It is my understanding that the POL is no longer. The question I have is "when my POL expires I'm I going to be required to take the PAL course just to buy ammunition"?
You can still renew your POL, provided that you do so BEFORE it expires! If it has expired and you have not applied for renewal, you must get a PAL. What you cannot do is apply for a new POL. POLs are only renewed. Check out the Canadian Firearms Centre fact sheet.