Who We Are

Mission

Our mission is to mentor and support training professional Marine Guides in Canada in order to protect the public interest in safety and respect for our environment during marine based excursions and expeditions. The MGAC represents its members when dealing with official organisations and aims to strengthen cooperation and information sharing within the marine guide community.

Vision

To build a vibrant community of well trained, safe, and socially conscious Marine Guides in Canada.

Boating in Canada — What We Do

The Marine Guides Association of Canada is a community of professional guides working to the highest standards in the marine-tourism industry.
We protect the public interest by supporting training and advocating the highest standards of risk management for marine guides. By establishing industry standard best practices, we ensure that our members meet these standards through our ethical code, quality assurance process, and audited requirements for annual professional development.
Where We Work
Learn more about the extraordinary diversity between Canada’s Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic coastlines and find out what each region has to offer our national guiding network.

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Best Practices

The MGAC aims to establish a set of Best Practices and Code of Conduct to protect the public interest of safety and respect for our environment during marine based excursions and expeditions.

MGAC Guides are responsible for the safety of our guests, our colleagues and ourselves. We constantly strive to balance the delivery of adventurous experiences with the inherent risks in our environment. Through skills acquisition, careful planning, practical experience and ongoing evaluation we aim for the highest levels of professionalism to deliver enriching experiences safely and enjoyably.

In consultation with Indigenous partners, industry, and government, we are working to put these practices in place to safeguard both guests and guides and ensure the sustainability of marine guiding in Canada.

See Best Practices

Aims & Goals

To nurture and promote inclusivity within the marine guiding community.

To help validate, define and refine the profession of marine guiding.
To help establish and maintain an agreed upon set of core competencies and qualifications for marine guiding skills in Canada.
To build a collective knowledge base, inspire mentorship, and encourage cooperation and information sharing within the guide community.
To benefit operators by improving stability and consistency within the employment pool.
To promote a code of ethics that encourages safe, ecologically sensitive and culturally informed guiding practices.
To work with vocational educational institutions to develop professional development and affordable training programs for guides.
To be a proactive partner within the marine tourism industry, facilitating effective communication between marine guides and: operators, government agencies, First Nations, industry bodies, and other stakeholders and regulatory bodies.