Hiring Guides, Contracts & Permits
Looking to hire a guide for a Section trip? We can help! The ACC can support your Section in hiring guides, managing their contracts, and getting them onto national and provincial park permits — making the process smoother and less time-consuming for volunteers.
What We Can Help With
- Contracts — We have ready-to-use templates for both apprentice and full guide contracts, so you don't need to draft one from scratch.
- Guide recommendations — We can connect you with recommended guides based on the specific activity your Section is planning.
- Guide type advice — Not sure what kind of guide you need? We can advise on the different types of guides and which is the right fit for your trip.
- BC Parks permits — If your activity is happening in the park based out of the hut with a guide, the ACC holds a permit for that area and can add your guide to it.
- Western Canada national parks — If your Section's activity is taking place in a national park, guides need a permit to ensure they're properly covered. We can add your guide to the ACC's existing permit upon request.
- Crown land applications — We can offer advice and guidance if your Section is applying to use crown land.
- Cooks and porters in the Rockies — We can help arrange additional support staff for trips in this region.
What We Can't Help With
Our reach is more limited when it comes to parks and permits east of Alberta. If your Section is planning activities in that region, feel free to reach out anyway — we'll see where we can help.
When Does Your Guide Need a Permit?
A guide needs a permit whenever they are guiding in a national or provincial park. They can either:
- Hold their own individual permit, or
- Be added to the ACC's existing permit upon request
When Do You Not Need a Permit?
If a guide is acting strictly as a volunteer leader for the Section and is not being paid for their service, whether in or out of the park, a permit is not required.
Not needing a permit doesn't automatically mean insurance coverage looks the same. A paid guide is covered under the ACC's CGL insurance via Endorsement 7 only if formally engaged by the ACC or Section for that specific event, while an unpaid volunteer leader is covered as a vetted volunteer instead. See Insurance & Liability for the details.
Getting Started
Reach out to sections@alpineclubofcanada.ca to:
- Request access to contract templates
- Ask questions about the hiring process
- Learn more about permits, guide recommendations, or crown land applications
Related articles
- Trip Planning Overview — what makes a trip ACC-sanctioned, and why guide-led trips still register through the section
- Insurance & Liability — how a paid guide is covered under Endorsement 7 versus an unpaid volunteer leader