Don’t have a 20-year dock license yet?
Further to our collective success in securing grandfathering for all private docks and/or boathouses in the water on July 31, 2024, all you need to do is:
- Self-register your dock and/or boathouse by clicking here. This takes 5 minutes - no measurements or photos are required. You must self register to get a license.
- If your dock/boathouse is not deemed to be derelict, you will within a few weeks receive a license offer communication from the government requesting a drawing, photos and a few other details. Once you submit the requested information, a $1,000 security deposit (if not already on file) and a license fee of $1,668 for a dock or $3,336 for a boathouse you will receive a 20-year license within a few weeks.
Heritage Act Feedback
The WPC and many other groups strongly oppose many of the governments proposed amendments to the BC Heritage Act, which will greatly increase administration and expenses for private landowners.
WPC Feedback Letter | ICBA Feedback Letter
Read the BC Government technical policy paper on feedback here.
Strata & Marina Docks Update
In response to recent WPC inquiries, WPC board members recently met with WRLS management who assured us that dock/boathouse licensing for Strata and Marinas is coming soon. We’ll share more details as they become available.
The Commercial and Group Moorage Committee submitted a letter requesting an update to WLRS on March 19, 2026.
Sunshine Coast Styrofoam Pickup
The new Dock Management Plan and 20-year dock licenses require dock owners to replace unencapsulated styrofoam within 10 years (or sooner if the stryofoam is spalling). We are pleased to advise our members that the BC Government, in partnership with shishalh Nation and the Ocean Legacy Foundation, is supporting free disposal of polystyrene foam for docks and boathouses.
Drop-off events are being planned in select areas in the lower Sunshine Coast in summer 2026, with specific locations to be announced soon. Stay tuned for further developments.
Find out more here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2026WLRS0021-000425
Contact Ocean Legacy to coordinate disposal: https://oceanlegacy.ca
Southern Gulf Islands Dock Update
After a multi-year moratorium, dock license processing will resume in summer 2026, following completion of the Strategic Management Plan. Thank you to all members of the Gulf Island Coalition for their ongoing advocacy efforts. More information is available here.
Fresh Water Dock Update
The Fresh Water Study is underway, with future discussions still to be held regarding docks and boathouses. Meanwhile, the building moratorium remains in place in fresh water.
Salmon Fishing Rights in Danger
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) are moving to end the "Common Property" principle that ensures salmon belong to all Canadians. By removing this, the DFO threatens to permanently eliminate public access to Chinook and Coho fisheries. This isn’t just about fishing - it's an attack on BC’s billion-dollar recreational economy and 9,000 B.C. fishing jobs.
Although consultations have ended, this issue is not over. DFO says feedback is still informing upcoming decisions, and the Salmon Allocation Policy review is continuing. Public pressure still matters.
Contact your MP and Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson today: DFO.Minister-Ministre.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Visit bcwf.bc.ca/salmon for more information. We can make a difference!
Dock License Celebration
Send in your photos of your license on your dock and we may feature you on a future publication. Thank you to everyone who has already sent in photos. We love seeing them, and it makes the work we do as volunteers worth it!
