As proposed last year, the LWRA is instituting a program to provide our members and their families with substantial savings on operator card testing. Bill Somers (Pallete) and Dwayne Verhey (Waseosa) have been approved as testing agents for our partner, Safetyafloat.
Transport Canada is tightening up the process. They are enforcing new rules about who can conduct the testing, where it can be conducted, and the procedures surrounding the testing. For example, the test can no longer be administered in the candidate's own home and the candidate must produce identification before taking the test -- photo ID for those over 16 or a birth certificate for younger candidates. Transport Canada have indicated they will also introduce a new set of tests sometime in the near future. The phase-in is almost over: everyone will need a PCOC or equivalent by September 1, 2009 to operate a power driven craft (including a sailboat with a motor).
Safetyafloat has an excellent website with all the materials you will need to study at http://www.safetyafloat.ca.
We are offering some courses to provide personal instruction for those who learn best with the assistance of a facillitator or those without internet access. We offered two such courses this past year and will be scheduling at least one next summer, date TBA. The fee for non-members is $45. LWRA Members and their families pay the discounted price of $25. We are liberal in the interpretation of the word "family", with the understanding that we mean the people who regularly visit you and are likely to be operating a power boat on one of our lakes (Ripple, Palette, Jessop and/or Waseosa). That excludes your third cousin once removed who needs directions to the lake because he's never been here before
Challenging the test: You do NOT have to take the course to get your card. You can study the material on-line starting with Module 1 (of 5) at http://www.safetyafloat.ca/train.php. There is no cost to challenge the test unless you pass. The fee is $25.00 per successful person, BUT, the LWRA will discount that to $15.00 per successful person for LWRA members and their families (as defined above).
We will not be setting specific dates for those who just want to challenge the test. You can arrainge that at your convenience by contacting either Bill Somers (705-788-2015) or myself (Dwayne Verhey, 705-788-3693) directly or via the contact form on the left. Bill is on Palette Lake and I am on Waseosa.
Note that new regulations require you to present photo ID (for those over 16 years) or a birth certificate (for those under 16 years). Please remember to bring your ID to the course or test!