Welcome to British Columbia River Outfitters Association
Mandate
The BC River Outfitters Association is a not-for-profit Society registered in the Province of British Columbia. We are wholly supported through membership dues and operate with a volunteer board executive and staff.
The mandate of the BCROA is:
- To represent the interests of commercial river outfitters in discussions with government and other agencies;
- To promote a high standard of safety and operations in the river outfitter industry; and
- To initiate, organize and manage programs to improve the operations for outfitters.
The association will include and represent any commercial river-based operations as members that agree to operate at the BCROA standard. At the present time, membership is focused in the river rafting industry.
The federal and provincial governments have traditionally been involved in different levels of regulation for the river rafting component of our industry. In 2002, the provincial government repealed the Commercial River Rafting Safety Act in favour of the new federal regulations which came into effect in the spring of 2008. BCROA believes that the new federal standard is lower than those in effect in BC since 1988. The new federal regulations apply to all commercial operations that use inflatable rafts on moving water (including fishing guides and others).
After considering the shift from provincial to federal regulations, the BCROA members voted at our 2002 AGM to voluntarily continue to operate at a minimum standard that is higher than that of the rest of Canada. At the 2006 AGM the members approved a guide certificate program that exceeds the provincial and federal requirements and replaces interim and former government certifications.
AGMs are held in late September/early October of each year in Kamloops and are timed to coincide with joint government & industry meetings.
To find out more about how the BCROA maintains their high degree of operation practices and the high quality of their members, read our Best Management Practices Report. This document details the methods and practices designed by the BCROA to be acceptable to keep both the environment, their guides, and their clients safe.
For general information regarding rafting safety and responsibilities read our Rafting Safety bulletin.