Stewardship Champion: Ryan Christie

Annual Report 2013-14

Date:Feb 28, 2017

Tags:green shores, legacies, stewardship champion

“I love that my business can protect waterfront properties while also creating natural shorelines that support local plants, animals and fish.”

Ryan Christie and his father have been doing shoreline work with their business, Parksville Heavy Equipment, for 25 years. Over the years, Ryan saw the traditional approach to protecting waterfront properties with sea walls and other structures fail to do their job.

After learning about SCBC’s Green Shores program, he has become a strong proponent of this ecological approach to shoreline development.

Ryan Christie (left) with homeowners (middle), and DG Blair, Executive Director for the Stewardship Centre for BC (on right) near Qualicum Beach. This was the first Green Shores for Homes project in BC to be accredited.

Working with homeowners near Qualicum Beach, Ryan oversaw the design and construction of the first Green Shores for Homes project in BC to get accredited.

He continues be a strong advocate for the benefits of doing shoreline work that protects waterfront properties while also helping to restore the ecological features and functions of the shoreline.

In part, Ryan is motivated by the business opportunity the new approach presents. As more regulators move towards supporting shoreline developments that foster natural shoreline habitats, adopting these practices makes it easier to get permit approvals. And more and more clients are interested in the ecological and structural benefits of Green Shores.

But he is also very motivated to be part of creating habitat for local flora and fauna, while protecting waterfront properties.

A big fisherman, Ryan likes being part of projects that help to restore herring spawning habitat. He likes seeing the local plants flourish and different wildlife benefit from the new habitat. He also sees that the more sustainable approach to shoreline design also helps to lessen the impacts of the increasing number of severe storms climate change is bringing to the coast.