‘Lifetime’ boat licences expiring soon

The new year marks the beginning of the end for so-called “lifetime” licences for pleasure boats, with many owners in the Gulf Islands now looking at renewals with Transport Canada within the next three months.

Changes in Pleasure Craft Licence (PCL) regulations mean not only will boats with one or more motors adding up to a one-horsepower engine now only be able to be licensed for five years at a time, but starting at the end of 2027 those requirements will extend to wind-powered craft over six metres long.

The $24 fee — for a new, renewed, transferred or duplicate PCL — registers a boat’s unique identification number for five years, allowing emergency responders and law enforcement to quickly identify a boat’s owner, according to Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon, who said the revision will help tackle wrecked, hazardous and abandoned vessels by keeping ownership information accurate and up to date.

“Recreational boating is part of who we are as Canadians,” said MacKinnon. “By modernizing the pleasure craft licensing program, we’re strengthening marine safety, improving environmental protection and ensuring we have accurate information when it matters most.”

Current “lifetime” licences will gradually need to be replaced with licences that must be renewed every five years, according to Transport Canada; the first to come due will be any issued before Jan. 1, 1975, which will expire March 31, 2026. Licences issued between Jan. 1, 1975 and Dec. 31, 1985 will expire Dec. 31, 2026; those from Jan. 1, 1986 to Dec. 31, 1995 expire Dec. 31, 2027.

Licences issued between Jan. 1, 1996 and Dec. 31, 1999 expire Dec. 31, 2028; those issued between Jan. 1, 2000 and Dec. 31, 2005 expire at the end of 2029 and those issued between Jan. 1, 2006 and April 28, 2010 expire at the end of 2030.

A PCL is different from a Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC), which is more like a driver’s licence for a car.; PCLs are unnecessary if a boat is managed within the Canadian Register of Vessels title system, which issues certificates of registry also valid for five years.

Operating an unregistered or unlicensed vessel can incur fines.

The ministry confirmed boat owners who declare that they use a pleasure craft to exercise Section 35 treaty rights will not be required to pay the $24 service fee when renewing or registering for their PCL.

Applications for PCLs, payments of the new service fee and requests for fee exemptions can be completed on Transport Canada’s website. There is also a tool where people can check their licence expiry date by entering a licence number.