2020 Mile of Flowers Plant-In Cancelled

The Mile of Flowers Plant-In, a Courtenay tradition since 1967, has been cancelled for 2020 due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The annual event typically draws hundreds of volunteers in late May, planting colourful seasonal blooms in roadside boulevards along Cliffe Avenue. The City has determined there is no way for the event to proceed that would meet physical distancing requirements and maintain the safety of volunteers and staff.

“This is just one more example of how COVID-19 has impacted our community,” notes Courtenay Mayor Bob Wells. “While we are sad this popular event will not take place this year, our priority will always be health and safety. I’d like to thank all the wonderful volunteers who have come out to this event in past years, and who were looking forward to the event next month. We will miss the flowers this year, but we have the power to add beauty to our community in other ways, through kindness and compassion.

“I am so proud of how our residents are coming together to support one another – our neighbours, our front line workers and first responders, and our small businesses. Together, we will emerge from this crisis stronger than ever.”

During the province-wide state of emergency, the City of Courtenay is focussed on maintaining essential levels of service in parks. Cliffe Avenue garden beds typically filled with flowers will instead be covered in a layer of mulch to limit weed growth.

The City of Courtenay is participating in a regional Emergency Operations Centre along with representatives from the DND/19-Wing Comox, K'ómoks First Nation, Comox Valley Regional District,  Town of Comox, Village of Cumberland, Fire Chiefs Association, and many other external agencies and organizations to collaborate on COVID-19 response measures and best practices for the region.

Residents are encouraged to please follow the CVRD social media channels @comoxvalleyrd on Facebook and Twitter, as well as visiting the CVRD website www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/covid19 to remain up to date on accurate information. All Comox Valley local governments are centralizing regional COVID-19 information through these channels. The Emergency Operations Centre is standing by to support the lead agencies, Ministry of Health and Island Health, if requested at the federal and provincial level.