I haven't gotten an answer yet from Transport Canada with regards to swapping a certified aviation engine for a rotary, but everything I can find in the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) says the owner maintenance catagory pretty much gives you free reign to do as you please.
Under the owner maintenance regulations, the aircraft is registered under a "special certificate of airworthiness - owner maintenance".  This allows the owner to sign off on all self completed maintenance tasks.  Non certified parts can be used, as well as engines, as long as you can prove it meets the intent of the standards.  I don't think installing a rotary is that far outside the standard.
Essentially an owner maintenance aircraft falls in the same catagory as a hombuilt kit - the pilot has the ultimate say of what is airworthy, as defined in the standards, outlined in the CARs.
Short story long, it's the owner, doing the maintenance, flying the plane - kind of self policing the maintenance.
Jason
WRJJRS@aol.com writes:

 Jason,
Your idea certainly has merit, but your options are going to be very  limited. If you don't buy a completed kit plane (a possible good way to go) the  only real alternative is Mistral Engines. They are working on a certified  version of the Rotary. Theirs is a beautiful engine package that runs to normal  aircraft prices. They have not certified an engine yet so you would have to wait  a while to get an aircraft with a STC'ed engine change. I don't know what the  legality of putting a non-certified engine in a certified aircraft is in Canada  (good neighbor to the north). In the US the FAA makes it a true pain in the  butt. FWIW
Bill Jepson Greetings all....  I've been an on and off lurker on this list  for a couple of years now.  I really enjoy reading about these  engines and the success many have had.  My original intent was to go  the kit route and install a rotary engine for all the obvious  reasons.  But after some deep soul searching, I've discovered kit  building is not the best route for me.  I'm not a builder.  I  don't have the time, the space or the desire to build, I just want to  fly.  I am willing to tinker a bit and the rotary really intrigues  me.  Despite this discovery, the idea of flying a certified aircraft  being pulled through the air by a dinosaur engine doesn't appeal to me,  especially when there is a better alternative in the rotary.  Is  there anyone on this list who has or knows someone who has swapped out a  traditional air cooled banger for a rotary?  Here in Canada we can  register certain aircraft models as owner maintenance, which means a ton  of savings on maintenance costs and repairs.  I'm currently looking  to find a good 4 seat Cessna with a high time or time ex'd engine that can  be swapped to a rotary.  I assume it would be a fairly easy job to  mount and controls should also be pretty straight forward.  It should  be a close swap $'s wise for a complete rotary install if I can sell the  removal engine core.  Am I way off the runway centreline here, or  does my idea have merit?  Jason
Ontario Canada

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