The Driving Force - ALSA · The Driving Force requested this page ... Original articles ... going gangbusters. You must be because post sales are remaining

ALS News • 1www.alsa.ab.caDecember 2000

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2 • ALS News www.alsa.ab.ca December 2000

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Editor Advertising and ProductionBrian E. Munday: [email protected] Sharon D. Stecyk: [email protected] dates for submission of material to ensure printing are as follows: February 15th, June 1st,September 1st, and December 1st. Opinions expressed by the editor or individual writers are notnecessarily endorsed by the Council of the Alberta Land Surveyors' Association. Original articlesmay be reprinted with due credit given to the source and with permission of individual writers orwhere no writer is indicated, with the permission of the Editor. ALS News is published by theAlberta Land Surveyors' Association for circulation to the Association Membership. Address allcorrespondence to:

Alberta Land Surveyors' Association2501, 10004 - 104 Avenue — Edmonton, Alberta T5J 0K1

Tel: 780-429-8805 or 1-800-665-2572Fax: 780-429-3374 [email protected] www.alsa.ab.ca

CANADA POST PUBLICATION #1473905

PresidentL.M. (Larry) Pals

Vice PresidentG.K. (Ken) Allred

Past PresidentD.R. (Don) Jaques

CouncillorsD.J. (David) HagenJ.G. (Jim) HallidayW.F.R. (Fred) HingleyM.D. (Mark) PrevostJ.D. (John) StephensS.T. (Steve) Yanish

Secretary TreasurerM.R.(Michael) Grosz

Public MembersE. (Ernie) Isley (Council)L.A. (Lawrence) Kluthe (Practice Review Board)

Executive DirectorB.E. (Brian) Munday

RegistrarJ.E. (Jerry) Rasmuson

5 President’s Message 7 Councillor’s Forum 9 Editor’s Notes12 Letters to the Editor14 Association Notes17 Newsprint21 Survey Education - What are the Options?22 Holloway Foundation Celebrates 25 Years25 SPR Director’s Message27 SPR Corner30 AltaLIS Update32 Alberta Environment Update34 Public Relations35 PDC Corner38 Legal Notes41 U of C News43 ASSMT Notes

ON THECOVER

ALALALALALSSSSSnewsnewsnewsnewsnewsDECEMBER 2000 VOL. 29-4

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The Association’s new tradeshow booth. See page 10.

The past and present directorsof the J.H. Holloway ScholarshipFoundation.


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by Larry Pals ALSpresident’spresident’spresident’spresident’spresident’smessage

...continued on page 14

Nearing the end of Novem-ber, the snow is not covering the grassin Edmonton yet but winter is upon us.I am sure everyone in the oil patch isgoing gangbusters. You must bebecause post sales are remainingpretty steady. Council has met twicesince our last ALS News with afurther meeting scheduled for De-cember 7.

Education continues to be a hottopic at Council. To bring everyone upto date with our current discussionsand activities, I provide the followinginformation:• The previously discussed block

week course as proposed by theUniversity Geomatics Departmentwas not approved by the Registrarof the University. So we will not berequiring presenters in earlyJanuary 2001.

• At the strong urging and sugges-tions of the Geomatic EngineeringLiaison Committee (GELC),research was carried out to deter-mine if the content of the proposedblock week course could be addedto the survey camp at Kananaskis.We seem to have the full supportof the Faculty. This would not bean additional course but wouldbecome part of the required surveycamp.

• Another opinion, which recentlyhas come to light, is the possibilityof a full transfer program fromNAIT to the University ofLethbridge to a Bachelor of Sci-ence Degree in Geography. This isa new option which will have to beresearched fully. We are currentlycommencing this research and willcome back with further informationwhen it is available.

• In response to various questionsCouncil has in regards to ourcurrent scholarship program, an ad-hoc committee has been created.Its task will be to gather somefurther information and bring somerecommendations to Council.Should we create more scholar-ships and where should they be

directed are some of the questionsthat need to be answered.

• Another discussion, which hasrecently arisen in the area ofeducation, concerns the WesternCanadian Board of Examiners(WCBE). Originally, the WCBEwas intended to be a temporaryboard designed to be disbandedonce a national board of examinerswas established. Discussions havecommenced in regards to a nationalboard. Some of the questions weneed to answer are:— Is the schedule of exams today

current in the marketplace ordo we need a complete revampand redefinition of the educa-tional path?

— Should the CCLS (CanadianCouncil of Land Surveyors) orthe ACLS (Association ofCanada Land Surveyors) beresponsible for a national boardof examiners?

The labour mobility issue continuesto occupy some time. For those whomay not know, the federal govern-ment is requiring that by July 2001 weestablish a process for surveyors tomove from one jurisdiction to anotherwith little or no testing. We arecurrently actively involved in thesediscussions and may have to strike anadditional ad hoc committee to ad-dress the issues being raised. We willrequire member input on some of theissues being presented.

As many of you may be aware, theRPR Task Force has been busy

looking into proposals to create anRPR index. This index would be adatabase of Real Property Reportscompleted on properties throughoutAlberta. The information wouldinclude the legal description, municipaladdress, date of RPR, surveyor andcompany who performed the RPR. Itwould not include the RPR itself. Anysurveyor performing an RPR wouldinput his own information into theindex if he decided there is value indoing so. Council has approved$20,000 for the development of thisindex. Already through the RealEstate Transaction Committee, wehave received indications that it willbe well-received and appreciated bythe public. I look forward to thecompletion of the index and hope thatall members will provide informationin order that the index will be ascomplete and as current as possible.

The Metis Land Registry hasrecently informed us that some of usare not filing our survey plans withtheir Land Registry. Please ensurethat this requirement is completed oryou may find that your client’s inter-ests are not being properly protected.

Council is in the process of estab-lishing some guidelines, which couldbe used to assess a nomination forhonourary life membership. Thepurpose of these guidelines is to assistCouncil in making the motion toconfer this honour on any member. Ihope you have contacted the officewith your comments in regards tothese guidelines.

I look forward to thecompletion of the index (RPR)and hope that all members willprovide information in orderthat the index will be completeand as current as possible.


Spectra Precision(new - Peerless has)


councillor’scouncillor’scouncillor’scouncillor’scouncillor’s by Jim Halliday ALS

forumASSMT . . . . . . . . .Thirty Years Later

As a member of Council, one ofmy assignments is to be the liaisonmember to the Alberta Society ofSurveying and Mapping Technologies.

A small group of land surveyorsoriginally formulated the idea for atechnician and technologist organiza-tion in 1965 and, by 1970, the AlbertaSociety of Survey Technicians andTechnologists was formed. Theoriginal objectives of the Society wereto:• promote and increase through

education, the knowledge, skill andproficiency of its members in allthings relating to the business oroccupation of non-professionalpersons employed directly orindirectly as technical assistants inthe field of surveying and relatedfields;

• study and aid in the solution ofproblems with its members andtheir employers or prospectiveemployers respecting standardsrequired for employment;

• foster greater interest in, and abetter understanding of, techniciansand technologists by industry andthe public at large.

The current name of “AlbertaSociety of Surveying and MappingTechnologies” was adopted in 1980and a full-time executive manager’sposition was created in 1989.

Currently, the Society’s member-ship stands at 225 and is governed bya council of nine that meet on amonthly basis. New applicants arereviewed by a panel of examiners andthe Certification Board with certifica-tion based on a combination of educa-tion and experience gained in thesurveying and mapping industry. Newmembers may be certified in one offour categories: technicians, seniortechnicians, technologists or seniortechnologists. The Society also

interrelates with our Association byway of liaison members involved withour Professional Development Com-mittee, Standards Committee andPublic Relations Committee.

More than once in the past, andmost recently at its 1999 AGM, theSociety has asked itself if there isjustification to carry on and, if so,what direction it should pursue. Alsoarising is the question of whether ornot Alberta Land Surveyors arewilling to support the Society andwhat form that support should take. Ibelieve that the fact that the ASSMThas persevered for thirty years can beattributed to the efforts of a limitedgroup of individuals and, if the Societyis to survive and prosper, then moreinvolvement will be required from themembership. As an alternative toasking what the Society does for you,as a member, why not be pro-activeand tell your Council what servicesyou would like to see provided. I amsure they would be interested inhearing your comments.

It has been suggested, in the past,that the face of land surveying inAlberta has changed from what itused to be in that today’s land survey-ors, as a result of the establishment ofuniversity geomatics programs, areentering the profession withoutextensive field experience. The recentconcerns expressed by the westernprovinces with respect to the cadas-tral content at the University ofCalgary, combined with the issues ofreciprocity among provinces, make

these comments more valid todaythan they were ten years ago. Theinvolvement of well-educated tech-nologists with solid field experience asmembers of the surveying “team” willbecome more and more important inthe future.

The ASSMT has been workingtowards raising the involvement levelof its members in order to strengthenthe Society. Their Council has sug-gested organizing social events thatwould draw members together andencourage them to interrelate. Afterattending one such function this pastsummer, I would encourage anyone tomake the time to attend. Businessupdates took up a minimum of timewith the remainder of the eveningdedicated to an excellent guestspeaker, meal and socializing.

The 2001 Annual General Meetingof the ASSMT will be held in Jasperin conjunction with our ALSA AGM.If you would like more information onthe Society, I would suggest contact-ing President Farley McKenzie at780-445-0155 or Executive Manager,Stutt Pottruf at 403-250-1279. TheSociety will also have a web page atwww.assmt.ab.ca.

In closing, I wish to thank themembership for allowing me torepresent you on Council and to wishall of you and your families the verybest this Christmas.

..the fact that the ASSMT haspersevered for thirty years canbe attributed to the efforts of alimited group of individuals...if theSociety is to survive and prosperthen more involvement will berequired from the membership.


Land Measurement Systems(repeat)


notesby Brian Munday, Executive Directoreditor’seditor’seditor’seditor’seditor’snotes

As I sit down to write thisarticle, there is one of those annoyingtelevision commercials which seemsto come up again and again. Thecommercial is for Tim Hortons and itis the one where three office workersare standing around the water coolerbragging about various exploits. Thepunch line to the commercial is, “I hada really good bowl of stew... and thenI ate the bowl.”

My version of the Tim Hortonscommercial is, “I went to a reallygood video conference seminar...andthe technology actually worked.”Perhaps that is a little unfair. In recentyears, the Association has held twoseminars by video conference. In bothcases, the success of the seminarswas thwarted by capable speakerswho were unfamiliar with the technol-ogy and an audience that was alsounfamiliar with video conferencing.

So it was with this in mind that Iwalked into the Telus Centre at theUniversity of Alberta for a day-longvideo conference seminar entitled,The Brave New Workplace. Andwas I ever impressed and amazed!

Video conferencing can work.Video conferencing can work well forseminars that last longer than two orthree hours. And sometimes, yessometimes, video conferencing can bebetter than a live seminar. Of course,it did not hurt that the speakersincluded such formidable people suchas former South African PresidentNelson Mandela, Stephen Covey (TheSeven Habits of Highly EffectivePeople) and Ken Blanchard (TheOne Minute Manager).

There were approximately twohundred of us at the University ofAlberta with many more watching thesame speakers from sites throughoutCanada, the United States and theworld. The seminar was based in SanAntonio, Texas with speakers locatedin Washington, D.C. and San Fran-cisco, California. The video confer-ence was billed as the fifth annualworld wide lesson in leadership seriesand as I mentioned before, it was

entitled The Brave New Workplace:Strategies to Excel in a World ofChange.

Leadership is a subject which haslong fascinated me. During PierreTrudeau’s tenure as Prime Minister,we often tried to define leadership interms of a person’s charisma. Somepeople have it and some people don’t.You are either a leader or you arenot—and there is nothing you can doabout it. That seemed to be theprevailing wisdom at the time but Ialways felt that there was somethingmore to it than that simplistic assess-ment. Since that time, I have had theopportunity to read a number of booksand studies on the subject of leader-ship. I have found that, while some ofthe studies on leadership are quitegood, many more treat the subjecteither too simplistically or try toconfuse you with charts and graphsand lists. Some of the best opinions onthe subject, in my opinion, have comefrom the speakers at this videoconference seminar.

While each of the presenters wasspeaking on essentially the samesubject, each one talked about leader-ship from a different perspective. Dr.Stephen Covey spoke about theinternal nature of leadership; MarthaRogers spoke about leadership from amarketing perspective; and DonTapscott spoke about leadership in thedigital economy.

I thought I would share with yousome personal thoughts about what Ilearned from each of these speakers.

From Stephen Covey, who divided thefour roles of leadership into pathfind-ing (the mind), aligning (the body),empowering (the heart) and modelling(the spirit), I learned that leadershipcomes from within. It does not matterwhether you are the CEO of a privatecorporation or the Executive Directorof an association, leadership comesfrom whomever is willing to provideit. That is, leadership is not defined bya position but by a choice.

From Ken Blanchard, I learned thedifference between leadership andmanagement. Management is themanagement of things while the roleof leadership is to serve the peopleyou are supposed to be leading. Dr.Blanchard related a story to us of asituation when he was a professor atan educational institution. It seemsthat the powers that be did not likehim handing out the answers to thefinal exam on the first day of class.“You can’t do this,” they apparentlycried.

However Dr. Blanchard simplywanted to tell the students that hewanted them to pass and, in order topass, you need to know what thequestions are. The message? Youhave to relate performance evaluationto the leader vision or goal andeveryone must know, in advance, howthey are going to be evaluated andwhat the vision is.

Dr. Martha Rogers promoted heridea of “one to one.” Simply put, one

You have to relateperformance evaluation to theleader vision or goal andeveryone must know, inadvance, how they are goingto be evaluated and what thevision is.


to one is “treating different customersdifferently.” Although land surveyorsare required to produce plans to acertain standard, Dr. Rogers could nothelp but make one think of how a firmcould develop a relationship with aclient that enables the firm to treatone client differently from another.For example, Amazon.com recom-mends different books and videos todifferent customers depending on pastpurchases and preferences. How canthis be done by the Alberta LandSurveyors’ Association and individualsurvey firms?

