McPhee Meadows

Latest news

• Construction of the park is complete and the park is now open to the public.
• In October 2025, Hazelwood Construction completed key work including resurfacing the existing access path, installing a split-rail fence along the slope, building a gravel loop trail, replacing fencing around a historic orchard, removing invasive plants and planting native species.

About McPhee Meadows

McPhee Meadows is a new 11.8-acre (4.78-hectare) riverside park in the City of Courtenay that preserves the ecological heritage of the property.

The park is accessible from 3rd Street and Harmston Avenue.

The land was donated to the City of Courtenay and The Nature Trust of B.C. in 2011 through Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program by the late Mr. Robert McPhee, who wanted the site to be maintained as a public wetland park.

The natural park preserves the property’s heritage. It was completed with environmental oversight from arborists, registered biologists. It includes a:

• Connected sidewalk at 3rd Street and Harmston Avenue.
• Resurfaced access path and new split-rail fence.
• New gravel loop path through the meadows, with culverts where the path crosses low points.
• A new orchard fence.
• Removal of about 8,000 square metres of invasive plants and planting of more than 4,300 square metres of native species. 

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Background

• The donation requires that biodiversity and ecological heritage features be maintained under Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program.
• A concept plan for the park [PDF/9.3MB] was approved by Council in 2022. It included river access points, pedestrian trails and an expanded orchard. That concept was split into Phase 1 (meadow and wetland) and Phases 2 and 3 (panhandle and Island Corridor Foundation lands).
• The current access route from 3rd Street and Harmston Avenue has a steep grade (12-15 per cent) that does not meet accessibility standards.
• In July 2024, Council directed staff to move forward with Phase 1 of the park plan, revising the entrance grade to eight per cent, following the B.C. Active Transportation Design Guide. However, an extensive review found that changing the slope could cause instability and risk damage to the park and nearby infrastructure. As a result, the existing grade will remain.