The Southern Lake Huron Coastal Adaptation Strategy project is underway. It’s a collaborative initiative designed to enhance climate resilience along 56 km of the southern Lake Huron shoreline. Spanning approximately 900 hectares of residential, recreational, public, and private lands, the project focuses on protecting communities and infrastructure from the impacts of a changing climate. Along this shoreline some ~750 million dollars is at risk over the next hundred years, much of it at risk today.
This initiative is made possible through support from the Canada Water Agency under the Great Lakes Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative, and Natural Resources Canada, delivering in partnership with Conservation Ontario under the Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities Program. Additional support is provided by the Town of Goderich, the Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, and the Municipality of Central Huron. Together, these partners are supporting adaptation through four approaches:
- Goderich Sediment Pathway Restoration
Aiming to re-establish natural sediment transport processes, this pilot will focus on sediment bypass techniques and nature-based solutions to maintain critical beach building sediment in the nearshore, enhancing both ecological considerations and buffer against the impacts of erosion.
- Transformative Development Policies
This review will assess current shoreline management policies and develop climate-resilient recommendations tailored to the unique challenges of the Lake Huron coast, minimizing the community’s exposure to flooding and erosion hazards. - Planned Relocation Manual
A ready-to-use guide for municipalities exploring tools and best practices for asset relocation along the coast, helping communities proactively plan around high-risk areas and react to imminent hazard affecting existing development. - Littoral-Cell Technical Committee Formation
Establishing a locally informed technical committee based on the littoral cell—a natural coastal system—this pilot will support and provide a geophysically relevant decision-making model.
Together, these efforts aim to create a replicable framework for coastal adaptation rooted in science, policy innovation, and local collaboration.
The launch of the project was held on July 8, 2025 in Goderich. Pictured here: Daniela Klicper – Maitland Conservation, Bonnie Fox – Conservation Ontario, Evan Hickey – Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, Patrick Huber-Kidby – Maitland Conservation, Jim Ginn – Mayor of Central Huron, Pete Zuzek – Zuzek Inc., Front Row: Ed McGugan, Chair of Maitland Conservation and Glen McNeil, Mayor of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh