Alberta Boundaries Spring 2009

The Perfect Candidate: Find out what it takes to be a surveyor
GROUNDED IN THE PAST - LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
SPRING 2009
Surveyors map
growth in
Albertas
oilpatch
Meet
Surveyors
A tripod is only one

part of the toolkit
Forget the Bush

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CONTENTS
PUBLISHED FOR:
Alberta Land Surveyors Association

Phipps-McKinnon Building
Suite 1000, 10020 - 101A Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5J 3G2
Phone (780) 429-8805
Fax (780) 429-3374
Email: info@alsa.ab.ca
www.alsa.ab.ca
COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

5
EDITORS NOTE
ISSUES IN INDUSTRY
Meeting the challenges ahead

BY RON HALL
ASSOCIATION FORECAST
A view from the ALSA

BY BRIAN MUNDAY
PUBLISHED BY:
Venture Publishing Inc.

10259 105 Street
Edmonton, AB T5J 1E3
Toll-free 1-866-227-4276
Phone (780) 990-0839
Fax (780) 425-4921
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MESSAGES FROM THE PREMIER AND MINISTER
11
FRONT LINES
Jargon buster; Technicians and technologists; ALSA family ties;

David Thompson redux; Surveyors and homebuyers;
Riel yanks a chain
18
SPOTLIGHT
Find out the difference between geomatics and land surveying

BY DR. ROBERT RADOVANOVIC
49
PUBLISHER
Ruth Kelly
SURVEYORS STAR SIGN
Forget about Sagittarius the Archer.

Meet Surveyus the Measurer
50
LAST WORD
A surveyor recalls some of his finer moments from the field
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Daska Davis
BY BRUCE DRAKE
ALSA EDITOR
Brian Munday
EDITOR
Mifi Purvis
FEATURES
20
A glance at the first 100 years

of Alberta land surveying
COPY CHIEF
Kim Tannas
ART DIRECTOR
Charles Burke
BY SHANNON SUTHERLAND
26
Rodrigo Lpez Orozco

Betty Smith
28
Geoff Cwiklewich
Anita McGillis
ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES
Alicia Kuzio, Penny Smith, Stephen Tamayo

SALES ASSISTANT
EDUCATING THE SURVEYOR
Discover access points to the field with a focus on the

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PRODUCTION TECHNICIAN
VICE-PRESIDENT, SALES
PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE
Meet the surveyor of yesteryear

and tomorrows professional
DESIGNER
PRODUCTION MANAGER
A LOOK BACK
BY DAVID DICENZO
34
SURVEYING THE PATCH
The oilpatch, that is. Find out how surveying enabled the growth
of the provinces richest resource
BY JIM VEENBAAS
Stefanie Jackson
38
A day in the life of a team

at work in the city
Contents 2009 by Venture Publishing Inc.

No part of this publication should be reproduced
without written permission.
BY TRICIA RADISON
44
Non-deliverable mail should be directed to the

Edmonton ofce:
10259 105 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 1E3.
PROFILING THE PROS
Meet seven Alberta land

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Printed in Canada.
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URBAN SURVEYS
On the Cover: From left, Ben Woodland, Bob Wallace

and Marc Michaud. Photographed by John Gaucher
Top photo courtesy of McElhanney

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www.alsa.ab.ca
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1/23/09 1:37:05 PM
EDITORS NOTE
BY BRIAN MUNDAY
Welcome to
Alberta Boundaries
We want to spread the word about the role of
land surveying in the peaceful and orderly
development of Alberta
i
BRIAN MUNDAY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ALBERTA LAND SURVEYORS
ASSOCIATION
REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I WAS IN A PLANE
flying over Alberta. I couldnt help but

notice the systematic rectangular layout of the land. It was apparent to me even
then that a great deal of thought and
effort had gone into creating this system
even if back then I didnt realize that land
surveyors were the ones who created it.
But land surveyors did create it.
We dont often think about the survey
system we have in Alberta. Perhaps it is
because land surveyors are usually on the
land doing their work before there is any
sign of development. Or perhaps it is
because the land surveyors have done
their job so well that there are very few
boundary disputes in this province.
Alberta Boundaries is designed to spread
the word about the role of land surveying
in the peaceful and orderly development
of Alberta. Land surveyors played a large
role in the history of the province surveying a vast open territory into sections
of land for soon-to-be-arriving homesteaders. Land surveying is also playing a tremendous role in the future of Alberta
using the latest technologies to measure,

