The City of Courtenay has paused construction on the planned Bear James Park trail extension project.

As work was to begin yesterday, a small group of residents gathered on site as crews arrived to begin work.

The City says staff stood down construction activities and no work proceeded.

The City says following those events, and the significant level of community interest in the project, it has decided to pause the trail extension and undertake a broader review of future works within Bear James Park.

In a social media post, the City says while the trail extension itself was a relatively small operational project, with an estimated cost of approximately $4,000, it was intended to support future bridge replacement, stairway repairs, fish habitat restoration work, infrastructure maintenance and emergency access within the park.

Due to environmental and fisheries timing constraints, the available construction window closes in mid-September.

As a result, the trail project can no longer realistically proceed this year and will likely be deferred until 2027.

The delay may also affect the timing and delivery of other planned improvements within the park, including restoration and enhancement work in the Jack Hames Side Channel in partnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), future bridge replacement, stairway repairs and other environmental and infrastructure projects.

The City acknowledges the strong community interest in Bear James Park and says it will use this time to review the full range of planned park improvements and access requirements before determining next steps, recognizing that long-term access solutions involve environmental, operational, legal, engineering and geotechnical considerations.

Further updates will be provided as the review progresses.

For more information, visit the project page at City of Courtenay.