Dot CA domain holders that have registered a domain name or transfered one to Canadian web hosting company Webserve have been informed they will need to find a new registrar. In a press release, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) states:

This is to advise that Webserve Communications Inc. is no longer a CIRA Certified Registrar.

In order for Webserve Communications Inc. .CA Registrants to maintain their .CA domain name(s), Registrants will be responsible for transferring their domain name registration(s) to a new CIRA Certified Registrar of their choice.  All affected Registrants have been informed by CIRA of this development.

WebServe response:

By now you should have received an email from CIRA stating that you need to change your .ca domain name registrar company from WebServe to another company which is the normal procedure and expected, Since WebServe partnership with CIRA has been ended, however WebServe still will be able to register, renew or manage your domain name through our other partner channels.

To improve our domain name registration, transfer, renewal and managment system WebServe domain services will be moved to our new system which requires you to transfer your domain name, what this essentially means to you as the domain owner is basically nothing! You are only changing the name of your registrar, you will not notice any change in your website or domain name ownership or contact information, except the name of your registrar. Furthermore during the domain transfer your domain name will be renewed for one full year, that means your domain expiry date will be extended by one year regardless of what your domain expiry date is. So even if your domain name is not expiring and you have years left till expiry date still you will receive one year added to your current expiry date.

HostJury: Who are these other partners?

Victor: ENOM

HostJury: Why did Webserve lose its status?

Victor: I do not have this information

Victor: To encourage our valued clients complete the domain transfer/renewal process and as a thank you for supporting WebServe we will be offering 20% discount on all domain transfer/renewal fees. Please provide coupon code: TRNSCA over the phone or in the email to take advantage of this offer. end

Under the CIRA rules The Registrar’s failure to be re-certified each year by CIRA prior to the anniversary of its Certification Date will result in the automatic, immediate termination of this Agreement as of the anniversary of the Certification Date and the cancellation of the Registrar’s certification. HostJury will try to learn more about why WebServe lost their status and update this post.