Don Tapscott is co-author ofDigital Capital, Growing Up Dig-ital and the Digital Economy. FromMr. Tapscott, I learned that the wayyou and I traditionally think of busi-ness will be replaced by the “netgeneration.” Successful companieswill allow other individuals and firmsto self-organize. The Internet phe-nomenon, E-Bay, is such an example.E-Bay does not sell anything but doesallow groups of individuals to cometogether to buy and sell almost any-thing. Mr. Tabscott called this a B-web. B-webs are distinct networks ofsuppliers, distributors and customerswho conduct business communica-tions and transactions on the Internetto produce value for end customersand for one another.

From Tom Peters, author of ThePursuit of WOW, I learned that itpossible to be phenomenally hyperand excited even though it is 3:30 inthe afternoon and you are the lastspeaker of the day. Dr. Peters’writings are like his presentation.Frenetic. Consider this quote fromhim: ‘Ordinary’ is death. That is thepremise of manifesto. Standing outin these madcap times is no walk inthe park. But the effort to stomp outordinary is the ultimate adventure!How lucky we are, as I see it, to bealive in these extraordinary times.When leaders with grit, in all walksof life, at all ages, will re-invent theworld...in the next ten or so years.

All of this talk about leadership andthe Internet and the future scares mea little. OK, a lot. The way business

has been done in the last ten yearshas changed and I think the onlyreasonable assumption is that it isgoing to change again—only quicker.So as we move forward, maybe allwe can do is to keep trying newthings—like having our soup and theneating the bowl.

****

With a little bit of courageand some fortitude, I believewe will enter the brave new(survey) workplace.

When we put together each issueof ALS News, we don’t sit around theboardroom table and talk about a themefor the issue or give anyone any topicsabout what they should be writing.

I found it very interesting, there-fore, when I read so many articlesthat touched upon the same theme.The President wrote about educa-tional initiatives and free tradeamongst land surveyors, while theVice President reiterated the theme ofsurvey education and what ouroptions are. The Director of PracticeReview did not discuss education orthe free movement of land surveyorsfrom one jurisdiction to another, but hedid make a strong argument that therecould be a severe shortage of AlbertaLand Surveyors by 2020.

And then I read Don Dawson’sbiography of Jack Holloway. WhenJack Holloway was Secretary Treas-urer of the Association, there werethe same concerns. “At the 1948Annual Meeting, the SecretaryTreasurer reported that althoughthe number of young men who wereinterested in becoming land survey-ors was high, the number actuallyattempting to become qualifiedremained small. This indicated theexistence of certain obstacles andthe difficulty which few candidateswere able to overcome.” Whatfollowed was a number of years of

unprecedented membership growthand twenty-four people receiving theircommission as an Alberta LandSurveyors in 1952.

As I read Don Dawson’s article, Isee a picture of myself and SharonWood and I am reminded of theincredible challenges and hardshipsthat she went through. Anyone whowas at the J.H. Holloway ScholarshipFoundation 25th Anniversary Dinnerwill know what I mean.

Finally, I look back at my ownarticle for this issue of ALS News. Asthe Alberta Land Surveyors’ Associa-tion comes to grips with the requiredsurvey education for new membersand the appropriate standards forsurveyors commissioned in anotherjurisdiction coming to Alberta, this iscertainly a time for the Association toassume the leadership role. Thingsare changing. Things will continue tochange. With a little bit of courageand some fortitude, I believe we willenter the brave new (survey)workplace.

New ALSATrade Show BoothIn the last issue of ALS News, PublicRelations Committee Chairman, RossWoolgar, urged the membership toparticipate in different trade showsand events.

The ALSA has a new trade showbooth. The front cover of this issue ofALS News is the graphic used for thebooth. The image is designed toportray the Association as a high-techprofessional organization.

If you used the Association’s oldtrade show booth, you will find thisone a breeze to set up and take down.If you would like to borrow theAssociation’s booth or the smallerpop-up display, contact Dawn Phelanat the Association office at 1-800-665-2572.


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lettersletterslettersletterslettersto the editor

A.D. (Denis) HosfordScholarship Awarded toDavid ElliottThe A.D. (Denis) Hosford Scholar-ship in the amount of $2,500 wasawarded to David Elliott.

The scholarship is offered annuallyto a student entering fourth year in theGeomatics Engineering program atthe University of Calgary who hasdemonstrated a strong interest andability in the area of photogrammetryor GIS. The award is based onacademic standing in related coursesprovided a minimum grade pointaverage of 3.20 has been attained inthe previous academic year.

Donors to the scholarship arefriends and colleagues in memory ofDenis Hosford. They include:• Foto Flight Surveys Ltd.• GISmo Solutions Ltd.• Land Data Technologies Inc.• UMA Geomatics• LH Systems, LLC• Global Remote Sensing Ltd.• HIW Surveys Ltd.• Usher Canada Ltd.• Maltais Associates Surveyors Ltd.• North West Geomatics Canada Inc.• Jack M. Byrne Consulting Ltd.• Kodak Canada Inc.• Universal Surveys Inc.• The Cadastral Group Inc.• All West Surveys Ltd.• Challenger Surveys & Services Ltd.• Schlencker Mapping Pty Ltd.• Arthur E. Peterson

J.F. WELTER, ALS (RET.)

International Federation of Surveyors (FIG)

CongratulationsDear Mr. Pals:

I would like to extend mypersonal congratulations toyou for the part you and theAssociation played in theLand Titles’ Spatial Informa-tion System receiving theprestigious Canadian Informa-tion Productivity Awards.Congratulations, as well, onyour part in SPIN receivingthe gold medal “Governmentin Technology” award in theinnovative service deliverycategory.

These are outstanding contributions to Alberta Government Services. I amvery proud of the achievements with SPIN and very proud to be associated witha group of people who have demonstrated such a high degree of commitment tomaking innovation part of their everyday work.

Congratulations and thank you for a job well done.

Minister of Government Services Pat Nelson andDeputy Minister Roger Jackson present a certificate ofrecognition to President Larry Pals

I am writing you in my capacity as thecurrent Canadian Delegate andformer Chair of Commission 1—Professional Practice, of the Interna-tional Federation of Surveyors.

First, I am pleased to provide youwith a copy of the Statement ofEthical Principles and Model Codeof Professional Conduct which wasadopted by FIG in 1998. This codewas adopted after extensive researchand review of several other existingcodes including several Canadiancodes of ethics.

Second, I want to advise you of theSSI Congress of the InternationalFederation of Surveyors which isscheduled to take place in Washing-ton, DC from April 21-26, 2002 underthe chairmanship of President RobertFoster. Please visit the FIG website atwww.fig.net for further details on theCongress and FIG in general.

Third, on behalf of John Parker,Chair of Commission 1, we invite youto consider submitting a paper to theFIG Congress in Washington. Natu-rally, our primary interest is in thearea of professional practice but we

would invite papers from all fields.The closing date for abstracts (250words) is August 21, 2001 and thedeadline for final papers is November15, 2001. Abstracts can be submitteddirectly to the FIG office. We recom-mend that they be submitted by e-mailto Markku Villika, Executive Directorat [email protected] prior toAugust 21st.

Lastly, wearing my hat as Chair ofthe Canadian National Committee toFIG, I would be interested to know ofanyone who might be interested inserving as a Canadian delegate to oneof the nine FIG commissions. In thenear future, we will be looking to fill anumber of vacancies on the roster ofCanadian delegates and we arealways interested in learning thenames of persons who are willing torepresent the Canadian surveyingprofession in international endeavors.

If you have any questions orcomments regarding FIG or Congress2002, please feel free to contact me.

G.K. ALLRED, [email protected]

PATRICIA L. NELSONMINISTER OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES


Thank You From ALSA Bursary Recipient

Easement BrochureRecently we had the opportunity torequest and review copies of thisbrochure for our use. We concludedthat this brochure will assist our staffgreatly and appreciate the effort thathas produced such a comprehensiveand informative tool.

Old Transits for SchoolsI received your packet aboutGeomatics yesterday. It was verytimely as I just finished covering thetrigonometry unit in the new AppliedMath 10 program. I was able to useyour poster to talk to students aboutthe relevance of learning trigonom-etry.

I have a couple of requests foryou.1. The new Applied Math curriculumtries to link the working world andschool. When I covered trigonometry,I phoned a couple of survey compa-nies to try to get someone to come into talk about transits. Unfortunately,they felt they were too busy to comein. I wondered if you would be able tohelp schools arrange for industrypeople to come in to speak to stu-

SPIN ProjectWins Gold MedalThe Surveys Re-engineering/SPINproject won a gold medal for innova-tive service delivery in the provincesfrom the Technology in GovernmentConference in October, and will bereceiving an Award of Distinctionfrom the Canadian InformationProcessing Awards organization inNovember.

In recognition of the success of thisproject, and the contributions of ourpartners to its success, GovernmentServices is hosting a luncheon forthose who contributed to the successof this project.

The support of the Alberta LandSurveyors’ Association for thisinitiative was very important.

RAE A. RUNGE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTORALBERTA REGISTRIES

Who Can Help? I have a book on “The Registry ofLand Property” in Italy in the year1742. In the book, they mention landsurface measurements—areas. Iwould like to be able to convert theminto modern areas—as in squarefeet. They are:

1 tomolo = 2 mezzetti1 mezzetto = 2 coppe1coppa = 6 misure

Can you help me with the conversionor suggest a place where I can getthe information? I will appreciate anyhelp you can give me.

ROBERT [email protected]

I’m writing you this letter to thank theAlberta Land Surveyors’ Associationfor the $2,500 bursary that I recentlyreceived.

When I initially began my engineer-ing degree, I, like many other firstyear students, was quite uncertainabout what type of engineering Iwished to pursue. However, my loveof the outdoors led me to consider acareer in surveying. Wishing to gainsome practical experience and knowl-edge prior to graduation, I obtained ajob as a survey assistant with Mid-west Surveys Inc. It was to be anevaluation period for both MidwestSurveys and myself. I had a wonder-ful experience that first summer, so Idecided to stick with my decision topursue surveying. Two years later, Iam six and a half months from gradu-

ating with a Geomatics Engineeringdegree, and at the start of an excitingcareer as an Alberta Land Surveyor.

As you are well aware, a postsecondary education is a significantbut necessary financial investmentthese days. Students meet this finan-cial commitment in a variety of ways,one of which is through scholarshipsand bursaries such as the AlbertaLand Surveyors’ Association Bursary.As a student who depends ratherheavily on student loans, I am alwaysvery grateful when chosen as therecipient of such awards. I give youmy sincerest thanks, and hope that theAssociation continues to supportstudents in similar circumstances asmyself.

JARL NOME

dents. If you can, I could put you incontact with all of the math teachersin the Edmonton region.2. I also wonder if your organizationwould be able to provide some oldtransits for schools. I realize theindustry standard is the new laserGPS systems, but it is useful for us toteach students how to start with thebasics. I imagine that there are a pileof old transits lying around in ware-houses.

I think it would be excellent publicrelations work and great for the stu-dents if we could develop some coop-eration between industry and school.

I look forward to your response.WES MERTA,

CAREER COUNSELLOR/MATH TEACHER,STRATHCONA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

(If you have any instruments that couldbe donated to schools, please contactthe ALSA)

We would like to extend our thanksand appreciation for the copies youhave provided us. We would like totake this opportunity to discuss apossible modest corporate donationtowards one of your future functions.Please contact me if I can assist.

L.D. BLAIR, MARKETING REPRESENTATIVEEDMONTON BUSINESS UNIT, ATCO GAS

SubdivisionsIt has been standard practice whencreating single parcel subdivisionsfrom quarter sections to label the newparcel as either a lot or block depend-ing on its size, but rarely both.

This practice of creating subdivi-sions with out complete identifiers isnow causing confusion with electronicdata bases that are in wide use today.It would probably be advisable that allsubdivisions in the future include lot,block and plan numbers for all parcelscreated, regardless of their size.PETER A. WALKER, ALS - STANDARDS COMMITTEE


associationassociationassociationassociationassociationnotes

Annual InterviewsThe Registration Committee has setthe following dates for the annual/transfer student/principal interviews:Calgary: January 23 and 24, 2001;March 13 and 14, 2001Edmonton: January 24, 2001 andMarch 13, 2001Please note that the original noticemailed to articled students and princi-pals indicated that there would be twodays of interviews in Edmonton forJanuary and March. This has changeddue to the fact that there are onlyseventeen students in the northernarea of the province that requireinterviews while there are more thantwice that many in the southern areaof the province.

Those of you who have receivedthe information will notice that theRegistration Committee requires thatthe Affidavit of Service for the year2000 be submitted to the ALSA officebefore the interview date—that is, atleast one week before January 23rd

Corrections and Changesto the RegisterA.C.S. Geomatics Corp. is now at

15002 - 76 Avenue T5R 2Z8; Tel:(780) 487-1263; Fax: (780) 487-1989.

Canadian Engineering & SurveysInc. new e-mail address:[email protected]; newwebsite: www.ces-canada.com.

Capital City Geomatics Ltd. is anew corporation under the directsupervision and control of BillMintz, ALS. They are located at10042 - 80 Avenue, Edmonton T6E1T5; Tel: (780) 439-0770; Fax:(780) 439-6776.

Challenger Surveys & ServicesLtd. has taken over the practice ofDon Molesky, ALS and opened abranch office under the directsupervision of Vic Wolchansky,ALS in Sundre effective October 6,2000. Address: PO Box 4, Site 9,RR1 T1P 1J6; Tel: (403) 9638-2812; Fax: (403) 638-2812. E-mailaddresses remain the same aspublished in the ALSA Register.

Cridland and Associate Ltd.:Effective December 1, 2000, the e-mail addresses will be as follows:Fort McMurray:[email protected] River:[email protected]:[email protected] Addresses:[email protected]@[email protected]

Lorraine Hortness, ALS is nowemployed with Caltech Surveys Ltd.

