From 1942 to 1944, the Courtenay River Slough was used to moor the several assault craft used in Combined Operations training and was only one of two sites of its kind in Canada. Currently used as a government dock, the Courtenay Slough reflects the presence of the federal government in the City.
The term slough (pronounced “slew”) is typically used to describe wetlands along the edges of rivers form where the old channel of the river once flowed. These areas are also referred to as oxbows because they tend to form at a bend in the old river bed, making them look like the horns of an ox when viewed from the air.
The Courtenay River Slough is a quiet, backwater part of the Comox estuary, where freshwater flows from the Courtenay River and runoff from land mix with salty ocean water transported upstream by the tides.
