Services Provided

The Central and Arctic Region arranges for the establishment, discontinuance and/or maintenance of short and long range aids to navigation, to reliably increase safe navigation for public use in waters where justified by the type and volume of traffic.

These activities, using a wide variety of supporting organizations are carried out during the designated navigation season for charted and uncharted waters in the Arctic, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario including the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and other inland waters and non-commercial waterways as defined in Marine Navigation Services Directive Volume 2 - Marine Aids directives (TP 8164).

The services entail:

• Provision and maintenance of approx. 8500 short–range floating and fixed aids to navigation sites of buoys, light piers, lighthouses, ranges and/or radar beacons (RACONS).
• The long range aid to navigation system enhancement of the Differential Global Positioning System that work to assist mariners in determining their position, avoiding hazards and making landfall.
• Distribution of information describing the Canadian Aids to Navigation System.
• Provision and distribution of information on the operation of, or changes to, aids to navigation to alert the mariner and allow for chart corrections and amendments to nautical publications.
• Provision of system review, design and equipment advice and information to any group or individual wishing to establish private aids to navigation and distributing a booklet (pdf*) identifying the related regulations, responsibilities and guidelines to the establishment and maintenance of private aids to navigation.
• Ensuring compliance with national standards and removing any private buoys that interfere with safe navigation.

In accordance with international agreements with the United States, the Canadian Coast Guard provides Loran-C coverage on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.

Detailed information on the operation of and/or changes to, specific aids to navigation is communicated to mariners through a Notice to Shipping broadcast by Coast Guard Marine Radio Stations. This information is also published in Notice to Mariners (notmar).

For more information, contact a local Aids to Navigation team member.

* To view or print the PDF file, you will require the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. This reader is free and will integrate into your browser to support reading pdf files on-line.