PERTH, ON — September 25, 2025
Watersheds Canada, a national freshwater conservation charity, has launched a new Climate Resiliency Report generator through their award-winning The Natural Edge shoreline restoration program.
The new report generator will allow for locally-specific resources and stewardship action plans to be at the fingertips of those hard-hit by the impacts of climate change: waterfront communities.
To ensure this new Climate Resiliency Report generator tool is available to more Canadians, funding from RBC Foundation has allowed The Natural Edge team to onboard new community groups across British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, and Nova Scotia.
“The new Climate Resiliency Report generator tool will support partner groups who have been trained by Watersheds Canada’s staff to locally deliver The Natural Edge in their communities”, says Chloe Lajoie, national conservation director at Watersheds Canada. “By partnering with new community groups across Canada, the reach of The Natural Edge is significantly higher and ensures more shorelines can be restored and protected.”
“Waterfront communities play an important role in advancing nature-based solutions to conserve biodiversity and build climate resilience,” said Thea Silver, senior director, environmental impact, RBC. “RBC Foundation is proud to support Watersheds Canada and the work they’re doing to empower these communities with the tools and resources needed to guide tangible action.”
The Climate Resiliency Report generator will become a part of The Natural Edge’s shoreline restoration resources suite, all available through the custom-made iOS app. During a site visit, trained partner groups will be able to provide property owners with tailored recommendations about actions that can be taken around specific waterfront property features, such as shoreline buffers, docks, and eavestroughs. These actions, detailed in a confidential, non-regulatory report, will have the greatest ability to allow shoreline property owners to cope with, adapt to, and recover from the impacts of climate change.
It will also allow partner groups to engage landowners in the otherwise daunting and often abstract conversation around climate change. The generator will instead bring the issue to an individual and community level to drive change.
“The streamlined approach of the iOS app and the program packaging and outreach materials will allow RAH2050 to focus on more time being spent interfacing and relationship building at the property level”, says Kelly Schnare, director at Re-imagining Atlantic Harbours for 2050 (RAH2050). “Locally we are dealing with invasive species and threats at an ecosystem level, localized flooding, and seasonal drought, all of which have drastic impacts on our shorelines. The Natural Edge is a nature-based solution that will allow our communities to be more adaptable and resilient.”
“Severn Sound Environmental Association is excited to be working with Watersheds Canada and our partners to offer Restore the Shore. The Natural Edge training and app have enhanced our capacity to plan and implement shoreline naturalization projects in Severn Sound, Ontario and have helped us connect with waterfront property owners to share the value of nature-based solutions -like natural shorelines- in supporting healthy rivers and lakes, and improving resilience to climate change”, says Michelle Hudolin, manager watershed resilience, Severn Sound Environmental Association.
“Chloe recently visited us for in-person training for The Natural Edge program. Chloe is so knowledgeable and the software is really easy to use and will be a great support tool to assist us in inspiring and engaging more lakefront homeowners in restoring their shorelines. We work to protect and secure the long-term health and safety of the Shawnigan Lake Community watershed in British Columbia and the drinking water it provides. Restoring shorelines with native vegetation is a critical part of our water quality and climate change stewardship initiatives”, says Marcy Fenske, director, Shawnigan Basin Society.
This exciting new report addition for The Natural Edge adds impact to the nationwide program. The Natural Edge first launched in 2013 and has since provided thousands of waterfront property owners with the tools, resources, and expertise needed to take action on their shorelines. Through the program, 158,000 native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses have been planted, restoring 398,000-square-metres of shoreline habitat.
Through building strong partnerships with 40 grassroots community groups, organizations, and municipalities across 8 provinces over the past 12 years, Watersheds Canada has emerged as a leader for meeting property owners on their own shorelines and helping them take stewardship actions. Recommended actions are those that will be most impactful based on different environmental pressures individual properties are facing, such as spring floods, erosion, summer droughts, invasive species competition, or intense wildfires. This advice is provided during one-on-one site visits where staff and property owners walk the shoreline together, and a shoreline planting plan is collaboratively developed.
Municipalities, First Nations communities, waterfront associations, and community groups looking to increase the climate resiliency of their community can access free resources to protect their local lakes, rivers, wetlands, and shorelines: NaturalEdge.Watersheds.ca/
About Watersheds Canada
Watersheds Canada is a registered Canadian charity committed to providing programs to communities across the country to engage and help individuals enhance and protect the health of their lakes and rivers. Since 2002, they have delivered freshwater stewardship and youth education programming, shoreline naturalizations and assessments, and in-water habitat restorations. To learn more, visit Watersheds.ca/
-30-
Media contact
Chloe Lajoie
National Conservation Director
Watersheds Canada
lajoie (at) watersheds.ca