map and capture data on a scale previously unimaginable.
Throughout Alberta Boundaries, you
will find stories that highlight the land
surveyors role in everything from large
oil and gas projects to small residential
real estate projects. From survey work
across the street to around the other
side of the world.
The magazine also shows how much
land surveying has become a part of our
everyday lives. Ever travelled on Baseline
Road? Or how about Meridian Street?
Baselines and meridians are survey
terms. Ever been to Magrath, Alberta?
It was named after land surveyor Charles
Magrath.
As the Alberta Land Surveyors
Association celebrates its centennial, we
pay tribute to the legendary feats of yesterdays land surveyors, recognize todays
land surveyors in helping build a modern
Alberta, and look ahead as far as the eye
can see at the future of professional land
surveying.
www.alsa.ab.ca
ASSOCIATION FORECAST
BY BRIAN MUNDAY
Challenging Times
If the measure of Alberta surveyors is how well
we respond to change and challenge, then our
association indicates a bullish year ahead
HESE ARE CHALLENGING TIMES FOR ALL PROFESSIONALS
and professional associations in Alberta and elsewhere.

Over the 100-year history of the Alberta Land
Surveyors Association, there have always been challenges
and land surveyors have faced them head-on. Some have
been political or economic in nature and some have been
related to the influence of emerging technologies.
Lets step back for a moment and think about what it
means to be a professional. A professional is a person who,
through a combination of education and experience, can
provide a learned opinion in their area of expertise and
take action based on that opinion. Often they must
balance the goals of conflicting groups such as clients,
governments and the public at large. The professional
is bound by a code of ethics. All of this applies to Albertas
land surveyor.
Surveyors are constantly battling a stereotype. People
think of the land surveyor as a person who measures
distances by standing behind a funny looking instrument
on a tripod. But the person standing behind that instrument is often not the professional land surveyor, and
measuring distances is only one very small part of the
professionals work.
Measuring from one spot to another is the easy part, but
knowing where to measure from and where to measure to
is what makes land surveying a profession. The ideal land
surveyor is like Sherlock Holmes, uncovering clues and
looking for evidence as to what yesteryears surveyor did
when the boundaries were originally established. Sometimes the evidence is nothing more than a small rust hole
providing a clue that a boundary marker was once there.
A LBE RTA BOUNDARIES 2 0 0 9
In Alberta, todays land surveyor has to be a bit of a

politician. Increasingly amid the need for transparency,
due diligence and complex regulation, the surveyor has to
understand legislation, how its applied in practical terms
and he has to be able to clearly explain it.
So what of that person standing behind the instrument, the one whom the public is most familiar with?
The paramount aim of the Alberta

Land Surveyors Association is to
safeguard the public interest.
That individual is part of the land survey team. Often
known as a party chief, he or she works with drafting
staff, plan checkers, researchers, project managers and
others under the direction of a land surveyor. Led by the
surveyor, this team serves the people of Alberta.
The Alberta Land Surveyors Association also faces
broader and complex challenges. Created by the provincial legislature, the association exists to protect the publics interests relative to property boundaries. It assists the
public and answers questions about surveys and the profession itself. There are people who incorrectly assume
that the associations intent is to further the interests of
members. In fact, its paramount aim is to safeguard the
public interest.
The Government of Alberta appoints public members to
serve on committees that communicate directly with the
association. Input from these committees is vital and
Message from the

Honourable Ed Stelmach
ensures that the publics voice is heard. But
the publics concerns can often be in conflict; thats probably one of the biggest challenges facing professional regulatory organizations today.
The Alberta Land Surveyors Association
has a rigorous process to ensure that only
the most capable people receive their commission. At the same time, changes in the
demographic makeup in this province and
country means trying to attract more professionals from a dwindling number of
young people. Weve taken significant
steps, such as consulting with government
and our sister associations, to increase the
mobility of land surveyors without diminishing their skills and expertise.
The association has an obligation to
ensure that a skilled surveyor, once commissioned, remains competent throughout
his or her career. So weve had an extensive
and in-depth systematic practice review
program running since 1994. The reviews
of the majority of Alberta Land Surveyors
have been tremendously positive. Those
surveyors who wanted some assistance to
improve their practice received it. We hope
to evolve and improve our practice review
and renew our continuing competency
program with input from association
members.
As we address these challenges, part of
the answer will be found in the history of
the Alberta Land Surveyors Association.
If we look at what our predecessors have
done examine the survey evidence and
see how they faced challenges, well have
our guide.
I dont know of any Alberta Land
Surveyor who doesnt want help to find
solutions to these issues. After all, professionals are people who are accustomed to
finding solutions to problems that dont
have black and white answers. And the
association that represents them to the
people of Alberta wouldnt have it any
other way.
On behalf of the Government of Alberta, I wish

to extend my congratulations to the members of
the Alberta Land Surveyors Association as you
celebrate your 100th annual general meeting.
The work you perform has helped to shape
our wonderful province as we see it today.
As our province grows so does the number of
commissioned Alberta land surveyors working
to survey and map the province.
Your profession plays an integral role in laying the lines for our parks,
roads and the growing oil and gas industry. The value of the effort Alberta
land surveyors pour into the development of our province cannot be underestimated.
The partnership between the Alberta land surveyors and the Government
of Alberta is a positive one and I look forward to continuing this relationship
well into the future.
Ed Stelmach
Premier of Alberta
Message from the

