Refund policy
Plans change. Our policy is built to protect your booking and keep our courses running smoothly. The short version is below, with full detail underneath.
The short version
Sending someone in your place is free. Same course, date, and time. Just email us the new name.
Cancel early and you get a refund. 30+ days before a day program, or 45+ days before an overnight, multi-day, or Level 2+ program: full refund, minus the admin fee ($50 day, $75 overnight).
Cancel late and you get a credit. Inside those windows, we keep a 20% fee calculated on the full course price and issue everything else as a Flexible Booking Credit, redeemable on anything we run. Credits never expire and can be transferred to anyone. We never bill the unpaid balance.
If we cancel, you are made whole. A program we cancel or cut short for safety is never treated as your cancellation. No fee applies, and you get a full-value credit that never expires.
Changing your date instead of cancelling? Outside the window, just the admin fee. Inside, the same 20% applies and the rest moves with you.
Full detail
Cancellation & creditsHow far out you cancel determines whether you receive a refund or a Flexible Booking Credit.
Day Programs
Day clinics, day events, and Level 1 courses.
30+ days before: full refund minus admin fee.
Within 30 days: Flexible Booking Credit for what you have paid, minus a 20% fee on the full course price.
Overnight, Multi-Day & Level 2+ Programs
Overnight and multi-day clinics and events, Paddle Canada Level 2 and above, ORCKA equivalents, and instructional expeditions.
45+ days before: full refund minus admin fee.
Within 45 days: Flexible Booking Credit for what you have paid, minus a 20% fee on the full course price.
How the 20% is calculated: it is based on the full course price, not on the amount you have paid so far, whether you paid in full or only a deposit. Your deposit is applied to the fee first, and anything left over becomes credit. We do not bill the unpaid balance of a cancelled course.
Credits apply to any course, clinic, expedition, or event in our calendar.
Your credit does not expire. There is no deadline to use it and no seasonal cut-off.
Your credit is transferable. You can pass it to anyone you choose. Email us the name and we will move it over.
Bookings made with credit follow the same cancellation policy as new bookings.
Name substitutions (free)
Transfer your spot to a friend or family member at no cost, provided the course, date, and time stay the same. The new participant must meet any prerequisites and complete our waiver before the program starts.
Date or course changes
Email info@kayak-ontario.com and we'll move you. Outside the cancellation window there's no fee beyond the standard admin charge. Inside the window, a 20% fee on the full course price applies and the rest of what you have paid carries over as credit toward your new date.
These cover card processing and the admin time to update waivers and bookings. They apply to refunds and date changes made outside the cancellation window.
Day programs: $50 | Overnight programs: $75
Courses run rain or shine. If lightning, wildfire smoke, or other unsafe conditions interrupt a session, the lead instructor follows our Lightning Safety Protocol or our Wildfire & Smoke Protocol.
Pauses, short waits, and a session that runs in a modified format are a normal part of paddling and do not change your booking.
Only a program we cancel, or cut materially short for safety, changes your booking. In that case it is rescheduled where possible, or held as a full-value Flexible Booking Credit. A stop we initiate on safety grounds is never treated as a participant cancellation, and no cancellation fee applies.
Unopened items: returnable within 30 days with a valid receipt, in original unopened packaging.
Used gear and kayaks: all sales final, non-refundable.
Refund process: we inspect returns on receipt and notify you whether the return is approved. Approved refunds go to the original payment method.
Sale items: only regular-priced items are eligible for refunds.
Questions about returns: info@kayak-ontario.com.
Circumstances beyond our reasonable control may affect our ability to deliver services as planned. These include but are not limited to natural disasters, unsafe weather, wildfire and wildfire smoke, government actions or restrictions, border or trade restrictions, epidemics or pandemics, war or civil unrest, and labour or transportation disruptions.
In such an event, Kayak Ontario reserves the right to cancel, reschedule, or modify activities for the safety and well-being of participants and staff.