Oh oh... DAN in Quebec

[abnfrog]

yes interesting that an instructor trainer 30 + year instructor has to show I can recover a reg and clear my mask ....

 

[Ben_3]

I might have missed something.. When I did my padi dive cert, a week after they asked if I wanted an fqas permit. I just filled out a form and had to pay the fee. That was about it.
I do know having the fqas permit covers the diver with some kind of insurance.. and now they run a dive op out of Les Escoumins.

 

[shoredivr]

I might have missed something.. When I did my padi dive cert, a week after they asked if I wanted an fqas permit. I just filled out a form and had to pay the fee. That was about it.
I do know having the fqas permit covers the diver with some kind of insurance.. and now they run a dive op out of Les Escoumins.

Ben_3 you are located in QC correct? As I understand it since you trained in and live in QC acquiring the FQAS permit is as you describe.

Those of us living elsewhere have this extra expense of hiring a DM to make an evaluation dive of mask clear etc etc before receiving the FQAS permit.

 

[rjack321]

Given that insurance is a provincial area of control, Quebec has likely set a requirement that can only be met by a Quebec based corporation. DAN probably needs to find a Quebec based partner but the economics of it are not viable.
Either that or they are requiring DAN insurance to be translated into French and its just not worth it for DAN.

Why does it matter? Canada will cover your hyperbaric treatments (in theory) anywhere right?

 

[Jcp2]

Not true. Each province has different rules.

Health care services covered outside of Alberta

 

[Ben_3]

Ben_3 you are located in QC correct? As I understand it since you trained in and live in QC acquiring the FQAS permit is as you describe.

Those of us living elsewhere have this extra expense of hiring a DM to make an evaluation dive of mask clear etc etc before receiving the FQAS permit.

Ok, but I do wonder how this assures for safer divers? Those living in or out of qc go through the same agency courses to the same standards. So why only test some.. It’s not like we are better divers than anywhere else.

 

[shoredivr]

Ok, but I do wonder how this assures for safer divers? Those living in or out of qc go through the same agency courses to the same standards. So why only test some.. It’s not like we are better divers than anywhere else.

IMO it doesn’t.

There were some fatalities in QC a number of years ago, likely a part of the fatal chains of events were the divers not being familiar with cold water with drysuit/thick wetsuit.

The Qc government got involved and created a panel to come up recommendations to prevent further fatalities. I don’t remember if the people on the panel were divers or in the dive industry. The recommendation of that govt panel was to create the FQAS.

Now they could have recommended that divers familiar only with warm water diving visit the local scuba shop or independent instructor for extra training. Or they could have recommended nothing at all.

But no, they came up with the FQAS, which means technically every non-Quebecois(e) who wants to dive in QC, no matter how much cold water experience they have elsewhere, go through a dive with an assessor and pay for that, plus pay for the FQAS permit which expires every couple of years.

To me it’s a cautionary tale for those who say there should be more regulation in diving.

 

[Blue Quaker]

FQAS was around long before the chief coroner came up with the diver permit recommendations. It had functioned in a similar manner to OUC in Ontario. The provincial police refused to enforce the recommendations so it was offered to the FQAS. Up till that time the FQAS had enjoyed some funding from the province...funding was cut and replaced with the collection of fees for the permits.... or so I am told.

 

[shoredivr]

FQAS was around long before the chief coroner came up with the diver permit recommendations. It had functioned in a similar manner to OUC in Ontario. The provincial police refused to enforce the recommendations so it was offered to the FQAS. Up till that time the FQAS had enjoyed some funding from the province...funding was cut and replaced with the collection of fees for the permits.... or so I am told.

First time I’ve heard that, thanks for the update.

 

[Blue Quaker]

I got this email today...


Feb. 12 at 9:20 p.m.​

To:

Dear Norman,

Recently you may have heard that DAN dive accident insurance plans are currently unavailable in Quebec. Unfortunately, this true. While we work to reinstate coverage to address this issue, it is important that you know where we are today.

• DAN Membership: Divers in all 13 provinces and territories of Canada can enjoy the benefits of DAN membership. DAN members receive up to US$150,000 in emergency medical evacuation assistance, access to our 24/7 emergency hotline and medical information line and TravelAssist benefits.

• DAN Dive Accident Insurance Outside of Quebec: DAN members can purchase dive accident insurance with their DAN membership. Outside of Quebec, members in Canada can choose from the Master, Preferred and Guardian dive accident insurance plans. Coverage is available to members age 12 and older.

• DAN Dive Accident Insurance in Quebec: DAN dive accident insurance is currently unavailable in Quebec due to insurance regulations in the province that are outside of DAN’s control. While this does not affect existing coverage, it will affect current DAN members who wish to renew their policies as well as prospective DAN members seeking to purchase dive accident insurance policies for the first time. DAN is working on a solution to serve our members in Quebec, and we will provide an update as soon as this situation changes.

If you have questions about your DAN membership or dive accident insurance options, please call DAN Member Services at +1 (919) 684-2948, Option 3, or go to DAN.org.

Thank you for your support of Divers Alert Network.

The DAN Team