Honourable Ted Morton
This is an exciting time for members of the
Alberta Land Surveyors Association, as April
2009 marks your 100th annual general meeting.
The theme of this years convention, The
Past, the Future and the Present, is tting
seeing that surveying has a rich history in
Alberta from the days of the Dominion Land
Surveyors to the registration of the rst Alberta
Land Surveyors on January 1, 1911.
It is professional surveyors like you who plot our public land for conservation and development. You play a pivotal role in Alberta by supporting the
growing oil and gas and land subdivision industries as well as our transportation networks.
My department supports the Alberta Land Surveyors Association and we
wish to congratulate you on this signicant occasion. Thank you for your hard
work and valuable contributions to the province of Alberta.
Ted Morton
Minister of the Department of Sustainable Resources
www.alsa.ab.ca
PRESIDENTS NOTE
BY RON HALL
Bring It On
Lets look at changes that are impacting our profession
and nd out where the advantages lie
t
RON HALL, PRESIDENT
ALBERTA LAND SURVEYORS
ASSOCIATION
A LBERTA BOUNDARIES 2 0 0 9
HE ALBERTA LAND SURVEYORS ASSOC-
iation (ALSA) has a strong and proud

past, and it has been my pleasure to be
involved in the association in several different ways during my career. Its a special
privilege now to serve as president. After a
century of regulating the land surveying
profession, the ALSA continues to be a truly
stable and well-run organization. As we prepare to celebrate our 100th year as a professional body dedicated to protecting the public, I believe the theme we have selected is
very appropriate: Honour the past, celebrate the present and look to the future.
Over the past year, Ive had the honour of
representing Alberta surveyors across the
country and Ive had the opportunity to be
involved in many discussions about what
the future of the profession holds and the
changes that it will face in the not-too-distant future. Coming out of all this, I have a
conviction that the key to facing the challenges ahead is a solid plan of evolution
rather than revolution.
There are a number of issues facing the
surveying profession (and the ALSA organization specifically) that we need to deal
with in the coming days, months and years.
ALSA and many of its sister organizations
are doing their best to face them proactively and leverage strengths to ensure the sustainability of the profession. We know
change is coming, and were preparing to
adapt rather than resist.
One of the biggest issues most professions
have faced over the past several years, and
continue to face, is that of demographics

and sustainability. Simply put, the
average age of land surveyors is steadily
creeping up. Eventually, older surveyors
will want to retire, putting a possible strain
on the profession. For the profession to be
vibrant, sustainable and to meet the
demands and expectations of the public
we need to have a continual influx of new
blood. We need to develop new ways to
attract younger members.
Over the past decade, many governments
have implemented different kinds of free
trade agreements. Several years ago, NAFTA
spearheaded the concept of cross-border
mobility and, in 2001, as part of a Federal
Government initiative, surveyors across
Canada enacted a Mutual Recognition
Agreement, making it easier for surveyors
licensed in one province to become licensed
in other provinces. Last April, the associations representing surveyors in British
Columbia and Alberta signed reciprocal
agreements allowing surveyors to practice
in either province upon the completion of a
jurisdiction-specific examination, which
can be completed in half a day. And discussions are ongoing across all of the provinces
to expand this professional free-trade zone
nationally.
Such agreements are a very positive step,
allowing surveyors to become more competitive on the world stage, as well as allowing
provinces to support each other in the case
of bad economic weather. The worldwide
economic downturn makes this concern all
target of governmental approvals adds many layers of complexity

