You can view our cancellation policy here.

For in-person courses, we do allow changes to registration, however, due to the administrative time required, registration changes are subject to a 10% administrative fee. See our cancellation policy for more details.

Registration switches are not permitted for online courses.

We are not considered a designated educational institution (i.e. university or college) that qualifies for the purposes of the education tax credit claimed on the tax return. Therefore, our course cannot be claimed under tuition fees on your tax return and we cannot issue T2202A slips.

If you are working in a small business and would like to write off the course because it relates to your business, then yes, you may use our proof of enrolment / course receipt when filing your taxes.

A registered education savings plan (RESP) is a contract between an individual (the subscriber) and a person or organization (the promoter). Under the contract, the subscriber names one or more beneficiaries (the future student(s)) and agrees to make contributions for them, and the promoter agrees to pay educational assistance payments (EAPs) to the beneficiaries. For more information about RESPs visit the CRA website.

Our Permaculture Design Course can meet the requirements of “specified educational program” for the purpose of Educational Assistance Payments, as described on the CRA website. Note that a specified educational program is a program at post-secondary school level that lasts at least three consecutive weeks, and that requires a student to spend no less than 12 hours per-month on courses in the program.

However, before assuming that your promoter will provide Educational Assistance Payments we highly recommend that you contact them to find out if they have any additional requirements above those stated on the CRA website. The reason for this is that although we have had numerous students successful in requesting EAPs from the holder of their plan (i.e. the promoter), there has also been some students told by their promoter that we do not qualify.

The PDC is a tested and proven standardized curriculum offered by permaculture institutes and educational centers around the world. Developed by visionary author/educator/naturalist Bill Mollison, it includes all of the topics in his pioneering work, Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual…which you will receive as a part of your course package.

Offered in either an intensive 13-day or 3 long-weekend format, our Permaculture Design Certificate, or PDC, is a course for people who want to make permaculture a way of life or create a livelihood doing earth repair. We’ve gone above and beyond the requirements of the standard 72 hour curriculum by incorporating our own expertise from sustainable design projects around the world, additional products and resources, and teaching our own special step-by-step design process. Our course is certified with the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia.

A student may miss up to, but no more than 2 full days of the in-person PDC course, and still receive their course certificate. Students in the Premium package are eligible for unlimited refresher courses, and may attend later PDC classes to make up for missed time. Students in the online PDC will have access to all lectures and can watch at a different time. We recommend you watch the class you missed before the next class begins.

Our PDC includes a 5 hour Introduction to Permaculture video course that all students are expected to watch prior to the first class. It is accessible to students as shown as they register.

Students will be given small activities or homework throughout the course as well as readings and videos to watch. There will be time in class for certain assignments, however, to get the most out of the course, expect to spend a few hours a week learning on your own and preparing for the final project.

As this is an adult education course, homework will not be graded – you get what you put in.  Completion of the final design project is required to earn the certificate.

All online materials (i.e. videos, recordings and associated resources) are available indefinitely (our lifetime or yours) with the exception of the contour map. PDC Premium students will have access to the contour map for one year.

Many of our students develop businesses or projects leveraging their permaculture training. We think the best way to get an idea of the wide range of possibilities is to peruse the 50+ alumni interviews, profiles and blogs, found here.

Our Permaculture Design Course follows Bill Mollison’s textbook, Permaculture: A Designers’ Manual, and a copy of this textbook is included in the Premium package tuition.

It is true that a lot of Bill’s examples in his textbook are from the tropics and sub tropic climatic zones, as he is from Australia.

What differentiates us is our emphasis on the process of design. We feel strongly that the process is what drives good design. Process is climate indifferent. 

The specific techniques that you might employ in the tropics may differ from the techniques used in a cold climate. In addition the specific plants you may use would also be different. But the fundamental principles and processes are the same.

Lastly, our course has a slight focus on temperate climate given that is the climate here in Canada and the climate that a majority of our students are working in. However, we have students who have taken our Permaculture Design Course and are working in climates around the world.

Many of our students travel some distance to attend our courses. Although travel, food and accommodation expenses are not covered in our course tuition, we do a few things to help you keep your expenses down.

Once registered, you will receive access to the PDC Student Forum. On the forum page you can connect with classmates to coordinate carpooling and shared accommodation rental. We also provide access to a local billet list that we maintain. This list contains contact information for alumni and friends who are keen to host our permaculture design students. Each billet sets their own terms (there may be a small financial or volunteer commitment), and some are quite happy to let you couch surf or camp at no cost. Note that there are a limited number of billets, and the sooner you register in the course and arrange your accommodation, the better your chances of getting the best option for you!

Also, many students have also successfully connected with the local permaculture community, and found a billet, through the Verge Permaculture Students and Friends Facebook Group.

Lastly, once registered, we also provide detailed suggestions for camping, hostels, budget hotels and more.