Government Directory

Here are links to other sites we found interesting. Enter at your own risk! Please let us know if external (green) links don't work.

Transport Service Canada Fisheries Industry Canada/U.S. U.S.A. Provinces

1. Government of Canada Phone 1-800-622-6232. Find local government offices in the Blue Pages of your telephone directory.
2. Marine Services On-line for recreational boaters, commercial operators, and marine infrastructure/commerce (Public Works and Government Services Canada appears to duplicate Transport Canada's information)
3. Safety and Security for Canadians - Canadian Government portal has travel tips and border information.
4. Public Safety Portal - includes Recreation, Boating Safety
5. Canadian Tourism Commission
6. Border Crossing (Canada/U.S.) - U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)
7. Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), an agency of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (PSEP). Formerly Revenue Canada: Customs and immigration (2003).
   • Information for Visitors to Canada (document RC4161) 1-800-461-9999
   • Directory of offices by province
   • Border & Customs Info-line 1-800-461-9999 (toll-free)
   • Entry to Canada reporting: 1-888-226-7277
   • Boat licensing 1-800-461-9999 / 506-636-5064
   • For travel outside Canada, check on requirements for identification, purchases, duty, etc.
   • NEXUS Program (nexus.gc.ca) joint Canada/U.S. card for pre-approved, low-risk Canada/US border crossing. Application (RC4209) requires fingerprinting and biometrics. $80 fee/5 years (eligible children free) 1-866-NEXUS-26 / 1-866-639-8726
   • designated Canadian Nexus sites  (Binational: Border Crossing)
   • CANPASS - Private Boats Extending Border Services for entering Canada. 1-888-CAN-PASS / 1-888-226-7277 Canpass Reporting Sites (2002 CANPASS Pacific ports)
   • Buying a new or used boat
8. Canada Revenue Agency (formerly Canada Customs and Revenue Agency)
   • Going south - forms, publications, tax considerations, customs, travel medicine, currency restrictions, " Canadian Residents Going Down South " (booklet P151)
9. British Columbia Taxpayer Services Information Line (importing a boat): 604-660-4524, Toll-free Canada: 1-877-388-4440
10. Passport Canada - required for travel to the U.S.A. by land/water/air by June 2009.
11. Citizenship and Immigration Canada 1-800-255-4541
12. Federal publications (416) 860-1611 (Toronto, ON)
    • Canadian Boating publications
    • Charts
13. Canadian Beacon Registry - to register emergency positioning indicator radio beacons (EPIRBs) 1-800-727-9414
14. Natural Resources Canada
    • Space Weather - Geomagnetic Field warnings (613) 992-1299
    • Atlas of Canada - Lakes/Rivers - Ontario

Service Canada

1. Service Canada - licenses, passports
2. Office locations
3. Pleasure Craft Licensing Toll-free: 1-800-622-6232
4. Vessel Registration Toll-free: 1-877-242-8770

Parks Canada

1. Parks Canada - heritage canals and marine parks
   • St. Lawrence Islands National Park (613) 923-5261 ont.sli@pc.gc.ca Park Superindendant, Gord Giffin
   • Rideau Canal - 1-800-230-0016  Smiths Falls, ON (613)283-5170
   • Rideau Canal: National Historic Site of Canada
   • Georgian Bay Islands National Park
   • Gulf Islands National Park Reserve
   • Fathom Five National Marine Park
   • Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park
2. Foreign Affairs and International Trade - current conditions in any country 1-800-267-6788 / (613) 944-6788
   • Consular Affairs - essential travel information, country profiles, travel warnings, current political problems, emergency services.
3. Health Canada distributes travel health information for foreign countries
   • Travel Health - Public Health Agency of Canada
4. Canada Gazette - may be the only place you will see proposed regulation concerning pleasure boating before it becomes law.
5. Dept. of Justice Laws - Code, Acts and Regulations
   • The Criminal Code of Canada
   • Contraventions Act
   • Canada Shipping Act, 2001
     • Small Vessel Regulations
     • Collision Regulations
     • Boating Restriction Regulations
     • Charts & Nautical Publications Regulations
     • Competency of Operators of Pleasure Craft Regulations
6. Canadian Consumer Information Gateway

Transport Canada (TC)

