Just wasted a lot of time having been mis-advised about this.
I work in AB but live just over the border in BC. I work for a BC company, pay my taxes and medical in BC, own a home in BC, etc.
I just bought a new car in Calgary and started to look at the options available. I didn't really want to have to register the car in BC as it would probably cost a lot to satisfy the findings of the ridiculously harsh Provincial Inspection I'd have to subject it to. I wanted to keep it AB registered so I enquired about insurance but was advised by an insurance agent that I could not get insurance in AB with a BC licence. I didn't really want to have to 'move' to AB to get an AB licence but it was an option. Then I read somewhere that if your vehicle is in AB for more than 183 days then it must be registered and insured there - it wasn't clear whether that was consecutive days or days in a year but the way it was written suggested consecutive.
So I decided it would be simpler, especially as I had an older truck that I wanted to keep but would never pass an inter-provincial inspection to allow me to register it also in AB, to stay BC licenced/registered/insured, etc.
So I set up an insurance binder from ICBC, went to an AB registry office to get an 'in transit' permit and, in chatting to the girl, was told that as a BC licence holder I could register a vehicle in AB. I didn't understand why you'd be able to register but not insure so I called the Alberta Auto Insurance Rate Board where a guy called John told me that absolutely I could insure a vehicle and that the lady that mis-advised me had broken the law and could be liable for a $25,000 fine!.. I didn't think that was necessary but man did she ever waste a lot of my time, and also make me do something that would have left me and my vehicle technically uninsured.
John also confirmed that if you work for more than 183 days a year in AB but reside in BC you MUST have an AB registered and insured vehicle or you're not covered. An insurance company faced with a million dollar payout isn't going to just accept that you were across the border for the day if it looks like you've been working there and they'll do everything they can to find out exactly how much time you spend cross-border. Be warned.