Peter Lapainis, ALS is practicing asa sole proprietor effective Septem-ber 11, 2000. His address is: 39Thornbird Way, Airdrie, AB T4A2C3; Tel: (403) 948-7132.

Maidment Surveys Ltd. has relo-cated to 4703 Bowness Road NW,Suite 13, T3B 0B5 in Calgary.Phone and fax numbers remain thesame.

President’s Messagecontinued from page 5

Judy and I attended the ManitobaConference in September and theNova Scotia Conference in October.The information exchange at thesemeetings is extremely valuable, as weare able to see how other areas of thecountry are dealing with the sameproblems that we are addressing inAlberta. The president’s forum, heldin conjunction with each convention, isthe place where each association isgiven the opportunity to updateeveryone on the activities taking placein its area. The value of this informa-tion may or may not be immediate. Ihave learned many things and havebeen able to apply some of theirmethods to activities within our ownAssociation.

Midwest Surveys Inc. in MedicineHat has moved to 1825 BomfordCrescent SW T1A 5E8. Phoneand fax numbers remain the same.

Midwest Surveys Inc. in Lloyd-minster has a new street address:5204 - 63 Street, Suite 2 T9V2E6. The mailing address, phoneand fax numbers remain the same.

Orion Geomatics Ltd. ceasedoperations as of October 31, 2000.

Brian Ross, ALS is now employedwith Caltech Surveys Ltd.

Poitr Strozyk, articled student, has anew e-mail address:[email protected].

D. Rae Sutherland new e-mail:[email protected].

Tronnes Surveys (1976) Ltd.:correction to e-mail address:[email protected].

New Associate MemberConrad Swenson (AS027) of Unity,

Saskatchewan became an ALSAAssociate Member on September28, 2000.

so that the information can be circu-lated to the Committee before theinterviews. All other affidavits mustbe submitted by January 31, 2001.

The Committee is also askingarticled students and principals tocomplete a new Annual of TransferStudent/principal Interview form thisyear which should be submitted withthe Affidavit of Service. This formhas been developed by the Registra-tion Committee in order to streamlinediscussion at the the interview.

Included in the mailout was theApplication for Professional Examina-tions. The exams will be held on April2 and 3, 2001. The deadline date forsubmission of the application is March15, 2001.


New Members#671 WILSON, Brent M.

Brent Wilsonwas born inWoodstock,New Brunswickin 1968. HeattendedWoodstock HighSchool, gradu-ated in 1986,and went on toreceive a B.Sc.

in Surveying from the University ofNew Brunswick in 1992.

Alberta Land Surveyors RogerLeeman and Brian Wetter served asBrent’s principals during his term ofarticles. Submission of DigitalSurvey Plans for Registration in theProvince of Alberta was the topic ofthe technical report submitted as partof the qualifying examination. Com-mission as an Alberta Land Surveyorwas received on October 6, 2000.Brent is also a member of APEGGA.

Surveying experience includeshighway and dam deformation in NewBrunswick; municipal, oilfield (sur-veyed and unsurveyed territory),geodetic control, GPS assisted map-ping, and various deformation projectsthroughout Alberta. Brent is currentlyemployed with Walker, NewbySurveys Inc. of Calgary.

Playing and watching sports isBrent’s favourite leisure activity.Brent and Jana Wilson and sonSamuel reside in Calgary.

#672 WESTLUND, Scott W.Scott Westlundwas born inThunder Bay,Ontario in 1973.He attendedJ.G.DiefenbakerHigh School inCalgary, gradu-ated in 1991and went on to

receive a B.Sc. in Geomatics Engi-neering from the University ofCalgary in 1996.

John VanBerkel, ALS served asScott’s principal during his term ofarticles. The topic of the reportsubmitted as part of the qualifyingexamination was Field Notes. Com-mission as an Alberta Land Surveyorwas received on October 20, 2000.Scott is also a professional engineerand serves on the APEGGA StudentLiaison Committee and the ALSAPublic Relations Committee.

Scott’s main area of expertise is inland development and he is currentlyemployed with the Calgary office ofStantec Geomatics.

Leisure activities include hiking,skiing, curling and reading. Scott andStephanie Westlund reside in Calgary.

You don’t have to golf . . . . .to enjoy wearing one of the

ALSA’s new golf shirts.They are 100% cotton, ALSA

logo and name on the sleeve,and come in a variety of sizes.

Only $40 plus GST.Contact the ALSA office to

get yours today!!!

Here are some morewebsites from theAssociation’s ProfessionalDevelopment Resource Centre.You can view the ResourceCentre at www.alsa.ab.ca/member/resource_centre.htm.This time, the websites comefrom the business section.

All-Bizwww.all-biz.com/

All Businesswww.allbusiness.com/

Business Management & SkillsTraining

www.ckga.com/harvard.htmlCanadaOne: Canada’s small

business resourcewww.canadaone.com/

Just Business:News and Events for Alberta’s

Entrepreneurs and Small BusinessCommunity

www.justbus.com/Lessons in Leadership

www.lessonsinleadership.com/People Success

www.peoplesuccess.com/Small Business Knowledge Base

www.bizmove.com/

Net NotesNet Notes

RegionalMeeting Dates

EdmontonJanuary 30, 2001

CalgaryFebruary 1, 2001


CELL-TEL(new)


Insurance doesn’t re-

place common senseN e w s p r i n tAlberta rewarded for fine

Spin it put on land surveying Survey can avoidproblems later

Alberta rewardedfor fine Spin...Surveyors in field candownload data from systemConsider this frustrating scenario:

A surveyor in some remote loca-tion discovers he doesn’t have enoughdata to do his work. So he must leavethe field, travel to a registry centre,file a request and lose a day or two ofprecious time waiting for a hard copyof his information to arrive.

Thanks to the Alberta govern-ment’s award-winning Spatial PlanIndex (Spin) System, the scenario hasturned into something like this:

A surveyor in some remote loca-tion discovers he doesn’t have enoughdata to do his work. So he quicklygrabs his cellphone and his laptopcomputer, searches for anddownloads the appropriate data offthe Internet and gets right back to it.

Bill Elliott, technical services admin-istrator with Registries, a division ofAlberta Government Services, began todevelop the database in 1997.

“The core technology allowssearching in a number of ways,including visually...and the same easy-to-use search capability can be usedfor most kinds of land-related data,”says Elliott, of the system that hasdone away with paper forms, puttingdigitized plans into an encryptedenvironment where they can beregistered, archived on a server anddistributed via the Web. Clients can

Surveyors were needed to map monster sandwichThe world’s longest sandwich could finally capture fame in the Guinness Bookof Records.

The sandwich, baked by a team at the University of Waterloo, used up 259 kgof dough, 119.25 kg of sausage, 22.5 kg of sauerkraut and 90 L of mustard.

“A team of land surveyors used a laser range finder to map and measure themonster at 502 feet, 6 1/2 inches,” says Mark Murdoch, director of food serviceat the university.

He says the baking team started mixing dough at 4 a.m. and the dough wentinto the oven at 4:30 a.m. that day.

Murdoch said the survey crew and judges arrived at 2 p.m. and completedthe required measurements and observations. By 3:30 p.m. “the crowd began todevour the sandwich. An hour later the snack was history and work began ondismantling the custom-built oven.”

Nor Murdoch’s staff are compiling the required documentation for Guinness.

Survey can avoid problems laterThe September 6 article, “Drawing the (property) line,” addresses a commonproblem throughout Alberta.

Often homeowners build fences, decks, garages, and other structures withoutreally knowing where their property boundaries are.

Many of these ventures go undetected for years until they are unearthed byeither a municipality or by an Alberta Land Surveyor producing a Real PropertyReport.

Then the fun starts. Before a property title can be mortgaged, the bank orlender wants to know that the property and improvements comply with allmunicipal bylaws. If the property does not, the owner has two options—oftenboth expensive. The property can be brought into conformity by removal orrelocation of the offending structure. Moving a garage or even a fence can becostly and can certainly delay or even stop a sale from going through.

The proposed bylaw in the City of Edmonton would impose fines that canreach $10,000 for encroachment onto river valley lands. That may mean prop-erty owners will not only be faced with fines but also with the requirements toremove the offending structures.

By having property boundaries identified before developments are under-taken, a landowner can save a lot of grief and possibly avoid this problem.Alberta Land Surveyors are the professionals who identify and mark propertyboundaries.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR BY LARRY PALS,PRESIDENT, ALBERTA LAND SURVEYORS’ ASSOCIATION

The following articles were reprinted with permission from the Edmonton Journal

Surveyors plot

landowners’ rights Surveyors were needed tomap monster sandwich

Regular readers of the local morningnewspaper will come across articlesabout land surveyors and landsurveying from time to time. Some-time the article is a result of a pressrelease or a letter to the editor thatthe Association has circulated. Other

times, a newspaper has printed anarticle on a subject of interest to landsurveyors.

We are fortunate to have had somany articles published about landsurveying. On balance, I believe thatthe media has adequately reflected

land surveying in Alberta today—asthis small sample of articles demon-strates. If you come across an articlein a newspaper or magazine pertain-ing to land surveying or land surveyissues, please let the Associationknow about it.


Insurance doesn’t replace common senseProblems begin from you not knowing anything about property before you buy itBuying and selling a home has be-come a complicated process.

To expedite the process, somepeople consider completing thetransaction using title insurance. Istitle insurance right for you?

First of all, what is title insurance?It is policy that you can buy thatsupposedly covers your losses if thereis something wrong with the property.

Two stylesAs I understand, the insurance comesin two styles: one is a lender’s policy,the other is a homeowner’s policy.

With the lender policy, you buyinsurance for your mortgage lenderagainst you defaulting on the mort-gage or there being something thataffects their investment on the prop-erty. You bear the costs of anychanges unless you buy the home-owner’s policy, which is supposed tocover you.

But the problem begins from younot knowing anything about theproperty before you buy it. Also,remember that as the property owner,you are the one responsible in theeyes of the City for any problems thatyou may be inadvertently buying. Ifaction is taken, it is your name, not theinsurance company, which will be onthe letters.

Encroaching issuesConsider the following: you purchasethe property with title insurance.Everything is going along fine until theday comes that you decide that it istime to sell. Along comes a purchaserwho insists on seeing a survey for theproperty and a compliance certificate.The surveyor finds that your fence isbeyond the property line and that anencroachment on City property exists.

At this point, the purchaser canback out of the offer since the prop-erty is no longer as big as he thought.

Or the purchaser may insist that youobtain an encroachment agreement.

The following article was reprinted with permissionfrom the Edmonton Sun

Wouldn’t it have beenbetter to find out aboutthis before you bought theproperty?

Let’s say that the encroachment isquite large, and the agreement willcost $5,000. If your title insurancepolicy is still valid, you make a claimto pay for the costs.

The insurance company investi-gates and finds out that it will onlycost $800 to pay to move the fenceoff City property and avoid the $5,000cost of the encroachment. So all youget is $800, leaving you with thebalance to pay for out of your ownpocket to get the agreement.

Wouldn’t it have been better to findout about this before you bought theproperty?

I personally would never buy aproperty without seeing a real prop-erty report first. The real propertyreport will show me how big theproperty is, where the property linesare and where the buildings are inrelation to the property lines.

Site planIt is also very useful should I decideto make any improvements on theproperty since I can use it as the siteplan for my drawings.

Is title insurance right for you?Only you can decide, since it is yourmoney that you are spending to buythe property.

TIM BEAUCHAMP

Tim Beauchamp is a technical advisor withThe City of Edmonton Planning and Develop-ment Department

also request prints, CDs or diskettesfor delivery, and they can purchaseSpin information either by establishingan account or via e-commerce.

After a slow rollout, volumes havedoubled since September 1999 asusers have embraced the new, moreflexible system.

“We’ve seen significant changes asa result of being able to provide data24 hours a day, seven days a week,any place in the world,” says Elliott,who received a gold medal “Govern-ment in Technology” award in Hull,Quebec, last month on behalf ofGovernment Services, winning in theinnovative service delivery category.

On Monday, he was in Toronto toreceive the prestigious CanadianInformation Productivity Award thatrecognized Spin’s innovation andpractical application.

The system can be used to identifyparticular lots to assist in ordering landtitles. Another big payoff is theelimination of the need for municipali-ties, survey firms and otherstakeholders such as utility companiesto maintain extensive hard-copylibraries of plans, says Elliott.

Spin has been so successful thatmoves are now under way to deliverother government land-related datavia the Internet, including soils,cemetery location “and any number ofother land-related information datasets the government holds.”

MAIRI MACLEAN, JOURNAL BUSINESS WRITER

Surveyors plotlandowners’ rightsThe Alberta Land Surveyors’ Asso-ciation recently announced the publi-cation of a brochure that deals withan issue affecting almost everylandowner in Alberta. Understand-ing Easements and Rights-of-Waydeals with utility routes, gas or oilpipelines and other developmentrestrictions that affect how landown-ers use their property. Copies of thebrochure are available free of chargefrom the Alberta Land Surveyors’Association at 1-800-665-2572.


Labour Mobility...what it means to the ALSA

On July 18, 1994, Canada’sAgreement on Internal Trade (AIT)was signed by the premiers and thePrime Minister. The goal of theAgreement on Internal Trade is tohave people, goods, services andinvestments moving freely across thecountry. The AIT came into effect onJuly 1, 1995 and the Labour MobilityObligations are to be met no later thanJuly 1, 2001. The purpose of theLabour Mobility Chapter is to enableany worker qualified for an occupa-tion in a jurisdiction to be grantedaccess to employment opportunities inthat occupation in another Canadianjurisdiction. The Labour MobilityChapter applies to measures adoptedor maintained by an organization, likethe Alberta Land Surveyors’ Associa-tion, relating to occupational stand-

ards, licencing, certification, registra-tion and residency requirements ofworkers, which create barriers tolabour mobility.

