Date: March 3, 2000
Subject: RAQI Bulletin # 00-03

Montreal, March 3, 2000

Here is the much awaited news as announced by Industry Canada

Rationalization of Amateur Radio Service (starting April 1, 2000)

By way of an initiative to rationalize the administrative procedures of the Amateur Radio Service and to reduce duplication, Industry Canada will change the regulations as has already been mentioned in the discussion paper circulated last year. A new Amateur Radio operator's certificate will now be the only document required to operate a radio. It will replace the traditional Amateur Radio licence and the operator's centificate. Radio Amateurs will no longer be obliged to pay administrative fees nor annual renewal fees. They will have to advise Industry Canada in case of changes of their mailing address.

A new certificate, in portrait format, will be sent to each holder of an Amateur Radio licence. All of the call signs held by Amateurs will be listed on the new certificate. Amateur Radio Clubs will receive a registration identifying the call signs issued to the club under the trustee's account.

Radio Amateurs who are not holders of a licence before March 31, 2000 may now request a call sign. They will not have to pay for the call sign; however, additional or special requests will now cost 60$.

If Amateurs change from one call sign district to another they will have to change their call sign but no fee will be charged for changes of this nature. Also, it will not cost an Amateur to change his mailing address.

To obtain more information on the subject of the new rationalized procedure Amateurs can contact the Amateur Radio Service Centre of Industry Canada at spectrum.amateur@ic.gc.ca.

73,
Daniel A. Lamoureux, VE2KA
President, RAQI.

Translation into English; James R. Hay, VE2VE, President, MARC.

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