1. Transport Canada
2. Marine services - acts and regulations, federal waters, pollution prevention, marine navigation, harbours, shipping, registered boats, small boat safety.
3. Office of Boating Safety (formerly DFO) 1-800-267-6687 - recreational boating safety policy, Pleasure Craft Operators Card (PCOC) course providers, compliance plates, required safety equipment and fines, product recalls, publications, Safe Boating Guide TP 511.
4. Requirements for Foreign Recreational Boaters In Canadian Waters
5. Boatsmart Canada - lifejackets, PFDs, alcohol, hypothermia
6. Acts and Regulations
   • Canada Shipping Act, 2001 Jul/07 (see Justice Dept.)
7. Registrar of Imported Vehicle (RIV) Program 1-888-848-8240 safety standards for imported vehicles.
8. Transport Canada Marine Safety
   • Registration of Vessels 1-877-242-8770 (N.America)
9. National Search & Rescue Secretariat
10. Canadian Beacon Registry
11. Canadian Marine Advisory Council (CMAC) - consultative group. Marine safety, recreational boating, navigation, pollution, security 1-866-879-9902, (613) 998-7764
12. Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) - search & rescue, buoys, marine safety, marine environment,, marine safety communications Marine Communication and Traffic Services (MCTS), DGPS, water level data.
    • Canadian Coast Guard Info-line   1-800-267-6687
    • Marine Communications & Traffic Services - VHF, DSC, UHF, GPS, GMDSS, Radio Aids to Navigation, radio-telephone, marine medical service
    • Radio Aids to Navigation (RAMN) - marine telephone service. (RAMN updates: Hydrographic Services/NOTMAR)
    • Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centres (JRCC) - Search & Rescue (SAR) - coordinates Coast Guard & National Defence operations.
    • "How to report a Maritime SAR incident"
    • SAR regions
    • Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary - assists CCG with rescue and boater education (NPO/registered charity)
    • Rescue Centre Contact Information
      

      SAR Phone Numbers
      Pacific Coast	Victoria	1-800-567-5111	1-250-363-2333
      Pacific Coast	Victoria	1-800-567-5111	1-250-363-2333
      St. Lawrence River	Quebec	1-800-463-4393	1-418-648-3599
      Great Lakes and Arctic	Trenton	1-800-267-7270	1-613-965-3870
      Newfoundland/Labrador	St. John’s	1-800-563-2444	1-709-772-5151
      Maritimes Coast	Halifax	1-800-565-1582	1-902-427-8200

Fisheries & Oceans (DFO)

1. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO): Hydrographic Services, regulation of fish stocks.
   • Fisheries Act
2. Canadian Coast Guard - now in Transport Canada
3. Marine Environmental Data Service (DFO MEDS)
   Canada's Oceanographic Data Center - sea temperatures, chemistry, tides, water levels
4. SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Equipment and Safety information (613) 998-0664 (Ottawa)
5. Canadian Hydrographic Service (DFO CHS) - official marine navigation charts and publications
   • Canadian Hydrographic Service Charts
   • NOTMAR (CHS) distributes Notice to Mariners chart updates, List of Lights, Buoys & Fog Signals and Notices to Shipping (613) 998-4931, (613) 998-4932
   • CHS purchased Maptech software for Canadian raster charts in the BSB format. CHS also sells digital charts in ENC format. TEL: (613) 998-4931 EML: CHSInfo@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
6. WATER LEVELS:
   • Tides, currents, Water levels (CHS) - click on maps to view hourly water levels 1-877-775-0790 (Kingston, Brockville)
   • "Level News" (EC) - Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River water levels
     • Monthly Water Level Bulletin - charts for 3 years, forecasts, averages
   • Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Weekly Water Level Bulletin (DFO) - weekly, monthly and yearly statistics
   • See our Voice-announcing water level gauges & Telephone water level announcements - current water levels on the Great Lakes and upper St. Lawrence River.
   • Great Lakes Levels News (GLIN) - Real-Time Water Level Gauges (binational Great Lakes Commission)
   • Great Lakes water levels (U.S.)

Industry Canada (IC)

1. Industry Canada - information about boating industry, manufacturers, sales, equipment, accessories, statistics, tourism, trade
2. Recreational Boat Industry
   • Boat Building Stats
3. Spectrum Management web services - National Maritime Information Database (NMID)
4. Radiocommunications and Broadcasting Regulatory Branch Tel: (613)990-4747 Eml: Jones.Tom@ic.gc.ca
5. RBR-2 (was RIC-13): Technical Requirements for the operation of Mobile Stations in the Maritime Service (VHF)
6. Strategis - Canada's business site includes marine radio licensing and radio spectrum management. If links do not work, use the Strategis search.
   • Exemptions for ship radio licences, locations of Industry Canada offices to get a licence for your radio if you are travelling outside Canada/U.S.
   • Radio Spectrum Management and Telecommunications (613) 998-3693 Ottawa   Info-line  (613) 941-0222
   • RBR-2 Technical Requirements for the Operation of Mobile Stations in the Maritime Service (was RIC-13 Table of Transmitting Frequencies
   • Maritime Mobile Service Identities MMSI (VHF ship station licence)
   • Licences, Legislation and Regulations
   • Radiocommunication Information Circulars (RIC's)
   • RIC-13 / RBR-2: Technical Requirements for the Operation of Mobile Stations in the Maritime Service (VHF radio)