The Canadian Council of LandSurveyors has been playing a leadrole to coordinate discussions amongstthe self-governing survey associationsin Canada that would lead to a mutualrecognition agreement. Ron Hall hasbeen the Association’s representativeat these meetings.

At these meetings which havebeen held in Ottawa, the representa-tives have had to deal with suchtopics as:• scope of practice;• competencies (knowledge, skills

and abilities);• education;• examinations;• experience;• period of articling;• internship;

• practice hours;• conduct and ethics;• temporary licencing;• competency assurance and prac-

tice audits; and• local knowledge.

Many members will be uncomfort-able with some of the conceptsdiscussed—such as no articling time ifyou are a member in good standing inanother professional Canadian surveyassociation. However, the point ofthese discussions is to challengeourselves to determine in which areaswe really need to test a candidate.

At this time, we do not know whatwill be in a mutual recognition agree-ment. However, we expect that it willbe fully discussed at our upcomingAnnual General Meeting and themembership is encouraged to partici-pate in the debate.

BRIAN E. MUNDAYEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR


Leica(new)


Survey Education - What are the Options?by G.K. Allred, ALS

It seems that no matter how muchattention the Alberta Land Surveyors’Association pays to the subject ofsurvey education, it is never enough.Certainly in the past ten months, thesubject of survey education has takenup more Council time than any othersingle item.

In March, we were faced with arestructuring of the University ofCalgary advisory process which, inmy opinion, left us largely on theoutside looking in. It is also apparentthat we are likely to face someacademic changes that give rise toconcern as to whether the Universityof Calgary Geomatics Engineeringdepartment will continue to offer anadequate program in cadastral stud-ies. This leads to the possibility thatEnglish Canada may be left with onlya single program that is accredited forentrance into the profession.

These changes, both actual andperceived, have led Council to enterinto dialogue with the University ofCalgary, and force us to closelyexamine all of our educational options.The Chair of the Department ofGeomatics Engineering has freelyacknowledged that the survey profes-sion should be looking at other optionsin the area of survey education.

What options are available?First, there is the fallback position ofwriting the WCBE examinations. Dueto the number of examinations and thedifficulty of the subject matter, this isclearly a last resort option available onlyto the most dedicated students. It alsodoes not give the candidate or theprofession the rewards of a broad-based college education.

Second, there is the option of anadvanced degree program throughNAIT or SAIT. Both institutionshave pursued the concept of theadvanced degree, with SAIT activelyworking on an Advanced Degreeprogram in Geographic Information

we, as Alberta Land Surveyors, bothindividually and collectively mustspend more time to assist the Univer-sity of Calgary in building toward aCentre of Excellence in CadastralStudies. We must work with studentsand faculty to show them that acareer in Cadastral Surveying is justas prestigious and rewarding asworking in other hi-tech industries.We must convince them that thebreadth offered by a career as anAlberta Land Surveyor is an excitingchallenge working with the public andother conveyancing professionals incomplex land tenure and developmentmatters.

Specifically it is Council’s intentionto get involved with the proposedBlock Week course on cadastral andprofessional matters and to assist theUniversity of Calgary with the annualKananaskis Survey Camp. We willcontinue to contribute guest lecturersto specific survey courses and topromote the surveying professionthrough the annual Beer and Bunevent.

Be prepared to offer a hand wheneither the University of Calgary or ourExecutive Director comes calling foryour expertise.

The Alberta Land Surveyors’Association has a challenge ahead ofus. We need to explore and enhanceall options available to attract studentsinto the surveying profession of thefuture.

Systems as an adjunct to a Diploma inSurveying.

A third option is to look at a trans-fer program between the technicalschools and other university pro-grams. The University of NewBrunswick currently offers credit forseveral courses taken by NAIT andSAIT graduates transferring to theUNB Geomatics Engineering pro-gram. With a cooperative agreementbetween the institutions, the creditavailable could likely be broadenedand optimized. Distance is, of course,a deterrent to going all the way acrossthe country to obtain a degree.Closer to home, NAIT is looking atentering into an articulation agreementwith the University of Lethbridge’sFaculty of Geography. Under thisagreement, survey graduates fromNAIT could obtain two years credit,towards a degree in Geography with aspecialization in Geographic Informa-tion Systems. Perhaps another possi-bility at the University of Lethbridgecould be to offer a Specialization inSurvey Science with NAIT offeringthe specific surveying subjects andthe University offering the geographyand science options. Such a degreeprogram could be similar to theprogram formerly offered by theUniversity of Alberta in the Depart-ment of Geography.

These are all potential options thatCouncil is looking at. Together, withthese options, we are examining ourscholarship programs to see if theyneed to be more focussed to provideassistance to students seeking outother options for a survey career.

Council has also determined that

The Alberta Land Surveyors’ Associationhas a challenge ahead of us. We need to exploreand enhance all options available to attract studentsinto the surveying profession of the future.


J.H. Holloway Scholarship FoundationCelebrates 25 YearsThe J.H. Holloway Scholarship Foundation celebrated its 25th year on October 20,2000 at the Red and White Club in Calgary. Participants in the event includedrepresentatives from the U of C, NAIT and SAIT as well as Jack’s daughter CarolynHolloway, grandchildren Michelle Miller and Bryan Miller and his wife Kimberly. Theguest speaker was Sharon Wood, the first North American woman to climb MountEverest. Also on hand were many people who knew Jack Holloway personally aswell as present Directors of the Foundation: President Alex Hittel, Vice PresidentJerry Rasmuson, Secretary Treasurer Brian Munday, Dick Bassil, John Deyholos andJack Hagen and past Directors Ken Allred and Bob Baker.

The following opening addresswas delivered by D.K.F.(Don) Dawson, ALS and isre-printed here for your

reading enjoyment. Mr. Dawson wasalso the recipient of the ALSA 50year pin for membership in theAlberta Land Surveyors’ Associationsince October 24, 1950.

Mr. President, distinguished guests,fellow land surveyors, Ladies andGentlemen:

It hadn’t occurred to me that my50th anniversary as a registeredAlberta Land Surveyor was ap-proaching. A sobering thought!

I have been granted the privilege ofrelating some highlights in JackHolloway’s life. I don’t know why Ihave been so rewarded other than thefact that I have managed to hang on abit longer than many people. In fact, Iwas born nine years after JackHolloway, who first looked into hismother’s eyes in 1909 in a small towncalled Chippingsodbury, not far fromBristol, England.

I had better get right to the task, asDick Bassil and Brian Munday haveallotted me fifteen minutes to say mypiece. My dear wife, who has keptme pointed in the right direction forfifty-five years, warned me about mypredilection for wandering from thesubject. She fears that fifteen minutesis far too long. However, rest assured,like you, I am anxious to hear fromSharon Wood.

I’m grateful to several people forinformation about Jack Holloway—

• his daughter Carolyn who ispresent with us tonight;

• Ted Rippon;• Charlie Weir;• the reflection of Bob Baker as

recounted in the March edition ofALS News; and

• the notes of the late Jack Hill.

Ted Rippon is undergoing eyesurgery currently and cannot be hereto enjoy this evening. Jack Hill was asoul mate to Jack Holloway—a fellowEnglishman and something of anintellectual.

My story begins back in 1950.Peter Timoschuck, Ted Rippon and Iwere sent to Alberta from Ottawawith the task of subdividing theHobbema Indian Reserves intoquarter sections. When the job wasdone, Jack Holloway, by then theDirector of Surveys for Alberta,noticed our work. He persuaded thethree of us to seek our fortunes herein Alberta. I don’t know about Peteand Ted, but at the time I had anongoing quarrel with the SurveyorGeneral’s office—so the three of us

J.H. Holloway Scholarship Foundation past and present DirectorsFront Row Left to Right: G.K. Allred, R.F. Baker, A. Hittel, B.E. MundayBack Row Left to Right: R.A. Bassil, J. Deyholos, J.E. Rasmuson, J.J. Hagen


defected from federal service andmanaged to qualify as Alberta LandSurveyors. None of us, I would judge,have ever regretted that decision.

In his biographical sketch, Jack Hilltells us that Jack Holloway became acivil engineer with a M.Sc. degreefrom the University of Bristol. Hearrived in Alberta in 1930, one yearafter the great stock market crash,when one was fortunate to havesecured a paying job of any kind.Indeed, I find it comforting somehowthat Jack and I both started oursurvey careers attached to the backend of a steel tape. We both went onto complete our DLS qualificationswhich, back then, was almost therequired basic training for prairiesurveyors.

Jack and I shared another thing.As a child, my British-born fatherinstilled in me the great respect thatBritish people confer upon their civilservice. Jack carried to Canada thatsame dedication, sense of responsibil-ity and reliability. It would be hard tofind a person anywhere more dedi-cated in his office. I find it humblingto simply relate in some kind of orderthe progress of his various moves upthe ladder.• In 1930, Jack arrived in Alberta

and went to work in highwayconstruction surveys.

• In 1932, he married JoycePethram, a Canadian girl, at HolyTrinity Anglican Church in Edmon-ton. Joyce is resting comfortably inan Edmonton Nursing home andwill turn 88 on the 28th of October.

• In 1934, Jack took his DLS com-mission and a year later he becamean Alberta Land Surveyor. This ledto his becoming the Surveyor to theLand Titles Office in Edmonton.

• In 1938, Jack was appointedAssistant Director of Surveys andTown Planning and, in 1947, rose tothe directorship of both thesebranches.

• In rapid order, he also took on thechairmanship of the Prairie Prov-inces Rural Housing AdvisoryCommission, chairmanship of theGeographic Board of Alberta and

pro-tem chairmanship of the CivilService Commission and subse-quent appointment to that job.

If this sounds like a pretty fullschedule—well, you aint heardnothing yet!

Probably the single most significantjob for Jack Holloway was that ofchairman of the Civil Service Com-mission. But amongst his many duties,he also served as:• Alberta Boundaries Commissioner

on the Alberta/British Columbiaand the Alberta/North WestTerritories Boundary Commissions;

• Chair of the Provincial PlanningBoard; and

• Vice President of the Civil ServiceAssociation.

The activity for which I personallyremember him best, because I leftgovernment service myself in 1955,was that of Secretary Treasurer ofthe Alberta Land Surveyors’ Associa-tion. To use a common phrase, thiswas not his “day job.” But in thiscapacity, he was a one-man bandwhose conduct of Association affairsbecame exceptionally comprehensiveconsidering the breadth of his activi-ties in his official life and in hispersonal and private life.

Jack’s private life, Ted Rippon andJack Hill have commented, includedhis love of gardening. Jack Hillpointed to his annual husbandry anddisplay of 5,000 to 7,000 gladioli. Asfor my gardening, this year I person-ally managed to get a dozen glads tobloom and the deer ate them all.

He was always doing somethingand, in the course of events, heacquired five acres on Boag Lake inthe Sherwood Park area. Here hechopped down some trees, debarkedand chinked them and erected a 12foot by 12 foot cabin all on his own.When he retired to the Coast in 1965,he promptly built a new house inSidney for something to do.

It is not easy to summarize JackHolloway’s professional accomplish-ments. However, Jack Hill had a niceturn of phrase and I can do no betterthan to quote him verbatim from some

Bob Baker, ALS presenting Carolyn Hollowaywith a collection of memorabilia that he“squirreled” away.

Past scholarship recipients from left to right:David Thomas, ALS; David Gosling;Kevin Grenkie; Jacques Dupuis, ALS

The Holloway Family from left to right:Carolyn Holloway, Michele Miller,Brian and Kimberly Miller


of his biographical notes on thesubject of Jack Holloway’s contribu-tions:

“During Jack’s long productive andall-encompassing stewardship ofthe Alberta Land Surveyors’Association, he was the initiatorand driving force behind moderniz-ing the Surveys Act, the LandSurveyors Act, the Planning Act,and had considerable input intorevisions to the Land Titles Actand the Expropriation Act.

He was well-known and highly-respected in surveying circlesacross Canada and wrote at leastnine articles for The CanadianSurveyor on various topics includ-ing The Discovery of Longitude,Northern Alberta Oil Sands andTheir Development and, particu-larly, The Principles of Evidencewhich has become a classic in itsfield and required reading for aproper understanding of TheSurveyor and The Law.

Jack had a lucid polished literarystyle and a well-developed sense ofhumour. In his younger days, hewas a regular contributor to Punchin London England. He wrote ahistory of the Alberta Land Sur-veyors’ Association and composedarticles and gave lectures on townplanning.”

During the first couple of weekswhen I reported to Jack Holloway, Ihad just driven out from ArnpriorOntario in our first new car—a 1951

Studebaker. I parked my family in theClock Motel in Jasper Place and thendrove to the Legislative Building. Jackarrived a little later on his motor-bike—kind of putting us to shame.Jack was not a tall man and seated atmy desk, I could see his head movingjust above and along a bank of steelfiles to his office. I was most im-pressed with Jack’s office. He had hisown private little bathroom there and,once or twice, he even let me use it. Ipersonally have never managed toachieve this exalted distinction.

Jack had good help too. When Ilater had occasion as President of theAssociation to go and see him in hisCommission Office, I would have toget past Mrs. Grace Taylor whoprotected him from intrusion. She wasa wise lady who sat in his outer officethat was laden with violets. She wouldcarry on a lively conversation withvisitors in such a charming way—allthe time fending you off until Jackwas good and ready to see you.That way, the stand-by was alwaysenjoyable.

But just what kind of a guy wasJack Holloway? It would certainly bemost presumptuous of me to makeany categorical assessment of theman, but from all the evidence, it’s nothard to draw a general picture of theway he looked to most of those thatknew him at all.

He encouraged surveyors to try outinnovative techniques. About the timehe retired, the tellurometer wascoming into use, but I have oftenspeculated how excited he might havebecome about satellite receivers. Bythe end of the Sixties, polar orbitsatellite data was being published andreceivers were in use in the off-shorefor spotting drilling rigs. Jack wouldhave revelled in the possibilitiesopened up by GPS.

