What is Green Shores?
A program of the Stewardship Centre for BC (SCBC), Green Shores is a voluntary, incentive-based rating program focused on positive steps to reduce the impact of development on shoreline ecosystems.
There are three main components to Green Shores:
- Green Shores for Homes (GSH): helps waterfront homeowners restore natural shorelines and enjoy the many recreational, scenic, environmental, and shoreline protection benefits they bring. Applies to new development, and renovations and modifications of existing structures. It is for both freshwater and marine shorelines.
- Green Shores for Shoreline Development (GSSD): is a tool for waterfront property owners and managers to develop their properties in a way that preserves or restores physical processes, maintains or enhances habitat function and diversity along the shoreline, prevents or reduces pollutants entering the aquatic environment and avoids or reduces cumulative impacts. Applies to residential and commercial marine waterfront development projects as well as to infrastructure development (such as public walkways) and shore protection works in public spaces (parks and recreational areas).
- Local Government Working Group: The SCBC offers support to local governments to facilitate the implementation of Green Shores. The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) is part of this group.

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Green Shores Projects on Vancouver Island
CVRD Involvement with Green Shores
In an effort to meet the goals of the Regional Growth Strategy to adapt to the changing climate, the CVRD become involved in the following Green Shores initiatives:
Local Government Working Group
The CVRD has been part of the Working Group since 2017. Some activities include:
- Building staff capacity to communicate the benefits of Green Shores to landowners interested in altering their shorelines.
- Hosting Green Shores Level 1 workshops in the Comox Valley to promote the Green Shores program to local professionals and landowners.
- Learning from about shoreline protection and enhancement initiatives in other jurisdictions.
- Providing feedback on new policies and programs
Green Shores for Homes Incentive Study
The CVRD is one of two pilot communities participating in the Green Shores for Homes Incentive Study supported by the Real Estate Foundation of BC and the Pacific Salmon Foundation. The pilot project will offer incentives to residential property owners (shoreline assessments, project design assistance and Green Shores certification) in select neighbourhoods in the CVRD and Town of Qualicum Beach. The project hopes to increase understanding of the feasibility of using incentives, policies and education/training to increase climate adaptation activities while at the same time decreasing the risk and financial impacts of climate change adaptation.
Online Information Session - May 13
Watch the recording from the “Green Shores Incentives Project” online information session where we explore the Green Shores Incentives Project and how using Green Shores can help property owners restore the natural shoreline while also addressing challenges from sea level rise, storm surge and coastal erosion. During the information session we review some of the fundamental Green Shores principles and practices and the proposed design concept for Gartley Beach and Qualicum Beach. CVRD staff, the Stewardship for BC, and coastal engineers from Northwest Hydraulics were in attendance for discussion and questions.