Ontario Underwater Council
Mission
To promote the sport of scuba diving in Ontario through Safety, Advocacy, Cultural & Environmental Awareness, Self-governance, and Fun!
As the “de-Facto” Provincial Sports Organization, OUC is the public facing organization representing all divers in Ontario.
Why is this important? If the sport is unable to show that they are self-governing and active, then there is a significant potential that the Provincial Government will put in their own regulatory body. We have seen this happen in Quebec (FQAS), in other countries and even close to home in municipal government.
Advocacy (Voice of Ontario Divers)
At the Ontario Underwater Council we are committed to identifying, protecting, and promoting Ontario’s Underwater Cultural Heritage as well as the rights and privileges of divers. This section is dedicated to keeping you up to date on the developments of the Government on diving issues.
Often the Council is asked to speak on behalf of divers in Ontario in response to proposed government regulations that may affect scuba diving, be it at the municipal, provincial or national level. The OUC endeavors to engage as many interested parties in the process as feasible, coordinating the effort and drafting the response. The OUC is committed to maintaining diver access to sites, promoting safe diving practices and training, as well as safeguarding the environment.
Cultural & Environmental Awareness
What we can do to protect our underwater archaeological resources
OUC supports the Ministry’s site conservation philosophy. The policy is simple: “no artifact removal or disturbance”. The Ministry of Tourism and Culture considers marine archaeological assessments and mitigation of negative impacts to marine archaeological resources as necessities.
The Ministry of Tourism and Culture works closely with volunteer organizations such as the Ontario Underwater Council and Save Ontario Shipwrecks to stop the destruction of Ontario’s underwater cultural heritage sites through a balanced strategy of education and awareness, outreach and training programs and legislative regulation.
For more information about Ontario’s programs to protect Ontario’s marine heritage, please see the Ministry’s Marine Archaeology website or contact Ontario’s Marine Heritage Advisor.