Here are the highlights from the City Council meeting held on November 19, 2025. Read the full agenda and attachments for more details.
To learn more about council meetings — including video recordings, meeting schedules, past minutes and upcoming agendas — visit the Council meetings page.
Freedom of the City – Brian “Fuzz” Morissette – Award presentation
Council honoured Brian “Fuzz” Morissette with the Freedom of the City, the highest recognition the City can award. Mr. Morissette has lived in Courtenay for more than 50 years and is well known for his decades of volunteer work, including helping raise millions of dollars through the Comox Valley Child Development Society telethon. He has also supported major community events such as the City’s Centennial, Canada Day celebrations, and the Simms Park Summer Concert Series.
Mr. Morissette has contributed to local arts and culture, mentored young musicians, organized teen music events, and performed in several popular local bands. He also founded and operated a successful chain of retail stores that supported local jobs and economic growth. His long record of service, leadership, and generosity reflects the spirit of the Freedom of the City honour.
Read more about the award here
Comox Valley RCMP – Quarterly Report (July–September 2025)
Council received the Comox Valley RCMP’s quarterly update for July to September 2025. Calls for Service in Courtenay decreased slightly compared to the same period last year, with traffic incidents, check-wellbeing calls, and reports of unwanted persons remaining the most common file types. The report highlighted increased calls at locations such as the Provincial Courthouse and The Junction, while calls at the Connect Warming Centre declined significantly.
Violent crime files rose by 25 percent, driven mainly by increases in assault and harassment reports. Property crime also increased overall, with notable growth in mischief, fraud, and certain types of break and enters. Downtown calls decreased compared to last year, although breaches and warrants showed marked increases. RCMP also provided updates on drug-related files and traffic offences, both of which saw small increases.
Motion: Council received the Comox Valley RCMP Quarterly Report (July–September 2025).
Read the RCMP quarterly report here
Downtown Vitalization Local Area Plan (Phase 2) and Harmston Park Plan – What We Heard
Council reviewed the Phase 2 “What We Heard” reports for the Downtown Vitalization Local Area Plan (DVLAP) and Harmston Park. Engagement was strong across surveys, open houses, focus groups, and pop-up events.
Participants supported adding more housing downtown—especially along the Fitzgerald Corridor and in the Downtown Core—while emphasizing the need to keep development human-scale, preserve Courtenay’s small-town character, and ensure improvements to transit, green space, active transportation, and public amenities.
For Harmston Park, residents supported a vision that blends active community use with quiet green space. Key themes included protecting mature trees and the community garden, improving accessibility, adding playground and youth-friendly features, providing shaded seating, and creating space for markets, cultural gatherings, and Indigenous healing. Feedback on the draft concepts will guide the next phase of the DVLAP and development of a preferred concept for Harmston Park in 2026.
Motion: Council directed staff to proceed with the next phase of public and interest-holder engagement
McPhee Meadows – Phase 2 and 3 Direction
Council reviewed next steps for McPhee Meadows, a nature-focused park created through a land donation to protect sensitive wetland and riparian ecosystems. As work moves beyond the completed Phase 1 area, environmental and geotechnical challenges have become more significant.
Phase 2 (“Fisherman’s Trail”) would require removing mature trees that currently stabilize a slope in slow failure, working inside a federally protected riparian corridor, and securing multiple permits from several agencies. Staff advised that the ecological disturbance, geotechnical risks, and permitting complexity outweighed potential public benefit and recommended leaving this area in its natural state.
Phase 3, located on Island Corridor Foundation (ICF) lands, depends on ongoing regional planning work led by the CVRD and would require a new agreement with ICF. Staff advised treating Phase 3 as a separate future park project once direction from regional partners is established. Staff also presented a lower-impact river access concept in Phase 1, which would require additional design, consultation with the Province, and federal review.
Actions:
Council directed staff not to proceed with Phase 2 of McPhee Meadows and asked staff to report back with alternative options and related capital plan changes. Council also directed staff not to proceed with Phase 3 until the CVRD’s Island Corridor Foundation planning and visioning process is complete, after which staff will report back with options for next steps. In addition, Council directed staff to include $100,000 in the 2026 Financial Plan to develop a beach access options analysis for McPhee Meadows.
Courtenay and District Memorial Outdoor Pool – Options Analysis
Council received the final Options Analysis confirming that the 76-year-old outdoor pool at Lewis Park has reached the end of its life and requires major investment to remain in service. The analysis compared four paths:
- Repair (approx. $5.3M; 5–10 year lifespan)
- Renovate – replace change rooms and mechanical systems (approx. $13.3–14.5M; 10–20 year lifespan)
- Replace – build a new modern outdoor pool and facilities meeting current accessibility, code, and flood requirements (approx. $32.5M; 40+ year lifespan)
- Decommission (approx. $1.6M)
Public engagement, including two open houses and 619 survey responses, showed strong support for keeping outdoor aquatic services at Lewis Park and a clear preference (62%) for full replacement.
Based on the analysis and community feedback, Council endorsed Option 3: Replace.
Actions:
Council directed staff to proceed with exploring options to replace the pool at its current location. Staff will refine the project scope, schedule, and cost estimates; include required funding in the 2026–2030 Financial Plan; explore regional funding models with the Comox Valley Regional District; and identify grant opportunities to support the project.