He was well-organized in every-thing he did. He had to be in order tohave accomplished so much. Whenthere was clamour and confusioneverywhere, Jack would be quietlymaking notes and preparing the plansfor the next series of events.

Jack liked to be well informed too.He even started to read the Encyclo-pedia Britannica from cover tocover—never quite made it to theend.

He was very even-tempered andhandled his problems quietly. Oddly,for a man so much in public life, hedisliked public speaking very much.His daughter Carolyn related to meabout the only time he really becameagitated. He actually chased heraround the garden with a newspaperonce. Her crime? She had trampledsome of his precious gladioli.

It’s funny how you remember thedetails of a person. Jack loved otherflowers too. When we lived inBowness in the early 1950s, he gaveme a dahlia. I made the mistake ofplanting it in the gravel bed that Icalled my garden.

Jack liked driving and took frequenttrips with his family to California andelsewhere. He liked Packards espe-cially—didn’t we all—and managedto collect about eight of them. Oneday, his son-in-law left the key to one

Brian Munday presenting Sharon Wood with amomento of the occasion.

...Jack Holloway—gentleman,friend, intellectual, tirelessworker and dedicated servantof land surveyors and thepeople of Alberta.

of these Packards in the ignition. Thecar was stolen and it was thensmashed into a light standard. Thecity billed Jack for the damage.

So now, I suppose you are wonder-ing, did Jack have any faults at all? Ithink we have to say yes to that one.Sadly, he was a heavy smoker.

He died on April 16, 1975 in SidneyBC—a man we all greatly admiredand respected.

It has been my privilege andpleasure to recall for you a few of theaspects of the life and works of JackHolloway—gentleman, friend, intel-lectual, tireless worker and dedicatedservant of land surveyors and thepeople of Alberta.


spr director’sspr director’sspr director’sspr director’sspr director’s by Lyall Pratt, ALSspr director’sspr director’sspr director’sspr director’sspr director’smessage

2020 VISION

With the local economyhumming along lately, I thought itmight be interesting to look at theAssociation membership now and tryto predict how many active membersthe Association might have in 2020. Iused our current annual register ofmembers to compile the numbers. Iobtained Alberta census informationfrom Statistics Canada.

As we are now out of the nineties,I used the membership numbers fromthe last five decades to projectforward the next two decades and didnot include the members commis-sioned in 2000 to date (see Figure 1).

The number of practicing membersfrom the last five decades (January 1,1950 to January 1, 2000) totals 280.This is composed of 278 Activemembers and 2 Honorary Life Mem-bers who are practicing.

By my count, there are currently35 active members that do not provideland surveying services directly to thepublic in Alberta. They are eitherresiding or practicing out of province,employed by government, education,or other organizations where landsurveying services are not offereddirectly to the public. By my count,this means that 245 members pro-vided land surveying services to thepublic in Alberta on January 1, 2000.In the 1996 census, the population ofthe Province was 2,696,826 persons.Statistics Canada shows the estimatedAlberta population in 1999 as2,964,689. This would translate intoone Alberta Land Surveyor forapproximately every 12,100 people.

Let’s project the decade by decadenumbers using the average numberreceiving their commissions in thepast two decades to see where thenumbers might be in 10 years and in20 years.

Assuming that, by 2010, thereare no members left practicing fromthe decade of the 50s and sliding thesame percentages practicing one

*In this exercise I have assumed that new membership in the nextdecade will be the average of the last two decades. This should bereasonable as the register shows 66 articled pupils as of May 2000.

...if the need for more landsurveyors were to increaseat the same rate as thepopulation projections, therewill be a severe shortagein 2020.

NumberNumber Percentage Practicing

Decade Commissioned Practicing Jan. 1, 20201970 to 1979 163 6.25% 101980 to 1989 89 35.90% 321990 to 1999 75 59.51% 452000 to 2010 *82 82.02% 672010 to 2020 *82 100.00% 82Totals 491 48.07% 236

Figure 3

NumberNumber Percentage Practicing

Decade Commissioned Practicing Jan. 1, 20101960 to 1969 78 6.25% 51970 to 1979 163 35.90% 591980 to 1989 89 59.51% 531990 to 1999 75 82.02% 622000 to 2010 *82 100.00% 82Totals 487 53.59% 261

Figure 2

NumberNumber Practicing Percentage

Decade Commissioned Jan 1, 2000 Practicing1950 to 1959 112 7 6.25%1960 to 1969 78 28 35.90%1970 to 1979 163 97 59.51%1980 to 1989 89 73 82.02%1990 to 1999 75 75 100.00%Totals 517 280 54.16%Figure 1


decade forward the numbers look likeFigure 2.

If there are 261 active members in2010, and as in 2000, 12.5% (35 outof 280) do not directly provide landsurvey services to the public, thenthere would be 228 Alberta LandSurveyors to provide services. Thismeans that, to keep membershipnumbers constant, we would need 17

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Num

ber o

f Su

rvey

ors

#Commissioned

# Practicing # ProvidingServices to

Public

1950-2000

1960-2010

1970-2020

ALSA Membership — 2020 Projections

more new land surveyors in thecoming decade than we have aver-aged in the past two decades. How-ever, these membership numbers donot take into account a growingprovincial population, nor the trendthat more people may opt for earlyretirement today than in the past.

Let us look 20 years down the road(see Figure 3).

To keep the same number ofpracticing land surveyors that wehave today, we will need 44 morenew members over the next 20 yearsthan these projections indicate we will

have. This translates into 10 or 11 peryear. The bad news is we have onlyaveraged 7.5 per year for the past 10years. The good news is that, in thelast five years, we have averaged 10per year.

Maybe the population of theProvince will not continue to grow atthe same rate over the next 20 years.Or maybe conventional oil and gas

reserves will run out and the resourcesector won’t need as many landsurveys. But if the need for more landsurveyors is to increase at the samerate as the population projections,there will be a severe shortage in2020. Let us suppose that the popula-tion of the Province continues to growat the present rate. Favorable taxationrates and the “Alberta Advantage”could see this growth continue. Thiswould mean that by 2020 there wouldbe an additional 1,785,753 people inthe Province for a population of about4,482,579. If we can continue to

commission 10 or 11 land surveyorsper year for the next 20 years, wemay maintain 250 land surveyorsproviding land surveying services tothe public. Alberta would then have aland surveyor for approximately every18,000 people. Of course, technologymay make it easier to provide today’sservices, but what about tomorrow’sservices? I suggest that the Province

could support an Alberta Land Sur-veyor for every 15,000 people. Thatmeans there should be about 300 landsurveyors providing land surveyingservices to the public by 2020, orabout 50 more than there are today.Instead of 10 or 11 new members peryear, we would require 13 or 14 peryear for the next 20 years to reachthe 300 level. Is there anything thatwe should be doing today to increaseour membership per year? As theprojections show, we need to increaseour membership and not just maintainhistoric numbers.


s p rs p rs p rs p rs p rcornerby Lyall Pratt, ALSDirector of Systematic Practice Review

Case Study No. 6:Chains, Feet, Metres

This is the sixth in a series ofarticles featuring problems commonlyencountered in Systematic PracticeReview. The purpose of these articlesis purely educational and, although thematerial is taken from an actualpractice review, no names or identify-ing legal descriptions are included.Opinions expressed in this article arethose of the author.

The ProblemWhile all land surveyors are familiarwith township plans and 40 chainquarter sections, registered plans–depending when they were regis-tered–can have distances shown inchains, feet or metres. Many olderregistered plans show distances inchains. While I cannot find any exactdate, most subdivision plans registeredafter the 1940s showed distances infeet. However, many (‘tho not all)road plans registered until into the1960s show linear dimensions inchains. Since metric conversion in1978, all registered plans now showdistances and areas in metric units.Surveyors sometimes confuse meas-urements in one unit for measure-ments in another.

The ProjectThe practitioner conducted a subdivi-sion survey for a country residentialparcel of approximately 4.5 hectaresadjacent to a road plan that wasregistered in 1914 and later modifiedin 1932. The 1914 road survey essen-tially followed the east/west quarterline through Section 34 with twodiversions. There was a northerlydiversion near the centre of thesection for a creek crossing andanother diversion for topographicreasons near the east quarter ofSection 34. The 1932 road surveyaltered the diversion for the creekcrossing near the centre of Section 34

The Plan ExaminationBoth the 1914 and 1932 road plansshow linear dimensions expressed inchains, but the 1952 road plan showsdimensions in feet. The 1914 roadsurvey ran the east/west quarter lineand took 0.50 chains each side of thesaid quarter line except for the twodiversions. While the plan does notstate that distances are in chains, thescale is shown as 4 chains = 1 inch.The one-half chain distance each sideof the quarter line is shown as .50,with the decimal point in front of thefive being nearly indistinguishable.

From an examination of the practi-tioner’s subdivision plan, it was clearthat he read the .50 chains as 50 feeton each side of the quarter line – adifference of 17 feet. He re-estab-lished three road posts on that basisand had a misclosure of nearly 17 feetat the first found road post. Thisrevelation raised the question: Wasthe re-establishment of the three roadposts required, as the practitioner wasclearly re-establishing monuments 17feet or so from where they likelywere originally placed?

Re-establishing the road limit 17feet further south of the correctposition created a gap between thenortherly limit of the subdivisionparcel and the correct limit of theroad, when they were intended to be

...continued on page 29

Figure 1

While all land surveyorsare familiar with townshipplans and 40 chainquarter sections, registeredplans–depending whenthey were registered–canhave distances shown inchains, feet or meters.

but the centre of the section still fellsouth of the road plan.

The subdivided parcel was withinthe south half of Section 34, abuttingthe road plan for access and the east/west quarter line where the road plandiverted north near the centre of thesection (see Figure 1). This left asmall portion of the north half ofSection 34 between the road and thenorth limit of the subdivision. Thesurveyor ran the blind line and quar-tered the section in doing this subdivi-sion survey. The north/south roadallowance along the west side ofSection 34 had been widened by aroad survey, the plan of which wasregistered in 1952. Some re-establish-ment of survey evidence was requiredfor monuments shown on all three ofthe road plans mentioned.


LPP(new)


coincident. This gap took away partof the legal access to the parcel. Notonly would the incorrect re-establish-ments have to be resolved but theland in the gap would have to bepurchased and added to the subdi-vided parcel.

The LegislationSection 41(4) of the Surveys Actsays: All the boundary lines sur-veyed and established in accord-ance with subsection(1) shall bedefined by the monuments placedfor that purpose as shown on theplan of survey registered at theLand Titles Office or filed at theMetis Settlements Land Registry,whether or not the dimensions orareas expressed on the plan arefound by re-measurement to bedifferent.

This means that the monumentsplaced by the original road surveygovern the road limits, and the monu-ments placed by the subdivisionsurvey define the limits of the parcel.Any land between the monumentedlimits of the subdivision parcel and theoriginal limits of the road plan wouldbelong to the quarter section and beowned by that title holder.

The Field InspectionThe SPR field inspection agreed withthe practitioner’s findings that thethree monuments defining the limits ofthe 1914 and 1932 road surveys werelost and should be re-established but,

Figure 2

as the SPR plan examination hadalready revealed, the re-establishedmonuments were in error by about 17feet.

The Corrected Survey and PlanThe practitioner recognized the erroras soon as it was pointed out to him.He undertook a new subdivision andconsolidation for the parcel after re-establishing the missing road monu-ments using the correct dimensionfrom the quarter line. New subdivi-sion approvals and transfer of landwere required. The land between thecorrect location of the road limit andthe originally subdivided parcel had tobe purchased from the quartersection and consolidated with theoriginal subdivided parcel (see Figure2).

Needless to say, the correctiontook longer and cost more than theoriginal survey and, of course, timeand expenses were not billable to theoriginal client.

The MessageThis situation was created by ablunder in reading an old plan. Othersurveyors have likely made the sameblunder before but without the sameconsequences. The misclosure withthe original survey should have been aclue that something was wrong. Asecond person examining the planmight have detected the blunderbefore the plan was registered. Acombination of the 1952 plan withlinear dimensions in feet, and difficultto read decimal point in the .50 chaindistance came together to make thedistance appear to be 50 feet. Theironic part of this case is that thepractitioner recognized that all otherdimensions on the 1914 plan were inchains. Once the blunder was made,and perhaps because it was such asimple mistake, it was not caught untilthe SPR plan examination; however itcould and should have been caught bythe surveyor’s plan examination.

There may be several messageshere. Be careful when dealing withchains, feet and metres all in onesurvey. When something doesn’t closewith the original survey, there is likelysomething wrong with your work.Finally, a good plan examinationsystem should have caught this beforethe plan was registered. Checkeverything in your plan examinationsand don’t assume anything.

...monuments placed bythe original road surveygovern the road limits,and the monumentsplaced by the subdivisionsurvey define the limits ofthe parcel.


by Richard A. Schlachter, A.L.S.AltaLIS UpdateAltaLIS UpdateAltaLIS UpdateAltaLIS UpdateAltaLIS Updatespatial data warehouse

This column is the third in aseries written for sharing informationwith the ALSA membership on recentactivities at Spatial Data WarehouseLtd. and AltaLIS Ltd.

New Data Price &License AlternativesSince March of this year, new li-censes were introduced to allowgreater access to AltaLIS Property,Base and Terrain digital base mapdatasets. More license alternativesmean AltaLIS can offer clients moreflexible pricing including the Survey-or’s Project License & credit rebate.To date, nine member companies ofthe ALSA are taking advantage ofour price rebate on property data usedfor registering plans by digital submis-sion.

Since March, two more new datalicenses have been added. This bringsthe total to six alternatives for userdata access.

Six specific-use licenses:1. Standard End User2. End-User Subscription3. Education & Research4. Surveyor Project5. Municipal Subscription6. PublisherThe Subscription License now offersmunicipalities lower pricing (75%discount) on Property data withupdates at $18 per township.

