Still sharp: Meet the 92-year-old meat cutter carving out a legacy in P.E.I.
Posted on: Aug 31, 2025 14:30 IST | Posted by: Cbc
They say eld is simply a list, and Mervin MacPhee agrees.
When it comes to how he feels, he's almost 59. When it comes to what his nascence certificate says, he's 92.
You'd be forgiven for being surprised by the number. After all, MacPhee still goes into work every day at MacPhee's Meats in Clyde River, about 15 minutes west of Charlottetown. He can often be found at the butcher's block, cutting steaks and roasts for Islanders, if he's not on the road making deliveries.
"You know, it's great to get up in the morning at my age and put my foot on the floor and say, boy, I've got something to do," MacPhee said.
He is the second of four generations to work in the abattoir, and learned the business at his father's hand.
"I remember holding the lantern when we were butchering the cattle, you see. I remember that," MacPhee said. "He was the greatest man to work with."
MacPhee's father started the business in 1935, after returning to the Island from Saskatchewan as the Depression hit and farming got tough. The abattoir has been selling Island beef and pork to commercial and residential customers ever since.
While there have been some hard years at MacPhee's Meats, MacPhee attributes the business' longevity, in part, to his father.
"He was such a respectable man."
MacPhee said things operate pretty smoothly among the three generations who work at the shop these days.
"We don't argue," he said, but added: "I'll come in some days and they know I'm grumpy."
His favourite part of the job is doing custom cuts.
"I'm as good, if not better, than some of them at boning," he said, referring to the process of cutting the meat into specific cuts and portions. "I'm so happy that I can do it."
MacPhee has watched the business change over the years, from the advancement in coolers and refrigeration methods to the way people buy meat.
"See, in my time, they used to, they'd probably get quarters of meat a lot then, you know, and it's altogether different," he said. "Like them coming in and buying, 'Okay, I want two striploin steaks' or 'I want some of this here' that I don't know the first thing about."
MacPhee's wife passed away about a year ago, and while he said he could "go any time," he's not in a rush — because he's still got things to do down here.
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