Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Comox Valley Regional District has been awarded a $1.1 million grant from the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM). Funds will be used in the Dyke Road Park Green Shores Demonstration Project.
Construction is expected to begin in 2024.
“This funding from UBCM is incredibly exciting for the community to support the Dyke Road Park Green Shores Demonstration Project,” said Alana Mullaly, general manager of planning and development services. “We look forward to working with our project partners to strengthen the site’s coastal resilience and minimize the risk of further flooding.”
The UBCM grant application was supported by previous work done through the Coastal Flood Adaptation Strategy (CFAS) Phase 1 and 2, which supports nature-based approaches to shoreline management to: build coastal resiliency, address sea level rise adaptation, and remove invasive species to improve habitat restoration.
Project partners include K’ómoks Guardian Watchmen, Stewardship Centre for BC, Project Watershed, Guardians of Mid-Island Estuaries and Pacific Salmon Foundation.
Key objectives include:
- The removal of hard shoreline armouring and concrete structures;
- Reduction of water resistant surfaces on site;
- Shoreline stabilization through riparian plantings and landscaping;
- Habitat restoration, including the establishment of a new tidal channel;
- Removal of invasive species;
- Improved coastal adaptation, reducing the flood risk to Comox Road;
- Increasing connectivity to Kus-Kus-Sum and Hollyhock flat to create a vibrant and productive estuary habitat;
- Protection of Indigenous cultural archaeology.
The Comox Valley Regional District is a federation of three electoral areas and three municipalities operating on the unceded traditional territory of the K’ómoks First Nation, the traditional keepers of the land. The members of the regional district work collaboratively on providing sustainable services for the benefit of the diverse urban and rural areas of the Comox Valley.