Canada/USA Bi-national

1. Border Crossing (Canada/U.S.)
   • U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)
   • NEXUS: Canadian Border Services Agency (Toll-free: 1-866-639-8726)
   • U.S.-Canada Transportation Border Working Group (TBWG)
2. Shiprider Project - RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and U.S. Coast Guard joint law enforcement along marine borders (encyclopedia.com)
3. Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN), which combines government and organizations from Canada and the U.S.A. provides levels from gauging stations (live):
   • Great Lakes current water levels
   • St. Lawrence River current water levels
   • Maps
4. International St. Lawrence River Board of Control lists daily water level measurements - "seems" to be part of the IJC (below)
5. International Joint Commission
   • Boundary Waters Treaty - IJC reports, orders of approval from 1914 to present
6. IWLC International Water Levels Coalition is a Canada/U.S. citizen alternative to the St. Lawrence River Board of Control dedicated to preserving the environmental and socioeconomic health of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence.
7. Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Seaway System
   • Pleasure Craft Guide - locking, brochures, lock schedules
   • Canadian lock regulations
   • U.S. Lock regulations in St. Lawrence Seaway

United States

1. U.S. Department of Homeland Security - includes border control, customs and immigration departments
2. U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) - protection of the borders, regulates how boats may enter and travel in the U.S. There are 317 (2000) official U.S. ports of entry 1-800-827-0851, (313) 226-3139
   • CBP Travel: Sea.
   • I-68 Canadian Border Boat Landing Program
   • Outlying Area Reporting Station (OARS)
3. U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS) - entering the U.S.
   • (313) 259-8560
   • (716) 447-3942 Buffalo district (NYS, Penn., Ohio).
   • 1-800-825-2851 New York, Lake Ontario, St. Lawrence entry ports
4. Great Lakes Cross Border Travel Tips for Recreational Boaters - by Northern Association of Boating Administrators (NABA), New York Sea Grant, and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.
5. U.S. Ports of Entry:
   • L. Ontario
   • East Coast
   • Washington
6. America's Waterway Watch - citizen security
7. U.S. Coast Guard - marine navigation systems, Boating Safety
   • U.S. Coast Guard Navigation: GPS
8. Canadian Embassy, Washington, DC
9. USDA Travellers Tips - food, animals, plants  (301) 734-8896
10. U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (NOAA) - weather advisories, climate, fisheries, coasts, satellites, charts
    • NOAA's Raster Navigational Charts RNCs™ (free)
11. U.S. Naval Observatory provides time and astronomical data by radio, phone & Web (clocks or voice broadcasts).
    • USNO Time Service
    • Time Broadcast (RAM) * requires RealAudio® player
    • Time Broadcast (MP3) * requires MPEG player
    • GPS Data
12. U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) - satellite navigation, GPS, WAAS (for airplanes)
13. U.S. National Institue of Science and Technology (NIST)
    • official U.S. Time
14. U.S. No-Discharge Zones (NDZs) Type I MSD treatment for sewage is NOT allowed
15. Center for Disease Control | West Nile Virus
16. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Zebra Mussels, Goby
17. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - has water levels for the Great Lakes
18. Elizabeth City Area Convention & Visitors Bureau - download "Cruise the Carolina Loop" boaters' guide to the Intracoastal Waterway from Norfolk to Elizabeth City (and back) with details of navigable miles, lock/bridge schedules, restaurants, etc. (1-866-324-8948)

Provincial Governments

Government of Canada list of provincial and territorial governments.

Ontario Government  

• Ontario Tourism: 1-800-668-2746 (Can./U.S. toll-free) (416)314-6557 (Toronto)

• St. Lawrence Parks Commission
• Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy
• Natural Resources Canada
• Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
  • Ontario Fishing
  • New 2009 Fishing regulations
  • Fees: Ontario Residents | Canadian residents
  • Licences & Outdoors Card
  • Outdoors Card Requirement for Non-Resident Anglers | Fees
  • Stop the Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species 1-800-563-7711