New Brunswick’s coastal initiative

The Government of New Brunswick is prioritizing the development and implementation of a coastal plan to safeguard coastal communities. With over 5,500 kilometers of coastline, New Brunswick is increasingly vulnerable to coastal erosion, rising sea levels, stronger storm surges and other growing impacts of climate change.

These vulnerabilities pose serious risks to our natural ecosystems, built infrastructure, and the well-being of residents, especially as development continues in high-risk coastal areas.

In response, the provincial government has expanded the scope of its coastal plan to address a broader range of challenges beyond erosion alone.

Managing New Brunswick’s coastal areas is a complex, multi-jurisdictional effort. Coastal areas in New Brunswick are dynamic and they often span across municipal and county boundaries, connecting multiple communities and ecosystems. Numerous government departments, agencies, community partners, and property owners share responsibility for ensuring sustainable coastal development and enhancing community resilience. Effective coastal management requires collaboration beyond local jurisdictions. Addressing issues like erosion, flooding, infrastructure planning and habitat protection at a broader scale helps ensure that decisions are coordinated, consistent and responsive to the shared challenges faced by coastal regions.

Coastal management touches many sectors, including:

• land use planning
• environmental permitting and oversight
• natural resource and biodiversity conservation
• climate change adaptation and mitigation
• tourism and recreation
• heritage, culture, and traditional practices
• fisheries, aquaculture, and coastal industries
• critical infrastructure planning and maintenance
• emergency preparedness
• disaster recovery and relief

As a part of this initiative, the provincial government has established an interdepartmental working group made up of provincial departments involved in the above coastal-related sectors. This group is focused on strengthening collaboration and coordination across government.

To begin tackling these complex coastal pressures, the provncial government is launching a State of the Coast report. This is a foundational step toward understanding the challenges facing our unique coastal regions and identifying opportunities for improvement and action. This report will lead to recommendations to help protect and strengthen our coastal communities in the face of increasing pressures.

We are collaborating with other provincial and federal departments, Indigenous groups, coastal experts along with input from the public, to develop the report:

In the fall of 2025, the Department of Environment and Local Government hosted two coastal expert engagement sessions with more than 100 participants. The first session focused on information gathering and sharing, while the second explored key challenges and practical solutions to reduce coastal risks impacting natural, built, and socioeconomic systems. Below is a snapshot of the feedback received from each of these discussions. The next expert engagement session will take place in March 2026.

Coastal Expert Engagement  Summary #1

Overview

The first coastal expert engagement session held on September 9, 2025 successfully brought together a multidisciplinary group of participants representing federal, provincial, and municipal governments, as well as academia, non-governmental organizations, private industry and First Nations. This approach allowed multiple perspectives to be shared, which is vital in shaping the project approach and for developing well informed coastal management strategies. The focus of the session was to introduce the project approach data availability, and policy overview.

More than 45 coastal experts were in attendance with areas of expertise in:

• natural systems/environment
• policy and governance
• Built Infrastructure/engineering
• socioeconomic/cultural
• Indigenous knowledge/other

Coastal Expert Engagement  Summary #2

The second coastal expert engagement session held on November 27, 2025, successfully brought together more than 60 multidisciplinary participants representing federal, provincial and local governments, academia, non-governmental organizations, private industry and First Nations.

The focus of the session was to collaboratively identify key challenges and practical solutions to reduce coastal risk to natural, built, and socioeconomic systems.

Participants engaged in discussions focused on four topics including planning, policy and enforcement, development and infrastructure; natural defences, habitat and buffer zones, and public access and awareness.

Below are general ideas covered by all topics:

Integration – Coastal reliance requires connecting policy, infrastructure, natural defences, and public access, not treating them separately

Equity and Inclusion – Indigenous rights, community voices, and equitable access must be included in all solutions

Transition – Coastal resilience requires shifting the default from hard infrastructure toward prioritized, incentivized, and uniquely recognized nature-based strategies

Trust and Legitimacy – Enforcement is most effective when there is community understanding and support, awareness, and engagement critical for regulation

Future Planning – Planning must anticipate climate change (e.g., sea level rise, storms) and allow ecosystems and infrastructure to adapt dynamically

In collaboration with CBCL we recently hosted two coastal expert engagement sessions with over 100 participants. The first session focused on information gathering and sharing, while the second session explored key challenges and practical solutions to reduce coastal risks impacting natural, built, and socioeconomic systems. Below is a snapshot of the feedback we received from each of these discussions. Our next expert engagement session will take place in March 2026.

Coastal Expert Engagement Session #3 Summary 

The third coastal expert engagement session held on March 9, 2026, brought together over 60 multidisciplinary participants representing First Nations, federal, provincial, and local governments, academia, non-governmental organizations, and private industry.  

The focus of this session was to collaboratively identify implementation considerations and recommendations for the draft State of the Coast report.

