwater naturally before it flows into Mill Creek, reducing long-term environmental impact and supporting healthier waterways.
“Investing in stormwater infrastructure is essential to supporting new housing developments and building strong communities. With the completion of this project, the Town of Riverview can move forward with its ambitious housing goals while better protecting the community and the environment. ” The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Member of Parliament for Moncton–Dieppe
Mayor Andrew J. LeBlanc says the project is a major milestone for the Town’s long-term infrastructure planning.
“This project is essential to unlocking Riverview’s future housing supply,” said Mayor LeBlanc. “By investing in sustainable stormwater infrastructure, we are preparing our community for growth, supporting new homes for families, and ensuring our environment is protected for generations to come. This project not only supports much-needed housing growth and modern, resilient infrastructure, but also enhances the experience for Mill Creek trail users with a visually striking natural feature.”
Construction of the naturalized stormwater pond began in the spring of 2025 and is now completed.
https://www.townofriverview.ca/news/town-riverview-completes-mill-creek-naturalized-stormwater-pond-project-help-canada-housing
Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant and Iona Beach Regional Park
CSLA | AAPC
advocacy@csla-aapc.ca
Nature-Based Approaches: projects that mimic natural processes to reduce climate risks (e.g. naturalized stormwater management ponds or mitigation)
ecosystem-management
community
Located in Richmond BC, directly across from xʷməθkʷəy̓əm/Musqueam, in the Fraser River Estuary, the Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant (IIWWTP) and associated Iona Beach Regional Park (IBRP) Projects will see the critical upgrade of the existing wastewater treatment plant, paired with the transformation of the surrounding 114-hectare regional park. Led by Space2Place for Metro Vancouver, the IIWWTP Projects will restore the ecological processes of the north Sturgeon Bank, by reconnecting the river and sea, creating off-channel habitats, regenerating freshwater wetlands, and restoring upland terrestrial habitats, using ecosystem-based, flood-protection and climate-adaptive strategies.
The IIWWTP Projects were initiated in response to the 2012 Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations legislation of Canadian federal policy, which aimed at improving water quality. As one of the last plants along North America’s west coast with only primary-level wastewater treatment, the intention of the IIWWTP Projects is to upgrade the existing plant to tertiary-level treatment to meet the new standards using a complementary range of ecological restoration efforts.
As the lead on the Iona Beach Regional Park (IBRP) design, Space2Place developed a compelling vision that complements the treatment plant upgrades to restore ecological processes of the North Sturgeon Bank and protect the diversity of ecosystems on Iona Island. The vision created by Space2place was defined by two core objectives: ecological restoration and climate adaptation.
The complexities of the IIWWTP Projects combine ecological significance, infrastructure needs, jurisdictional complexities, and cultural considerations; as such, the lessons learned from this project and its outcomes have the potential to serve as a significant precedent in landscape architecture design for future large-scale, multi-stakeholder, restoration and climate adaptation initiatives.
One of the most significant outcomes of the project will be protection of sensitive ecologies and restoration of natural systems that have been interrupted by anthropogenic interventions to the island over the last 100 years. When completed, the implementation of breaches in the causeway and jetties, will create a nurturing environment for juvenile salmon transitioning from freshwater to saltwater, and help future out-migrating juvenile salmon access critical rearing habitat. In combination with regenerating and expanding the freshwater wetlands upland areas, biodiversity recovery of species within critical aquatic and terrestrial species, including that of many migrating birds, will be enhanced.
https://www.csla-aapc.ca/mission-areas/iona-island-wastewater-treatment-plant-and-iona-beach-regional-park
Dale Hodges Park
CSLA | AAPC
advocacy@csla-aapc.ca
Hybrid Approaches: projects that are focused on engineering and incorporate natural elements and/or processes into their design.
ecosystem-management
community
Located along the Bow River in Calgary, Alberta, Dale Hodges Park represents a transformative restoration project that converts the former Klippert gravel pit extraction site into a public park and public artwork installation. A collaboration between O2 Planning and Design and Source2Source, with AECOM, Sans Façon, and the City of Calgary, the project uses sculpted landforms to integrate an innovative stormwater management system with habitat restoration and recreation, to restore the degraded riparian and aquatic habitats, treat stormwater runoff, and introduce new opportunities for public use while making vivid the movement of water through the system.
In 2010, the City of Calgary acquired the former Klippert gravel pit, located along the northern bank of the Bow River within Bowmont Park. At the time, Calgary was experiencing rapid growth and development pressure. The acquisition of these lands presented an opportunity for the treatment of stormwater from an intensively urbanized catchment of over 1800 hectares before entering the Bow River, which would not only see the transformation of the ecosystem into a functional habitat for wildlife, but also the enhancement of community amenities and access to nature.
The project was completed in the fall of 2018, opening officially as Dale Hodges Park in June 2019. Once a contaminated gravel pit, the site has now been remediated and transformed into a functional, natural space that not only treats stormwater, but facilitates biodiversity recovery and climate resilience, while using landform art as a high-performance public space.
