Guided business licences

Waterton Lakes National Park

• General information

  Anyone wishing to operate a guided / outfitter activity in a national park in Canada is required to apply to Parks Canada for a business licence. “Business” is defined as any trade, industry, employment, occupation, activity or special event carried on in a park or on Parks Canada-administered lands or waters outside of a park, for profit, gain, fund raising or commercial promotion, and includes an undertaking carried on in a park by a charitable organization, or by an organization or individual on a non-profit basis.

  An individual who provides guiding services in natural/cultural areas of interest or provide local knowledge, technical skill and leadership to allow clients to participate in various day or overnight activities. A guide does not typically outfit their clients with equipment and/or supplies. A guide may be the business licence holder or be the employee of a business licence holder.

  An outfitter is a company that holds the business licence and will hire qualified guides to conduct trips on their behalf, under their company name. The owner/operator of the outfitting company may also work as a qualified guide. The company may outfit clients with equipment and/or supplies.

  Guided business licences are generally issued for the following activities:

  • hiking tours
  • road biking tours
  • backpacking tours
  • interpretive walks
  • guided mountaineering
  • guided ski touring
  • guided cross-country ski touring
  • guided horseback tours
  • rafting tours
  • angling guides
  • scuba diving
  • stand-up paddleboard
  • outfitting
  • all wilderness related tours and guided programs

   

  Please note that you may also be required to apply for a Basic Business Licence, depending on the nature of your business.

• Application process

  Anyone wishing to operate a guided^{Footnote 1} / outfitter^{Footnote 2} activity in a national park in Canada is required to apply to Parks Canada for a business licence. “Business” is defined as any trade, industry, employment, occupation, activity or special event carried on in a park or on Parks Canada-administered lands or waters outside of a park, for profit, gain, fund raising or commercial promotion, and includes an undertaking carried on in a park by a charitable organization, or by an organization or individual on a non-profit basis.

  The following procedure is for new guided/outfitter activity activity businesses wanting to operate in a national park. It is not applicable if you are seeking a replacement licence. A separate application form is available for this purpose. Please contact your local Parks Canada office for further information on this process. All employees that will be conducting Guided Trips will be required to obtain a Guide Identification Card (see “Guide Identification Application Form Part IV”) and carry this card at all times while guiding. The form and procedure are appended to this document.

  A separate application is available if you are seeking licensing as a new business in any other area other than guided/outfitter activities. We ask that you contact your local Parks Canada office to obtain the application form.

  1. Application: How to apply for a licence to conduct a guided or outfitter activity in a national park

  1. Complete the Guided/Outfitter Activity Business Licence application form in full. Detailed information is necessary for Parks Canada to conduct an accurate evaluation of your application. If sufficient details are not provided, we will be unable to complete a review of your application.
  
  
  2. Submit the completed application form, including all requirements in the documentation checklist.
     Completed applications can be sent to:
     
     Guided Business Liaison, Mountain Parks
     Realty and Municipal Services
     Jasper National Park of Canada
     PO Box 10
     Jasper, Alberta T0E 1E0
     
      guidelicences-permispourguide@pc.gc.ca

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  2. Review: Parks Canada review process of a Guided/Outfitter Activity Business Licence application

  1. Receipt of Application: On receipt of your application, Parks Canada will review your submission for completion. Incomplete applications may be returned to you to provide further information or documentation.
  • Summer applications must be submitted prior to September 1. (For the purpose of this application process, summer is defined as April 1 to October 31.)
  • Winter applications must be submitted prior to March 1. (For the purpose of this application process, winter is defined as November 1 to March 31.)
  
  
  2. Review/Evaluation: All applications will be evaluated and a recommendation for approval or denial will be forwarded to the Field Unit Superintendent, who makes the final decision based on this recommendation. Applicants will be contacted in the time frames indicated below. This review period recognizes the need for timely review in order to allow businesses to operate in the season following their application.
  • Park personnel will review summer applications and will contact proponents by December 1.
  • Park personnel will review winter applications and will contact applicants by June 1.

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  3. Decision: Field Unit Superintendent’s decision

  1. If the guided/outfitter activity business licence is approved: your business licence will be issued and become valid for the summer or winter season following approval. Any/all conditions imposed on the licence will be clearly defined and appended. The term of the licence cannot exceed one year and will expire on March 31 following the date of issuance.
     
     If, at any time during the term of your licence, the parameters under which you are operating your business change, such as sale or transfer of the business, change in name or location, change to the nature of the business, or additions to the business, you must inform Parks Canada immediately.
  
  
  2. If the guided/outfitter activity business licence is denied: you will be advised, in writing, of the reason(s) for the decision in as timely a manner as possible.
     
     You will be notified of the decision in the manner that you have indicated in Part II of the “Guided/Outfitter Activity Business Licence Application”.

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  4. Payment: If the application is approved, applicable fees for a Guided/Outfitter Activity Business Licence

  Detailed fees list

  While payment is not required until a determination is made on your application, payment for each activity will be payable prior to issuance of a guided/outfitter activity business licence.

  Footnotes

  Footnote 1

  Guide: An individual who provides guiding services in natural/cultural areas of interest or provide local knowledge, technical skill and leadership to allow clients to participate in various day or overnight activities. A guide does not typically outfit their clients with equipment and/or supplies. A guide may be the business licence holder or be the employee of a business licence holder.

  Return to footnote 1 referrer

  Footnotes

  Footnote 2

  Outfitter: A company that holds the business licence and will hire qualified guides to conduct trips on their behalf, under their company name. The owner/operator of the outfitting company may also work as a qualified guide. The company may outfit clients with equipment and/or supplies.

  Return to footnote 2 referrer

• Application form

  Mountain National Parks - Guided Application Form (October 2024) (PDF, 1 MB)

  Fillable pdf application form for new guided/outfitter activity businesses wanting to operate in a national park.

• Additional resources

  Activity Table Template (PDF, 166 KB)

  Fillable pdf of a blank activity table (appendix B).

  Emergency Response Plan Guide (PDF, 367 KB)

  Required information for Emergency Response Plan submission.

  Blank Emergency Response Plan Template (Microsoft Word, 574 KB)

  
  

  Trails not requiring a Guided Business Licence (April 2024) (PDF, 103 KB)

  A list of areas and trails in the Mountain National Parks where it is not required to have a Guided Business Licence. Notwithstanding, it is still required to have a Basic Business Licence to operate in the Mountain National Parks.

  Areas, Trails and Activities with Restrictions (Document currently under review)

  
  

  Custodial groups

  A “custodial group” means a group affiliated with an institution, where at least one person is below the age of majority and that minor is not in the company of his/her parent or legal guardian. Institutional groups include (but are not limited to) school groups, Scout/Guide groups, church groups, cadet groups and community youth groups.
  
  For more information, please visit the custodial groups webpage.