About Us

The Prince George Canoe & Kayak Club is a Registered Non-Profit Society in British Columbia.

The club has a Board of Directors, NCCP Trained Coaches, and a dedicated, but small, pool of Volunteers that create the Magic to make the Mission Possible.

PGCKC Mission

• Develop, provide, promote, and encourage the recreational sport of canoe and kayak paddling primarily for children and youth who live in the Prince George, BC area.

• Provide the structure and opportunity for children and youth in Zone 8 to participate in the BC Summer Games

• Create opportunities for youth and other interested parties to develop skills as Program Assistants, Coaches, Officiants, and other roles in the Society

• Acquire, provide and maintain facilities and infrastructure, equipment, and other property for the pursuit of the Society’s goal of promotion of canoe and kayak paddling

• Practice conservation and preservation of the natural and developed waterways in the Prince George, BC area

• Encourage and foster, among its members and supporters, a community spirit

• Maintain membership in good standing with the Provincial Sport Organization, Canoe Kayak BC (CKBC)

Our History

• The PGCKC Club was started in 2012 by Mark H, his family and a group of other interested parents / paddlers. Mark was also instrumental in putting forward the application for the BC Summer Games Canoe & Kayak sport in PG. Mark ran the club from Ness Lake until 2017.

• In 2016 PGCKC attended the BC Summer Games in Maple Ridge competing in sprint and slalom.

• In 2018 Bini B and her family stepped up to run the club which had now moved to West Lake. PGCKC attended the BC Summer Games in Cowichan (Vancouver Island) competing in sprint and slalom.

• In 2020 COVID-19 shut down most sports, but kayaking was a sport a person could do and still maintain social distancing. In 2020, due to COVID-19, PGCKC lost the use of Camp Hughes (Scouts) and instead ran its programs from West Lake Provincial Park, which remained open to the public.

• In 2021 PGCKC was able to officially call West Lake Provincial Park their new home.

• In 2022 PGCKC hosted the BC Summer Games for Canoe Kayak with athletes from all over BC attending and competing in Sprint Canoe and Sprint Kayak. In addition, the sport of Canoe Polo (Kayak Polo) was demonstrated by volunteers from the Alberta Canoe Polo group and PGCKC received a legacy gift of a fleet of Canoe Polo boats.

• In 2024 Canoe Polo was part of the BC Summer Games in Maple Ridge, BC. PGCKC attended and had an amazing time.

• In 2025 PGCKC offered programs at Shane Lake (UNBC) as well as West Lake.

• In 2026 Canoe Polo will be a medalled sport in the BC Summer Games, Kelowna, BC. PGCKC will attend.

Our Coaches

• Our coaches are volunteers. Please respect our commitment to offering you our time, energy, enthusiasm, and knowledge.

• .Some coaches were once paddlers who were trained and had their first work experience with our club. Some coaches were once parents of paddlers who continue to give back to the club that gave their family opportunities. Some coaches have found us in the community and enjoy the skill building, connections and adventures that come with volunteering with us.

• The basic course for coaches is a Community Level Coaching program called Canoe Kids. This program is offered by Canoe Kayak BC and falls under the NCCP training module (Coaching Association of Canada – National Coaching Certification Program). All coaches are required to be trained in Safe Sport along with other requirements including Criminal Record check.

• Coaches can advance by taking additional NCCP courses, other private paddling courses, First Aid and lifeguarding courses as well.

Our Staff

• There are a number of other roles in the Club that are filled by volunteers which includes the Board of Directors, Program Manager, Program Assistants, Beach Supervisors, Safety Officer, Officials, Bookkeeper, Marketing Coordinator & WebMaster, Photographer, and Fundraiser. We are always in need of volunteers because the large list of hats are being worn by a small group of dedicated folks.

• In 2022 and 2023, PGCKC was able to hire a number of Junior Coaches through the Canada Student Jobs Grant – but due to limitations of the grant program, a few years negatively impacted by climate change, and a serious illness suffered by the Head Coach, it was not financially feasible to continue to offer the same breadth and depth of paddling programming nor continue to hire summer students as coaches.