In addition to the six user licensesAltaLIS offers their data partners, a“Value-Added Service Provider” Kit.The VASP Kit includes delivery of allavailable base map datasets (Base,Property, Terrain) to you under anagreement to “add value” and allowsyou to redistribute your products byCD or through web browsers. The

VASP Kit is priced at $10,000 for thefirst year plus a small annual fee perend-user seat. For smaller coverages,the Publisher license delivers similarbenefits at a lower entry price.More InformationFor more information about any ofour new data packages or licensesplease contact the AltaLIS orderdesk directly (403-716-3490) or visitour website at www.altalis.com.

Cadastral Mapping Project& Digital Plan SubmissionsPlan registrations at Alberta Regis-tries’ Land Titles Offices have leveledoff from the peaks previously re-corded; the average number of plansregistered monthly is now about 700(excluding Calgary & Edmonton).The digital plan submission andintegration process is functioningsmoothly and efficiently. Approxi-mately 85% of survey plans are beingintegrated into the AltaLIS databaseswithin 5 days of registration. Thebacklog was eliminated in the springof this year. Although the Property(working cadastral data) dataset isupdated with new plans continuouslythroughout the month, it is availablefor distribution only once a month.AltaLIS is currently reviewing theupdating & distribution process todetermine if the Property dataset canbe updated for distribution on a

weekly or semi-weeklybasis in the future.

The property graphicfiles are currently undergo-ing a “cleaning” process tomake the data more GIScompliant. Overshoots,undershoots, loss of connec-

tivity, and redundant duplicate ele-ments are being corrected. Thisprocess should be completed in thefirst quarter of 2001.

Topographic Data Update StudyEnhancement of Alberta’s topo-graphic data collection represents apotential benefit for AltaLIS clients.A study was commissioned for the

SDW-AltaLIS joint venture in De-cember 1999 with the primary objec-tive to:

“Conduct a topographic datastudy with the goal of generatinga high level plan and fundingmodel outlining the feasibility ofupdating the data.”

The topographic digital datasets areone of the anchor products withinAltaLIS’s spatial data product line.Updating the currency & quality ofthe topographic dataset, re-engineer-ing its update processes, and develop-ing new distribution channels andmechanisms could potentially unleasha higher potential value.

Independent market research wasconducted this spring through anextensive client telephone surveyfollowed by a focus group in thesummer. The research determined theneeds of current and potential usersas well as the size of Alberta’stopographic data marketplace. Thestudy investigated various spatial datamodels and compared the costs ofover a dozen methods for updatingtopographic base feature data. Theupdate method alternatives fell intothree categories: primary updatingmethods using aerial or satelliteimagery; secondary type updatesthrough the purchase and integrationof third party data; and product lineextensions through the resale ofexisting third party data.

Growth in ortho-imagery use is acontinuing trend supporting topo-graphic feature currency. AlbertaEnvironment’s “Base Features”dataset (Figure 2) is one example ofusing satellite ortho-imagery toproduce updated, GIS-ready topo-graphic data.

AltaLIS completed its study inSeptember and presented recommen-dations to the AltaLIS-SDW jointventure committee on October 18th inCalgary. A second presentation wasmade in Red Deer during the SDWstrategic planning session on Novem-ber 8th. The study’s recommendationswill soon be released to the public and

Figure 1 - SDW/AltaLIS digital base map license agreement format


preliminary results can be found onthe project website:www.members.home.net/topostudy.

AltaLIS’s study makes severalrecommendations on changes neededto support the strategic, technical,operational and economic viability oftopographic data in Alberta. Five-yearsales forecasts for updated topo-graphic data plus other related prod-uct lines, generally fall short of thecosts required to create and distributethem. Of the best business casespresented, it will take more than fiveyears to reach a financial breakevenpoint. In general, the relatively smallAlberta market size, combined withthe price the marketplace will bear forpurchasing topographic data, do notyet reflect the short-term costs of itsproduction.

Mapping organizations around theworld struggle with the same problemof outdated topographic map data andhigh update costs. Industry trendsshow a higher variety of data capturetechnologies being used and the entryof more private sector ventures intowhat was once a government domain.Better data, lower pricing and fewerdata restrictions are the key expecta-tions by spatial data clients andAltaLIS continues to move in thisdirection.

SDW ActivitiesSDW has established a cadastralmapping external advisory group(EAG). A broad base of customersand key stakeholders will be meetingon a regular basis to provide SDW

Figure 2 - sample of updated “Base Features” dataset from Alberta Environment

and AltaLIS with important feedbackand advice on the cadastral mappingproducts. The initial committeemeeting was held on September 25th

and the next meeting was on Decem-ber 5th in Red Deer. The ALSA isrepresented on this EAG by CraigMcBride of McElhanney LandSurveys (Alta.) Ltd.

SDW hosted a stakeholderroundtable discussion on the future ofAlberta mapping data and the role ofSDW on October 19th at the RedDeer Lodge. Doug Lunty of TheFocus Corporation was there torepresent the ALSA. The 27 partici-pants recommended SDW focus ontitles mapping, features based GISready data, licensing and redistribution

issues, and the establishment of techni-cal standards as its top priorities.

The board of directors of SDW hasmet recently to review the recom-mendations of the stakeholderroundtable and to strategize on thefuture. The board clearly establishedthe creation and maintenance of titlesmapping data as its top priority. Giventhe importance of titles mapping tomunicipalities, SDW is committed toextensive municipal involvementthroughout this initiative. AlbertaGovernment financial support forcapturing historical titles mapping datawill be a key factor in making theproject viable.

✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰ Geomatics Award of Excellence✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰What Do I Have To Have Done?Contributed to the advancement ofgeomatics in one of the following areas:1. Use of technology;2. New methods or procedures;3. New software;4. Innovations and inventions;5. Anything else unique to the field of

geomatics.

How Do I Get Nominated?Submissions must be made to the Asso-ciation office by February 2001. Submis-

sions should be summary reports of theproject or innovation and the reports beno more than two pages in length.

What Do I Win?The award will be presented at theAnnual General Meeting and the paperswill be published in ALS News. A noticeof the winner of the award, and thehonourable mentions, will be publishedin the Calgary Herald and the Edmon-ton Journal.

What Is It?An award, which recognizes all mem-bers of the Alberta Land Surveyors’Association, Surveyors Corporations,and Surveyors Partnerships for theircontributions to the advancement ofgeomatics.

Who Is Eligible?The award is open to all members of theAlberta Land Surveyors’ Associationwho, along with their co-workers, haveadvanced the field of geomatics.


Following are updates toinitiatives underway within the LandAdministration Division of AlbertaEnvironment.

1) Land AdministrationDivision Re-organization.

On October 24, 2000, in order toimprove delivery of services andprograms, the division was re-organ-ized from five branches to three. Themain goal of the streamlined organiza-tion is to enhance effective use ofavailable resources. The three newbranches under the Division Director,Glenn Selland, are as follows:• Disposition Services Branch

Val Hoover, Branch HeadIncludes program administration forcommercial, sand & gravel, industrial,agriculture, and geophysical disposi-tions; and land sales and exchanges.• Land Use Management Branch

Murray Anderson, Branch HeadIncludes land use research andanalysis, special projects, land recla-mation and roads, land use and rangemanagement.• Director of Surveys and

Technical Services BranchMike Michaud, Branch Head

Combines the Director of SurveysBranch and Technical ServicesBranch into one new branch. In-cludes land surveys, geodetic control,Director of Surveys, land conveyance,disposition plans and mapping, andsystems automation.

The Director of Surveys andTechnical Services Branch hasfurther been divided into four sec-tions.• Land Surveys

Ron Cote, Program Manager• Geodetic Control

Geoff Banham, Project Leader• Technical Services

Marv Weiss, Program Manager• ADEPT (Application/Disposition

Processing and Tracking)Roger Harris, Project Leader

2) Monumentation Certificate formadded to the regulations under theLand Titles Act.

Work continues with Alberta Regis-tries.3) Spatial Index (SPIN) access to

survey control data.Access to survey control data hasbeen available since the end ofAugust 2000. Distribution through theonline MASCOT Data Distribution(MADD) system was terminated onNovember 15, 2000.4) SPIN access to township plans.Access to current and historicaltownship plans is scheduled forJanuary 31, 2001.5) Scanning township plan field notes.A contractor is busy scanning thetownship survey field notes. Scanningis scheduled for completion by March31, 2001. Indexing and collectingmeta-data on the field notes will takea significant amount of work andSPIN access is not expected untilsometime in 2002.6) Enhanced survey and plan standards

for Public Land dispositions.On October 1, 2000 the enhancedstandards for License of Occupation(LOC) access roads were imple-mented. LOC clients are now re-quired to submit a preliminary planupon application and an as-builtsurvey plan within 90 days of the roadbeing constructed.7) Scanned activity

plans/township plots.A client survey was completed andthe returns are being reviewed forfuture direction. Meetings with IHSEnergy Group will be scheduled forearly December 2000 to develop aproject plan.8) Land Administration

Division web site.Early in December 2000, the web sitewill be up and running at the followingaddress: www.gov.ab.ca/env/land.html.The new site can be found under the

heading Public Land Administration.The site includes general informationabout dispositions on public land, andprovides digital access to forms andpolicy and procedure documents,including plan standards.

MIKE MICHAUD, ALS

Water Act Fact SheetCode of Practice for Pipelinesand Telecommunication Lines

Crossing a Water Body(effective April 1, 2000)

Code of Practice forWatercourse Crossings(effective May 1, 2000)

What are Codes of Practice(Codes)?• Codes regulate activities under the

Water Act (the Act) that wouldnormally require an approval to beobtained. The Codes set out thestandards and conditions to be metto ensure the activity minimizes thedisturbance and impact on theenvironment when undertaking orconducting the activities governedby the Codes.

What projects or developments arecovered by Codes?• The placement, construction,

installation, maintenance, replace-ment, or removal of a pipeline ortelecommunication line crossing awater body is regulated under theCode of Practice for Pipelinesand Telecommunication LinesCrossing a Water Body. Theseprojects are typically oil, gas, andwater pipelines and telecommuni-cation lines.

• The placement, construction,installation, maintenance, replace-ment, or removal of a watercoursecrossing a water body must ensuretheir activities are in compliancewith the Code of Practice forWatercourse Crossing. Watercourse crossings include culvert

UpdateUpdateUpdateUpdateUpdateAlberta Environment


crossings, bridges, or other types ofstructures used to provide accessthrough, across, or over a water-course. The Water (Ministerial)Regulation sets out specificsituations where certain water-course crossings are exempt fromthe requirement of obtaining anapproval. Where there are exemp-tions, Codes do not apply. Sched-ules 1 and 2 of the Regulationidentify the exemptions wherethere is no need to apply for anapproval or follow the Codes.

How do the Codes change ordeviate from the current regulatoryprocesses?• The Codes identify the objectives

and a number of standards andconditions to be met when under-taking the activities. Before theCodes came into effect, the personresponsible for the activity wasrequired to obtain an approval.

• With the Codes in effect and uponnotification to Alberta Environment,the activity may be undertakenwithout obtaining an approval. Theactivity must be carried out tocomply with the objectives, stand-ards, and conditions set out in theCodes. The person responsible hasthe duty to determine how best toachieve these objectives andstandards.

Who enforces the Codes?• The Codes fall within the Act and

its Regulations. Alberta Environ-ment is the government departmentresponsible for the administrationof the Act, and is responsible for itsenforcement.

What are typical operatingrequirements under the Codes?• The person undertaking the activity

under a COP must first complete aplan to meet the COP objectivesand standards. The person thenprovides a notice to the departmentbefore undertaking the activity.Records and plans of the activity tobe undertaken must be retainedand made available when re-quested by the department.

• Compliance monitoring will beconducted by the department.

Do the Codes affect obligations andresponsibilities under other legisla-tive requirements?• Compliance with Codes does not

relieve a person of their obligationsand responsibilities under otherlegislation. Regulatory approvalsmay be required under provinciallegislation such as the PublicLands Act, Environmental Pro-tection and Enhancement Act orunder federal legislation such asthe Fisheries Act and the Naviga-ble Waters Protection Act.

How do I obtain a copy of theCodes and whom can I contact formore information on Codes?• Copies of the two Codes are

available in paper format from theQueen’s Printer as well as inelectronic format through theQueen’s Printer Web page:http:\\www.gov.ab.ca\qp [click onAlberta’s Legislation]. The Codesand associated maps are alsoavailable through the AlbertaEnvironment Web page.

• Information on the Codes can alsobe obtained through AlbertaEnvironment’s regional offices.

Submit notifications to yournearest regional office:

Office of the RegionalSupport Manager

Natural Resources Service,NWB RegionBag 900-5, Prov. Bldg.Peace River, Alberta T8 S I T4Telephone: (780) 624-6167Fax: (780) 624-6335


Natural Resources Service,NEB Region111, 4999 - 98 AvenueEdmonton, Alberta T6B 2X3Telephone: (780) 427-5296Fax: (780) 422-0528


Natural Resources Service,NES Region52322 Golf Course RoadStony Plain, Alberta T7Z 2K9Telephone: (780) 963-6131Fax: (780) 963-4651


Natural Resources Service,Parkland Region5th Floor, 4920 - 51 StreetRed Deer, Alberta T4N 6K8Telephone: (403) 340-7654Fax: (403) 340-7662

Office of the RegionalWater Manager

Natural Resources Service,Bow Region200, 3115 - 12 Street, NECalgary, Alberta T2J 7J2Telephone: (403) 297-6582Fax: (403) 297-2749

Office of the RegionalWater Manager

Natural Resources Service,Prairie Region200 - 5 Avenue, S, Prov. Bldg.Lethbridge, Alberta TIJ 4LITelephone: (403) 382-4254Fax: (403) 381-5337


by Paul Dixon, ALSpublicpublicpublicpublicpublicrelations

The Public Relations Committeerecently released its latest brochureUnderstanding Easements &Rights-of-Way. More than 15,000brochures have been distributed sinceits release and it is being very wellreceived by the public. Surveyors nowhave access to another informativepublication as a public service toclients and to promote the Associa-tion.