The success of the project illustrates the value of orchestrating complex, cross-disciplinary teams, showcasing the importance of visionary planning, strong governance, and collaboration as essential for the successful delivery of large-scale urban ecological infrastructure projects. The project employed a systems-based approach to restoring the landscape to fit within its novel ecological and cultural context, inherently advancing long-term biodiversity recovery. Emergent vegetation zones provide natural stormwater filtrations, enhance habitat, and contribute to the ecosystem’s climate resilience. Biodiversity, particularly the presence of trout and numerous native bird species, continues to serve as key indicators of the project’s ecological performance.
https://www.csla-aapc.ca/mission-areas/dale-hodges-park
Port Lands Flood Protection Program
CSLA | AAPC
advocacy@csla-aapc.ca
Hybrid Approaches: projects that are focused on engineering and incorporate natural elements and/or processes into their design.
buffers
community
Located in Toronto’s southeastern downtown waterfront, the Port Lands Flood Protection Project (PLFP), is a large-scale transformative climate adaptation and urban revitalization initiative to protect over 290 hectares of land from flooding and re-naturalize the mouth of the Don River at Lake Ontario. By creating a new river valley through green infrastructure and wetland ecosystems, the project will establish flood protection and remediate the former brownfield site into a resilient, biodiverse, mixed-use waterfront community. Funded by the federal, provincial and municipal governments and led by Waterfront Toronto with lead designers Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc., the PLFP Project is the cornerstone of Toronto’s larger waterfront revitalization plan to establish climate resilience, restore critical habitat, and enable growth for sustainable development.
For thousands of years, the Don River has flowed into Lake Ontario through one of the largest freshwater marshes in the Great Lakes region. Home to a diverse array of plant and animal species, this wetland long served as a gathering space for Indigenous peoples, but was radically impacted by industrialization in the 19th century, altering the river and removing its natural resilience.
Beginning in the 1880’s, large sections of the wetland were gradually drained and infilled to support industrial and shipping operations, creating what is now known as the Port Lands. This significantly degraded the natural ecology and disrupted the hydrology, impacting the river's connection to Lake Ontario. Industrial pressures eventually forced the mouth of the Don River into a narrow 60-foot-wide channel that became heavily polluted.
This project aims to restore the landscape’s natural resilience lost through urbanization by using bioengineering and nature-based systems to restore the river valley and recreate valuable habitat. In doing so, the project will not only establish flood protection, but also help to mitigate effects of urban heating due to global warming by creating microclimates and providing access to cooler natural areas.
Renaturalizing the mouth of the Don River represents an internationally significant undertaking. Its scale, ambition, and holistic approach set a precedent for climate-resilient urban design, ecological restoration, and integrated public space.
In addition to remediating the lands and the ecology, mitigating the flood risks across the Port Lands will protect communities and important public infrastructure from future extreme weather events. This $1.4 billion investment is expected to catalyze billions of dollars in private investment, reducing the financial risks of climate impacts to governments.
A key lesson emerging from the project is how crucial adaptability is for the successful delivery of large, long-term multi-phase projects. Adaptability in the design process is reflective of the project’s core principles of reconciliation and reconnection for resilience, and is evident in the design decisions, integration, and established ecological systems.
https://www.csla-aapc.ca/mission-areas/port-lands-flood-protection-program
Lieux publics Bonaventure
CSLA | AAPC
advocacy@csla-aapc.ca
Nature-Based Approaches: projects that mimic natural processes to reduce climate risks (e.g. naturalized stormwater management ponds or mitigation)
natural-infrastructure
community
Les Lieux Publics Bonaventure is an urban redevelopment project that transformed the former elevated Bonaventure Expressway into an at-grade green boulevard and public space. Led by Rousseau Lefebvre, the project reconnects the adjacent districts, enhances active and multi-modal transportation, and introduces green infrastructure for stormwater and micro-climate regulation. Beyond these primary goals, the project also enhances community health and wellbeing through the creation of a new public park space offering opportunities for social connection and the integration of public art in urban development at the entrance to downtown Montreal.
For over 50 years, the elevated Bonaventure Expressway served as the main gateway to downtown Montreal. Originally built for the 1967 World’s Fair, the expressway was a significant urban landmark, but its development created a physical barrier between the adjacent neighbourhoods and reinforced car-centric infrastructure in the city centre. Rather than investing to extend its life, in 2015 the City of Montreal decided to demolish the expressway in favour of a new green promenade that stretches nearly six city blocks.
Stormwater management was a key focus of the project, aiming to more efficiently manage and filter urban runoff on-site, increase permeability, create cooler microclimates to mitigate urban heat, and increase accessibility to nature within a densely developed environment – particularly in a neighbourhood that previously lacked park space. By replacing the large-scale grey infrastructure with green infrastructure, including rain gardens and vegetated islands, the project is able to significantly enhance environmental sustainability and ecological functions (e.g., pollination and carbon sequestration), and support urban wildlife and biodiversity.
The removal of the Bonaventure Expressway opened over three hectares for continuous public space to improve access to nature and foster social connections. In addition to enhancing urban livability and community well-being, it presented a significant opportunity to reduce the reliance on cars in downtown Montreal, reconnect the fragmented neighbourhoods, and create a vibrant entrance to the city centre.
The completed project transformed the formerly industrial corridor into a sustainable urban landscape that reconnects the fragmented community. The new boulevard connects key multi-modal transportation routes, introduces extensive green infrastructure and a variety of new recreational opportunities, and has quickly become a beloved public amenity.
Guided by the SITES certification process, Les Lieux Publics Bonaventure demonstrates measurable resilience through the thriving vegetation, effective stormwater management system, and active public use. The project received silver level certification in the spring of 2018. The boulevard’s extensive greening is projected to increase canopy cover to 27 percent within the next 10 years and will help sequester 4 metric tons of CO2 in the first year alone and over 310 tons across 30 years. The addition of grassed areas, rain gardens, and planting beds serve the adjacent impervious surfaces by capturing and treating runoff, significantly reducing the volume of water that would have otherwise been directed to the municipal stormwater system, and improving groundwater quality.
https://www.csla-aapc.ca/mission-areas/lieux-publics-bonaventure