The BC River Outfitters Association became a non profit society in 1999 to focus on commercial river rafting safety, guide certification and advocate for the river guiding industry. Prior to this ,the industry worked side by side with the Province of British Columbia in providing guide certification through provincial legislation.
In 2003, the federal government planned to introduce a national program replacing the provincial legislation. An interim guide certification program was provided while guides waited for the federal government to complete the program development. In the end, the federal government did not deliver the proposed licensing program leaving the province without a guiding framework.
This is where the BCROA stepped in. The BCROA companies approved a new guide licensing program that exceeded the provincial and federal government requirements. This means that BCROA members follow an established training framework t that focuses on guide and guest safety.
The new program was implemented in 2007 and we have been using this certification program since. BCROA trained guides are issued a recognized provincial level certificate.