An Industry Canada (IC) regulatory consultation (proceeding) aimed at implementing the changes from the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) could lead to the allocation of a 60-meter band in Canada in addition to the five discrete channels that are congruent with those in the US. IC is seeking comments on this and other revisions that take WRC-15 into account.

“The consultation is the first step in the process for regulatory changes,” International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 Area A Director George Gorsline, VE3YV, explained. “After the 60-day period, responses are tabulated, made public and the regulator then determines how to proceed.” Gorsline said there is no fixed schedule before any allocation changes would be made. Even then, he added, Canada’s Amateur Radio regulations would have to be updated to incorporate them before the new allocation would became available for amateur use. 

As the Consultation notes, a number of countries have authorized, subject to various restrictions, operation by Amateur radio licensees within the 5,250-5,450 kHz frequency range. “To date, no interference has been reported,” IC said in the consultation. “Ultimately, a world-wide, secondary allocation of 15 kHz in the frequency band 5,351.5-5,366.5 kHz was made to the Amateur Service with an effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) limit of 15 W” in most of Region 2. “The proposed changes to the Canadian Table [of Allocations] will allow Canadian Amateur Radio operators to assist in domestic and international emergency or disaster‑relief situations,” IC said.

The regulator proposed retaining the five discrete channels already available to radio amateurs — 5,332, 5,348, 5,358.5, 5,373, and 5,405 kHz. ARRL has petitioned the FCC to allocate the same contiguous band — 5,351.5-5,366.5 kHz — to US radio amateurs with a 100 W PEP power limit, while also retaining the five discrete 60-meter channels that have been available for several years.

“I hope this may be helpful to us to use as an example to other IARU Region 2 countries to convince them to both keep any existing 60-meter domestic allocation and add the ITU allocation as well,” Gorsline said in a Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) bulletin, released on August 19. Gorsline is RAC's International Affairs Officer.