In the past, Alberta Land Survey-ors used the Real Property Reportand Subdivision Process brochureswhen working in an urban environ-ment. With the addition of the Under-standing Easements & Rights-of-Way brochure, we now have amethod of informing rural propertyowners why survey personnel may beon their property. Providing brochuresto the public assists property owners’understanding of survey activities onprivate land and, at the same, pro-

motes the image of the land surveyprofession.

In the last three years, more than50,000 Real Property Report bro-chures and 18,000 SubdivisionProcess brochures were ordered ordistributed. The newest brochure,Understanding Easements andRights-of-Way, is the most popularyet. While researching stakeholderinput, Robert Chisholm of AlbertaFirst Call wrote, “We, too, get manyquestions on rights-of-way andeasements. Thank you for takingthe initiative to put a definitive

document in place as a publicresource.” In fact, at the recentAlberta Urban Municipalities Asso-ciation trade show, nearly all visitorsto the ALSA booth were pleased tosee the publication and commented onhow many questions occur withrespect to rights-of-way.

The Public Relations Committeeencourages you to use these tools asan effective way of informing thepublic, advertising to clients, andpromoting the profession. Since mostencounters with the public occurthrough field staff, they should beencouraged to keep several brochureswith them for distribution. Circulatingthe brochures serves the public andbenefits both your company and yourAssociation.

All brochures can be orderedthrough the ALSA office or website.

...we now have a methodof informing ruralproperty owners whysurvey personnel maybe on their property.

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Total stations, GPS, cellphones, computers and related soft-ware, ink jet plotters, calculators, theWorld Wide Web, quads,snowmobiles, and so-on are the toolsof today. Contrast that with equipmentand methods used to install theoriginal survey fabric in the late 1800sor early 1900s.

Additionally, creature comfortssuch as heated shelter, hot mealseaten at a table, bright lights to readby, showers, a bed that is not made ofspruce boughs and entertainment suchas TV and radio were not availablethen.

So is it any wonder that, as wecome to evidence that was set wayback when, many of us stop andmarvel at the work that has broughtus to the same location separated onlyby time? Then an absolutely thunder-ous thought strikes us – this survey

fabric that was built many years agois the basis of today’s infrastructure.Imagine trying to locate a pipeline,lease or even a highway today with-out the groundwork that was doneback then.

Without the foresight and persever-ance of yesterday’s surveyor, thesociety we know today would notexist. Infrastructure that could notpossibly have been visualized then –

utility rights-of-ways, highways,pipelines, cell towers, airports and soon. When these men were working inthe field doing their job, did theyrealize what an impact their workwould have in the future? Or werethey more concerned about gettingwarm and dry, or keeping the bugsfrom eating them alive?

In the day-to-day whirl of livingand working today, do we sometimeslose sight of the fact that what we dotoday does have an impact on futuregenerations? Next time we see oldevidence, maybe we should givepause as to what it is we are doingand why. Maybe we should payhomage to those that have comebefore us.

The foundations they laid are thefoundations that we continue to buildon. Let our contributions be as far-sighted and relevant tomorrow astheirs are today.

In the day-to-day whirl ofliving and working today,do we sometimes lose sightof the fact that what wedo today does have animpact on futuregenerations?


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133 Douglas Ridge Pl. S.E.Calgary, Alberta T2Z 2T2

Office (403) 720-4801Robert M. Weber Cell (403) [email protected] Fax (403) 720-4166

Advanced Pipe and Cable Locator SeminarsThis widely acclaimed training pres-entation covers the basic principlesinvolved in locating undergroundfacilities and techniques for solvingdifficult locate problems. The presen-tation is generic in nature and doesnot promote specific manufacturers ormodels. The objective is to enlightenutility staff and supervisors to theincreasingly complex functionsinvolved in this important requirement.A better informed and better trainedlocate staff will result in safer, morecost-effective operations for anycompany involved in undergroundoperations. The course will specifi-cally:• Using layman’s terms, explain how

electromagnetic fields are created,propagated and detected;

• Illustrate how field distortionoccurs and how it results in locateerrors;

• Explain how to reduce or eliminatemany causes of distortion and howto deal with remaining distortion;

• Illustrate the best techniques forgrounding and frequency choice;

• Introduce cable fault types andfault-finding techniques for eachtype.

The courses are scheduled for:March 5, 2001 - EdmontonMarch 6, 2001 - Fort McMurrayMarch 8, 2001 -Calgary

The speaker willbe Dave Wulff, afactory ApplicationsSpecialist forRadiodetectionCanada. Dave is anentertaining speakerwho will keep thismaterial interesting

and relevant. The seminar will be afull-day event. Lunch and extensivecourse material will be included in thefee.

Please contact RadiodetectionCanada at 1-800-665-7953 orwww.radiodetection.ca (under Train-ing) for the name of the organizer inyour area.


by Teresa Chan, Digest Editor, The Lawyers Weekly(reprinted with permission from T. Chan and The Lawyers Weekly)legallegallegallegallegalnotes

SALE OF LANDTITLE - Defects - Land titleofficer erroneously recorded jointtenancy as tenancy in common -Joint owner aware of error andintended it to be unchanged—Co-owner sought damages againstlawyer who prepared propertysale documents—Lawyer liablefor co-owner's loss of his interestin the property, but co-owner was25 per cent negligent.

In 1980, plaintiff purchased aproperty with his wife and his father.The three were registered as jointtenants. The next year, plaintiff andhis wife separated and he purchasedher interest in the property. Plaintiffagain registered his joint interest withhis father. (Plaintiff and his father hada 60-40 share of the joint interest.) In1989, plaintiff and his father enteredinto an agreement with a developerfor subdivision of the property. Thetransaction called for the sale of theentire property with plaintiff and hisfather receiving an option to purchasea small parcel of the lot. Defendantlawyer acted for plaintiff and hisfather in this sale transaction as wellas when they later wanted to exercisethe option to purchase. In preparingthe necessary documents, the lawyerdid not register the parties' interest asjoint tenants. This was so because atsome point in time prior to this trans-action, the land titles office errone-ously recorded the property as atenancy in common. Plaintiff finallydiscovered the error in 1995 when hisfather died and the property becameregistered in the name of the estate ofthe father. Meanwhile, there wasevidence that plaintiff was estrangedfrom his father and that the latter wasaware of but chose to ignore theerror. Plaintiff sought damagesagainst defendant lawyer for the lossof his interest in the property.

HELD: action allowed in part. Theevidence was clear that plaintiff'sfather intended the property to be heldas a tenancy in common and not as ajoint tenancy. Plaintiff was 25 per

cent negligent in not being aware ofthe state of title until the death of hisfather.

Staar v. Walters, B.C.S.C.,Oppal J., June 29/00. Full TextOrder No. 2012-038 (18 pp.)

AGREEMENTS OF PURCHASEAND SALE—Frustration—Vendor and purchaser enteringinto contract for sale of propertyto be developed as a mixed resi-dential and commercial project—Following execution of agreementand giving of deposit, city rezonedproperty which precluded projectenvisioned by plaintiff—Agree-ment was frustrated and pur-chaser was entitled to return of itsdeposit.Defendant wished to sell his propertyin the city of Vancouver. They adver-tised the property as a prime redevel-opment opportunity. The property waszoned C-2 which allowed for amaximum floor space ratio of 3.22.Plaintiff agreed to purchase theproperty in order to develop a mixedcommercial and residential project.Both parties knew that the develop-ment was dependent on the floorarea, which in turn was dependent onthe maximum allowable floor spaceratio. Plaintiff gave defendant adeposit of $150,000. After the con-tract was completed, the city's Direc-tor of Planning applied to have theproperty rezoned. The change inzoning would reduce the maximumfloor space ratio to 0.3. Plaintiffclaimed that the contract for the saleof land was frustrated and demandedreturn of the deposit. Defendantrefused and the action was com-menced. At trial, the judge held thatthe contract had been frustrated andthat the deposit must be returned.Defendant appealed on the basis thatthe purpose of the agreement was notthe development of the property asprime commercial and residentialproperty but rather the sale andpurchase of property.

HELD: appeal dismissed. There

was more than “mere knowledge ofthe vendor that land was being boughtfor development or even for a particu-lar kind of development.” There wasan intervening event and change ofcircumstances so fundamental as tobe regarded as striking at the root ofthe agreement and as entirely beyondwhat was contemplated by the partieswhen they entered into the agree-ment. The contract was "radicallyaltered.” The change did not amountto mere inconvenience to plaintiff butrather transformed the contract intosomething totally different that whatthe parties intended. KBK No. 138 Ventures Ltd. v.Canada Safeway Ltd., B.C.C.A.,per Braidwood (McEachernC.J.B.C. and Cumming J.A.concurring), May 9/00. Full TextOrder No. 2007-010 (17 pp.)

Real PropertyADVERSE POSSESSION—Aproperty owner was entitled tocontinued possession of a cityeasement in her backyard to theexclusion of her neighbour, wherethe easement had formed part ofher fenced-in property for 44years. At issue was the entitlement to aneasement. Applicant's and respond-ent's properties were directly oppositeto each other along their rear bounda-ries. Running between the two lotswas a city easement. When applicantmoved in her present property back in1956, she extended the fence of herbackyard to include the entireeasement. Respondents moved intheir property in 1971. They thenremoved applicant's fence and de-manded enjoyment of the easement.Applicant moved for an order that shewas entitled to exclusive occupationof the easement, relying on thedoctrine of adverse possession. HELD: order granted. Adversepossession did not apply in this casebecause the easement was owned bythe city and could not be registered to


a third party. Section 71(2) of TheLand Titles Act (Sask.) also pre-cluded adverse possession against aregistered owner. However, s. 18 ofThe Limitation of Actions Act(Sask.) barred any claim for recoveryof land after 10 years. This preventedrespondents from claiming anyentitlement to the easement. Theparties had been neighbours for 27years and the lengthy delay in object-ing to applicant's possession of theeasement had the effect of extin-guishing any claim that respondentsmight have enjoyed. Applicant wasentitled to continue in possession ofthe easement subject only to the rightsof the city. Stan v. Schmidt, Sask. Q.B.,Gerein J., Aug. 16/00. Full TextOrder No. 2020-011 (7 pp.)

LAND TITLES—Indefeasibility oftitle—Plaintiff failed to perfect histitle to a piece of property thatwas subsequently resold by theoriginal vendor to a third party—The title of the third party wasindefeasible and plaintiff wasrequired to vacate the land.

Plaintiff purchased some landsfrom V in 1972. He perfected title toa portion of the land in the name ofhis company. He did not perfect titleto the remainder of the property (“thedisputed property”). He continued toreside on the disputed property untilhis death, and his family continued toreside on the disputed property. Vsubsequently sold some other lands todefendants, including the disputedproperty. Title to the disputed propertywas registered in the name of defend-ants. Defendants regarded the suc-cessors of plaintiff as squatters butallowed them to reside on the prop-erty until they became aware of thedispute as to title. Plaintiff estatebrought an action for a declarationthat it was the owner of the disputedproperty and defendants counter-claimed for the possession of the landand occupation rent. Plaintiff claimedthat it fell within an exception to theindefeasibility of defendants’ titlewithin s. 23 of the Land Titles Act(B.C.).

HELD: action dismissed. Plaintiffrequired to vacate the disputedproperty within six months. Thedisputed property was not “improperlyincluded” in the lands sold to defend-ants. The title was not perfected byplaintiff nor the person from whomplaintiff purchased the property. V didsell the land to two parties and hissale to defendants was fraudulent.However, defendants were bona fidepurchasers for value. Plaintiff couldnot prove fraud in which defendantshad participated in any way so as tobring it within the exceptions toindefeasibility of title. Defendantswere entitled to possession of thedisputed property but were notentitled to occupation rent. They wereaware of the unlawful occupation ofthe disputed property by plaintiff fromthe date of the purchase of propertyand could not seek damages for atrespass which they had ignored.Leiterman Estate v. Karrer Hold-ings Ltd., B.C.S.C., Bauman J., Aug.11/00. Full Text Order No. 2019-107(30 pp.)

ADVERSE POSSESSION—Where a fence that encroached ona neighbour’s property had beenin place for 22 years, the owner ofthe encroaching property wasentitled to ownership of theencroached land.

At issue was the ownership of acertain piece of land that lay betweenthe parties’ properties. The partieswere neighbours whose propertieswere separated by a fence. Thefence had been in existence for 22years. It encroached on the propertyof respondent. A dispute arose overthe encroachment, with each partyclaiming ownership of the encroach-ment. Respondent unilaterally re-moved the fence and erected a newfence on the original lot line. Appli-cant applied for a declaration that shewas the owner of the encroachment.Respondent brought a counter-application for the same relief. Theproperty had been surveyed threetimes. At one point along the fencethere was a discrepancy over time asto the distance of a fence post.

Respondent alleged that this meantthat the fence had been moved andthat this disrupted applicant’s continu-ous use of the encroachment. Appli-cant alleged that the fence had notbeen moved and that she had enjoyedcontinuous, open and exclusiveoccupation of the encroachment for22 years.

HELD: applicant’s applicationgranted. Applicant had actual posses-sion of the disputed property for 22years. The property was used byapplicant and her family for recrea-tional purposes. Applicant intended toexclude the actual owners of the landfrom its use during the period inquestion. There was no evidence thatthe previous owners of respondent’sproperty ever possessed or tried topossess the disputed property. Theright of respondent to the propertywas barred by ss. 4 and 15 of theLimitations Act (Ont.). Applicant wasentitled to a declaration that she wasthe owner of the disputed propertyand that respondent was required toremove the new fence at her ownexpense.

