Expedite Your Certification
The ACSKG's volunteer evaluation committee gives priority to applications and renewals that clearly follow the steps outlined here:
- Apply and renew early
There is no need for recertifying guides to wait until you have renewed your first aid or CPR certificates.
For details see: ACSKG Certificates
- The ACSKG's active administration period is from October 1st to May 31st. The best time to apply or renew is between November and April. When you apply early, the evaluation committee will have the time to process your certificate. If you apply late, the volunteer committee members will likely be busy preparing for their own guiding season, or they may already be offline for extended periods.
- The ACSKG's administration goes "dormant" from June 1st to September 30th. A $50 surcharge is required to process a recertification during the dormant period. There is no surcharge for new ACSKG guides, though there may be processing delays from June through September.
- Pre-apply
If your first aid, CPR or ROC-M course is scheduled during the summer, please pre-apply well before June with all the other required documents and payment. The ACSKG issues successful applicants with conditional certificates that will become valid for guiding when presented with updated first aid, CPR or ROC-M certificates. Summertime renewals and applications may be significantly delayed if no pre-application has been submitted. Contact us for details.
- Gather all the required documents and send them attached to a single email. (If you attach items to numerous emails, it takes us longer to sort them out and process them.)
- Please apply and renew entirely online; it's much faster than postal mail. (Using postal mail could delay your certificate by ten weeks or more.) Ensure your application form and guide log are completed correctly, signed, then scanned or photographed and emailed to the ACSKG. (You can use a smart phone to photograph and email the completed forms.)
- Include digital copies of your current wilderness first aid, CPR and VHF radio operators certificates.
First aid & CPR certificates must indicate expiry dates.
Wilderness First Aid & CPR Requirements
- Pay your annual dues online: acskg.ca/payments
We require full payment before starting to process an application; please don't ask us to review your application before paying the certification fee (and the dormant fee if you are recertifying late). If we can not issue you a certificate, we will provide a full refund.
The ACSKG's administration goes "dormant" from June 1st to September 30th. A $50 surcharge is required to process a recertification during the dormant period. There is no surcharge for new ACSKG guides, though there may be processing delays from June through September.
- Optimize your scans, photos and digital copies for internet delivery. Please take a moment to reduce the file size of each document you send to us via email; if attachments are very large, our email server may reject them. We may be collecting emails via a remote internet system with very limited data capabilities.
We require clearly legible documents, preferably less than 400 KB per document or photo. To really speed things up, insert all your documents into one multi-page PDF file no larger than 6 MB.
- Submit all your documents correctly rotated (upright, not sideways). This becomes particularly important if you are submitting documents during the ACSKG administration's "dormant" period - from June 1st to September 30th. Incorrectly rotated documents are processed last.
To request a "rush" on your certificate, please follow the above steps and type Expedite Request into the subject of your email. The ACSKG administrator will open those emails first.
Following the above steps is particularly important if you want to obtain certification during the ACSKG administration's "dormant" period - from June 1st to September 30th. During this period, the administrator may be online for only a few minutes every several weeks. If your application is incomplete or requires additional work by the administrator, the dormant period processing delay may be significant.
ACSKG Certificates
Every legitimate ACSKG guide will hold a valid ACSKG certificate with an expiry date. ACSKG certificates expire on December 31st each year.
Guides are encouraged to renew ACSKG certification as early as possible each year, even if your first aid or CPR certificates expire part-way through the year. Recertifying guides with expiring first aid or CPR will be issued a "conditional" ACSKG certificate:
Conditional ACSKG certificates are valid for guiding only when presented with approved first aid and CPR certificates. However, conditional ACSKG certificates are entirely valid for all other membership privileges, including voting and pro deals.
To later receive an unconditional ACSKG certificate, simply email us your updated approved first aid & CPR certificates once you renew them.
This system ensures that ACSKG certificates that are valid for guiding are only held by those with current approved wilderness first aid and CPR. It also provides guides the opportunity to renew their ACSKG certification as early as possible each year - thus avoiding the long processing delays that can occur from June through September.
Additionally, guides with "conditional" ACSKG certificates can take part in shaping the policy and standards of the ACSKG, as well as participate in our Pro Deal Program.
The ACSKG provides certificates via email. To ensure your spam filter accepts the email, add info@acskg.ca to your safe sender list. Once you receive your certificate, back it up; if you lose your certificate between June and September it may be several weeks before we are able to email you a replacement.
Please contact us if you have any questions.