Participants engaged in discussions focused on four topics including data planning and information sharing, outreach and education, funding mechanisms, standards and consistency, and risk reduction and disclosure.  

Below are common themes covered by all topics: 

Use what exists, integrate, and make it easy to find. Participants emphasized building on existing tools and datasets (rather than creating duplicative websites) and improving usability so people can quickly locate the information they need. 

Different audiences need different products. A recurring message was that raw data alone is not enough; people need plain language interpretation, guidance, and location-specific outputs tailored to public users, professionals, and decision makers. 

Trust, accessibility, and reach matter. Suggestions highlighted barriers such as technology, literacy, internet access, and varying levels of trust in government-hosted information, pointing to the need for trusted intermediaries and multiple delivery channels.  

Sustained multi-year funding is foundational. Many comments stressed that community-based work requires stable, predictable funding (including support for core capacity), and that program timelines should match long-term stewardship and outcomes. 

Clear roles and coordinated decision making. Attendees identified the need for clearer jurisdictional roles, coordinated mechanisms across governments, and consistent standards and guidance to reduce confusion and improve implementation. 

Between fall 2025 and spring 2026, the Department of Environment and Local Government hosted three coastal expert engagement sessions with a total of over 150 participants. The first session focused on information gathering and sharing, while the second session explored key challenges and practical solutions to reduce coastal risks impacting natural, built, and socioeconomic systems, and the third session focused on recommendation development for the draft State of the Coast Report. Further engagement on the draft State of the Coast report is planned for the fall of 2026. 

Internal Working Group Session #1 Summary

Overview

The first coastal expert engagement session held on September 9^th, 2025 successfully brought together a multidisciplinary group of participants representing federal, provincial, and municipal governments, as well as academia, non-governmental organizations, private industry and rightsholders. This approach allowed multiple perspectives to be shared, which is vital in shaping the project approach and for developing well informed coastal management strategies. The focus of the session was to introduce the project approach data availability, and policy overview.

Over 45 coastal experts were in attendance with areas of expertise in:

• Natural Systems/Environment
• Policy and Governance
• Built Infrastructure/Engineering
• Socioeconomic/Cultural
• Indigenous Knowledge/Other

Internal Working Group Session #2

The second coastal expert engagement session held on November 27^th, 2025, successfully brought together over 60 multidisciplinary participants representing federal, provincial and local governments, academia, non-governmental organizations, private industry and rightsholders.

The focus of the session was to collaboratively identify key challenges and practical solutions to reduce coastal risk to natural, built, and socioeconomic systems.

Participants engaged in rotating breakout group discussions focused on four topics including planning, policy and enforcement, development and infrastructure; natural defenses, habitat and buffer zones, and public access and awareness.

Below are general ideas covered by all topics:

Integration – Coastal reliance requires connecting policy, infrastructure, natural defenses, and public access, not treating them separately

Equity and Inclusion – Indigenous rights, community voices, and equitable access must be included in all solutions

Transition – Coastal resilience requires shifting the default, from hard infrastructure toward prioritized incentivized, and uniquely recognized nature-based strategies

Trust and Legitimacy – Enforcement is most effective when there is community understanding and support, awareness, and engagement critical for regulation

Future Planning – Planning must anticipate climate change (e.g., sea-level rise, storms) and allow ecosystems and infrastructure to adapt dynamically

What is not included in this report:

• in-land flooding
• full reviews of other provincial programs (although recommendations for actions may apply to other provincial programs)

Through this initiative and the goals of improved collaboration, coordination and near and long-term planning, the provincial goverment is committed to protecting our coastlines and communities in a changing climate. Together, we can ensure that the coastal regions of New Brunswick remain vibrant, safe and sustainable for generations to come.

Your input matters

Your input can help shape the State of the Coast report, the recommendations, and drive improvements on how coastal issues are managed. We are asking for your input to better define coastal pressures in your area, your experience with coastal issues and any gaps in how these issues are managed in New Brunswick. This will help prepare the State of the Coast report and recommendations in the coming months. 

Your feedback is essential to this process. Here’s how you can get involved:

Online survey

The survey is anonymous and takes about 10 minutes to complete. It covers a range of questions related to coastal areas and communities in New Brunswick.

Written submissions

Anyone who wants to provide input beyond the scope of the survey, can provide feedback in writing via email.

Share your feedback

Engagement timeline

Survey and written submissions (Draft State of the Coast Report Development) – open until, December 1, 2025

Public engagement sessions (Draft State of the Coast Report) – planned for Spring/Summer 2026

One of the key tools the province uses to manage coastal areas is environmental legislation and policy. Several provincial laws apply to certain activities along certain areas of the coast. These laws and policies help guide development and environmental management; however, New Brunswick currently lacks enforceable environmental legislation specifically designed to protect its coastlines.