Bacher v. Wang, Ont. Sup. Ct.,Nordheimer J., Aug. 24/00. FullText Order No. 2018-013 (13 pp.)

DamagesINTEFERENCE WITH ENJOY-MENT OF RIGHT-OF-WAY—Farm owner interfered with hisneighbour’s enjoyment of a right-of-way by erecting four additionalgates across it—Farm operatorwas ordered to remove the gatesand liable for pecuniary damagesranging from $4,000 to $6,500—Apermanent restraining order wasalso issued against further inter-ference with plaintiffs’ use of theright-of-way.

Plaintiffs complained that theirentitlement and enjoyment of a right-of-way had been interfered. Since1925, plaintiffs and their predecessorsin title had used a 15 foot right-of-wayacross defendants’ farm to theiradjoining cottage properties. Defend-ants purchased their farming property


in 1995. Prior to their purchase, therewas only one gate across the right-of-way. Defendants installed fouradditional gates. This action arose asa result of defendants’ failure tonegotiate a relocation of the right-of-way. Defendants alleged that theright-of-way interfered with theirfarming operations. Plaintiffs rangedin age from the late 50s to 80s.

HELD: action allowed. The fouradditional gates were clearly a bur-den, annoyance or impediment toplaintiffs. Defendants were aware ofplaintiffs’ right-of-way prior to theirpurchase of their property and oughtto have arranged their farming opera-tions so as not to interfere withplaintiffs’ usual use of the right-of-way established over the previous 72years. Defendants’ interference withplaintiffs’ entitlement and enjoymentof the right-of-way entitled plaintiffsto injunctive restraining relief andpecuniary damages. The inconven-ience caused by the additional gateshad caused plaintiffs stress anddifficulty to travel. Damages to thethree plaintiffs were: $6,500, $4,000and $5,000. An order was issuedpermanently restraining defendantsfrom interfering with plaintiffs’ use of

the right-of-way. Defendants werealso ordered to remove the four gates.

Kozik v. Partridge, Ont. Sup.Ct., Cosgrove J., Aug. 17100. FullText Order No. 2018-021 (6 pp.)

Barristers and SolicitorsDUTY TO CLIENT—Sale ofLand—A solicitor admitted hisnegligence in failing to advise hisclient of the existence and impli-cations of a restrictive covenant inthe title of a property—Thesolicitor could not look to the realestate agent for third party contri-bution for the loss sustained byhis client—The solicitor wassolely responsible for the loss.

At issue was whether the thirdparty, a real estate agent, was liablefor the loss plaintiff sustained from areal estate purchase transaction.Plaintiff company purchased theproperty in 1993 for $1.315 million. Atthe time of the sale, the property wasused by a realty company as itsoffice. The title to the property hadalways been subject to a restrictivecovenant limiting the use of theproperty to offices. Plaintiff failed torent the property to other commercial

establishments due to the restrictivecovenants. Plaintiff claimed that thelawyer acting on its purchase hadfailed to advise it of the implicationsof breach of the restrictive covenant.The damages sought were $585,000.The lawyer conceded his negligencein the matter. He now claimed contri-bution from the real estate agent. Healleged that the agent had failed toinform plaintiff of the existence of therestrictive covenant. The agenttestified that he knew the plaintiffwould not be interested in the pur-chase were it aware of the restriction.

HELD: action against the agent

From the moment thelawyer either knew orought to have known ofthe restrictive covenant, hebecame solely responsiblefor this issue.was dismissed. the restriction in theuse of the property did not result fromnegotiation between plaintiff and thevendor. It was a matter of title. Theduty to advise of the implications ofthe restrictive covenant was a legalquestion which was within the exclu-sive sphere of the lawyer. In view ofthe agent’s assertion about plaintiff’sposition on the restriction, he hadbreached his duty to inform plaintiffabout it. However, the lawyer’s dutyto discuss the covenant with plaintiffwas independent of the duty of theagent. Plaintiff failed to provide thatthe agent’s breach of duty caused anypart of its loss. From the moment thelawyer either knew or ought to haveknown of the restrictive covenant, hebecame solely responsible for thisissue. It was inappropriate to requirethe agent to contribute to the dam-ages.1019216 Ontario Inc. v. Wolkowicz,Ont. Sup. Ct., Pitt J., July 24/00.Full Text Order No. 2019-015 (10pp.)


U of CU of CU of CU of CU of Cnews

Dr. Isabelle CouloignerAppointed FacultyMember inGeomatics Engineering(Digital Imaging and Mapping)The Department is pleased toannounce that Dr. Isabelle Couloignerhas been appointed to the tenure-track Digital Imaging and Mappingposition.

Dr. Couloigner has an engineeringdiploma in Electronics, applied todetection and telecommunicationsfrom the École Louis de Broglie,Rennes (France). She obtained aDEA in “Signal Telecom ImageRadar,” option “image processing” in1995 from the Université de Rennes I.She spent 3 years at the “Remote-sensing and Modelling group” in Écoledes Mines de Paris (France) and shereceived a PhD in 1998 in Sciencesfor Engineers, option “propagation,telecommunications and remote-sensing,” from the Université deNice-Sophia Antipolis. Dr. Couloignerthen joined the Centre for Research inGeomatics at the Université Laval inQuébec in March 1999 as a post-doctoral fellow.

Since 1996, she has taught coursesin image processing and in remote-sensing in France as well as atUniversité Laval. Dr. Couloigner’sresearch involves features modelling,pattern recognition, data fusion andwavelet transformation in very highspatial resolution and SAR imagery.Her research at the Centre forResearch in Geomatics wassupported by a FCAR-Joint ActionRadarsat project with the Centre forTopographic Information inSherbrooke (PQ) and the CanadianSpace Agency.

In her new position, Dr. Couloignerwill focus on the modelling of thespatial distribution of the relevantinformation in different kinds ofimages.

U of C Career Day 2001Career Day 2001 is an opportunity foryou to review the talented and ener-getic graduates and students thatGeomatics Engineering at the Univer-sity of Calgary has to offer. Ourgraduates and students have the skillsyou are looking for to keep yourorganization efficient and competitive.In addition to fundamental surveyingand land tenure knowledge, theGeomatics Engineering program givesits graduates the edge in new technol-ogy.

Graduates are trained in GIS, GPSand signal processing, computerprogramming, hydrography, remotesensing, photogrammetry, geodeticpositioning, gravity field, projectmanagement, land use planning, andsurvey law/property rights, in additionto fundamental mathematics andphysics common to all first yearengineering students.

Career Day 2001 is a chance todisplay opportunities for geomatics

engineers within your organization,and demonstrate the possibilities ofcareer advancement. At Career Day,your organization can set up a booth,give a presentation if you choose, andconduct or schedule interviews withprospective employees. This is aunique environment created fornetworking and interaction betweenstudents and employers.

In one day, you can meet dozens ofqualified individuals who are inter-ested in becoming part of your organi-zation, either permanently or for asummer or internship term. Forlocating and evaluating candidates inperson, there is no better venue thanGeomatics Career Day 2001 at theUniversity of Calgary.

We look forward to seeing you atGeomatics Career Day 2001 whichwill be held on the University ofCalgary campus on February 8th.Please contact us either by e-mail [email protected] or visitour website at www.ensu.ucalgary.cafor more details.

reprinted from “What’s New” on the U of C,Department of Geomatics Engineering website

Don’t let another issue of North America’sleading Geomatics magazine pass you by!

What Are You Waiting For?

Subscribe online at www.profsurv.com

Become one of over 1,000 Canadians thatalready receive Professional Surveyor

Magazine 11 times per year


Howard Douglas Farnell(repeat)


by Stutt Pottruff, Executive Managera s s m ta s s m ta s s m ta s s m ta s s m tnotes

Here is a snapshot of theASSMT at this busy time of yearwhen we are preoccupied by workand the prospects of Christmas.Council decided in October to holdour Annual General Meeting inJasper in conjunction with the ALSA.I know the weather will be better in2001. We are meeting a week later,right?

The ASSMT was represented atSAIT’s Career Decision 2000 onNovember 8th by Barry Bleay andKen Revoy. Cansel again favoured uswith a beautiful Hewlett Packard

ScientificCalculator for

our draw whichwas won byJeff Very. We

were lookingforward to appear-

ances November 29th at CrescentHeights High School and theupcoming presentation on March 7that John Diefenbaker High School bothin Calgary.

Councillor Glen Erdely of ourEducation Committee has devised aChain/Rod Person’s Course. We are

discussing the possibility of holding thecourse at SAIT and NAIT where wecould utilize their expertise andequipment.

President Farley McKenzie isfeatured in this issue’s PDC Corner.He led a discussion at our NovemberCouncil meeting on the focus for theupcoming year. We decided to focuson fellowship and upgrading of ourmembers’ skills.

Work continues on revamping ourbrochures and we certified six newmembers on December 14th.

Built for surveyors like you - Tripod Data Systems created and staffed a newcompany, At Work Computers, to develop a field data collector using themost advanced hand-held computing technology available. The TDS Rangeris rugged, reliable and productive. Available with your choice of Survey ProCE surveying data collection software and/or SOLO CE GPS/GIS mappingsoftware, Ranger provides powerful solutions for your data collectionneeds.

Bundles packages include: 133 Mhz or 200 Mhz unit 16, 32 or 128Megabyte Memory ( 16 Mbyte version stores approximately 90,000 points)w/total station instrument cable, PC cable, Tripod Bracket, TDS Software,Case, LCD Covers, Nimh Battery and re-charger, Survey Link for Windows.

HP Handheld Data CollectionTripod Data Systems has packed twelve years of experience making theworld’s most popular data collection software into three packages that runon the affordable Hewlett-Packard 48GX: the COGO card, Survey Standardcard and Survey Pro card. The easy-to-master TDS user interface and your HP48GX make a powerful team.

Packages Include: TDS-480 Data collector package, Includes: HP48GXcalculator, Enviro Case, Tripod Bracket, Instrument cable, 512KB Ram Card(5200 points) , TDS-480 Survey Card, PC Cable, Orange nylon case forsystem.

FirstOrder Measurement Solutions Inc.4441 - 99th Street, Edmonton, Alberta T6E 5B6

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J.H. Holloway Scholarship Foundation

donorsKen Allred, ALSEarl AmankwahR.F. Baker, ALS

Dr. Brian BallantyneDick Bassil, ALS (Ret.)

Kevin Beatty, ALSBlaine Benson, ALSKen Berg, ALS (Ret.)Caltech Surveys Ltd.

Jim ChorelCam Christianson, ALS

Control Land Surveys (1982) Ltd.Don Dawson, ALS

Paul DelormeHarold DeWitt, ALSJohn Deyholos, ALS

Akram DinEnsight Information Services Ltd.

Stephen Fediow, ALSFulton & Associates Ltd.

Don George, ALSStephen Green, ALSBruce Gudim, ALS

Hamilton & Olsen Surveys Ltd.Alex Hittel, ALS

David Holmberg, ALS (Ret.)Norman JacquesHal Janes, ALS

K & M Survey Services Ltd.Kellam Berg Engineering & Surveys Ltd.

Doug Krempien, ALSDaniel Lachance, ALS

Gerard LachapelleRoger Leeman, ALS

L.R. Olson & Associates Ltd.Joseph Longo, ALS

Longstaff Land Surveying Ltd.Army MacCrimmon, ALS (Ret.)

Jim MacLeod, ALSBill Martin, ALS

Craig McBride, ALSDr. Alec McEwen

George Moore, ALSBrian Munday

Northland SurveysBuck Olsen, ALSGord Olsson, ALS

Henry Palindat, ALS (Ret.)Lyall Pratt, ALS

Jerald Rasmuson, ALS

March 1, 1997 — September 15, 2000Donors have contributed up to $500 to the Foundation.

Ted Rippon, ALSGail Robertson

Rose Country Communications Ltd.Russel Metals

SESL Geomatics Ltd.Kasimir Sawicki, ALS (Ret.)

Shores BelzilSharon Stecyk

Stewart, Weir & Co. Ltd.John Sung, ALS

Swenson Morrison Land SurveysRoss Tate, ALS (Ret.)

Allan Theriault, ALS (Ret.)Gordon M. Thomson

UMA GeomaticsDave Usher, ALSCharlie Weir, ALS

Dwayne Westacott, ALSWestacott Consulting Ltd.

Gordon WilliamsWolley-Dod & MacCrimmon Surveys

Kin Wong, ALSC.W. Youngs, ALS

Thank you for your generosity and support!

sponsorsMarch 1, 1997 — September 15, 2000

Sponsors have contributed $500 or more to the Foundation.All-Can Engineering & Surveys (1976) Ltd.

All West Surveys Ltd.Alpine Land Surveys Limited

Lou Breton, ALS (Ret.)Cadastral Group Inc., The

Can-Am Surveys Ltd.Challenger Surveys & Services Ltd.

Barry Clarkson, ALS

Crape Land Surveys Ltd.Focus Corporation Ltd., TheFrontier Survey Services Inc.

George Munro & Associates Ltd.Hagen Surveys (1976) Ltd.

Brian Huber, ALSLovse Surveys Ltd.

Maltais Associates Surveyors Ltd.

Bob Mayne, ALSMidwest Surveys Inc.Stanley Geomatics Ltd.Stantec Geomatics Ltd.Don Tomkinson, ALSUsher Canada Limited

Jack Webb, ALS

J.H .Holloway Scholarship Foundation Transfer Scholarship Awards 2000$1,250 annual scholarships for NAIT and SAIT gradu-ates in Survey Technology are provided to studentsenrolled in the University of Calgary program inGeomatics Engineering. This award is based on aca-demic merit in the technical school program and isawarded subsequent to acceptance into the University

of Calgary program. Applications, together with officialtranscripts from NAIT or SAIT, must be submitted tothe Foundation within 60 days of commencement ofuniversity studies (November 1st of each year). Thewinners for the year 2000 are Jeffery Blatz, AdamBrash, Mark Theuerkauf and Leslie Ewoniak.

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