the more real. Labour Mobility Agreements also help in attracting
beyond worrying that measurements are correct and boundary
younger land surveyors to the profession by providing them with
markers are set properly.
greater options in choosing where to live and where to apply their
These responsibilities have changed the nature of a surveyor.
knowledge and experience. Maybe we can avoid a repeat of the last
While many land surveyors enjoy the
20 years of struggling to attract bright
rigours of working outside, the propeople to the land surveying profession.
I strongly believe that the
fession is becoming one of managing
Well be better equipped to attract more
technical staff from the confines of
key people to the profession.
Alberta Land Surveyors
an office. Today, technicians and
At the same time, we want to capitalAssociation and its members
technologists do much of the survey
ize on the fact that Canada is a magnet
are well positioned to meet
work that Alberta Land Surveyors
for highly-trained immigrants. To better
once did. The shift has created new
tap into this reservoir of talent, governthe challenges that lie ahead.
roles in the field and the office, some
ments at all levels are aiming to ensure
that are not well recognized or certiforeign trained professionals are fairly
fied. Surveyors must understand these changes, manage the proand transparently recognized in their jurisdictions. Land surveycess and implement controls to protect the publics interests.
ing is no different. We have to maintain the delicate balance,
From a technological standpoint, the last two decades have
ensuring the public is protected by our tough standards but also
been a cornucopia of development. GPS has radically changed the
enabling qualified people to get licensed and meet the increased
way we survey. Immense amounts of topographic data are availdemand for surveyors.
able thanks to satellite imaging. Surveyors can take any site in
Our challenge is to streamline the application and testing proAlberta and, by merging different geo-spatial datasets, come up
cess and yet still monitor, enforce and discipline our membership
with a picture of the place that is more complete than if you
under a new system thats based on professional ethics rather
went there yourself. But how does this convert to knowledge that
than purely knowledge and practice.
can help clients make an informed decision? Developing useful
We havent explored this new frontier. What does mandatory
and cost-effective products and efficient delivery mechanisms is
peer practice review, continuing competency requirements and
important to surveyors growing their businesses. The days of
continuing education look like in a mobile, non-locally based produsty, static, printed maps or Mylars delivered Monday through
fession? Does it become more of a national responsibility that the
Friday are long gone the public now expects products to be
provinces oversee or direct? Does this labour mobility trend not
web-accessible, cross-linkable and available 24-7.
create a stronger need for a national body, for national oversight
Professions such as our own must continue to evolve, embrace
of the profession? What happens when the surveyor from
change and be proactive leaders in meeting the demands expectCharlottetown has to prove himself competent to complete a coned of professionals in the 21st century. I believe that the Alberta
dominium development in Vancouver?
Land Surveyors Association and its members are well positioned
Environmental and regulatory changes will affect the way we
to meet the challenges that lie ahead. We not only recognize the
survey. Surveying is increasingly taking place in the office rather
opportunities created by change, but also offer leadership to
than the field. Ensuring that projects minimize impacts on the
environment, remain economical for clients and meet the moving make our communities a better place to live.
www.alsa.ab.ca
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FRONT LINES
Meet the Public

BY STEPHANIE SPARKS
ouse buyers need to converse with numerous

professionals: real estate agents, lawyers, home
inspectors, nancial advisors and now land surveyors? For some members of the public, the only time
theyll meet a land surveyor is when it comes time to buy
a house.
One should be called in for every house purchase,
advises Jim Maidment, president of Maidment Land
Surveys and Alberta Land Surveyor for 23 years. The
vendor, if theyre aware of any problems and sell the house
without disclosing those problems, can be held responsiwhere the owner has just built the garage not surveyed
ble well after the sale.
at all and the garage ends up encroaching on the
The buyer or vendor can avoid any problems by hiring neighbours property.
a land surveyor to conduct a real property report.
There was an oddball case a few years back, where the
Depending on his or her workload, and it varies from rm
fence was dramatically in the wrong spot by a
to rm, the land surveyor can compile a property report in
few metres. This fellow came along, put in an offer to pura fairly short time after completing a eld visit and the
chase because he gured he could drive his motorhome
ensuing ofce work.
down between the house and the fence. After wed done
Any problems the surveyor discovers may be as minor the real property report, he actually withdrew the offer
as a concrete RV pad extending over the property line because it turned out the fence was so far out. He thought
or as complicated as a garage encroaching on a neigh- it was on the property line, but it turned out there was no
bours land.
room in there at all for the motorhome. Basically he would
It happens often enough, Maidment says. Probably have to drive on the neighbours property. So the property
once a month, we bump into one of these property reports wasnt as valuable as he would have liked.
Riel Yanks a Chain

On October 11, 1869, Louis Riel led a party of 18 Mtis men
to defend their occupancy and ownership of land along the
Assiniboine River. The Hudsons Bay Company was in the
process of transferring ownership of the land to the
Government of Canada. The Mtis, who had settled the
area, objected. Unarmed, Riel registered his protest by
stepping on the surveyors chain. The survey party withdrew and Riels yanking of the chain is often considered the spark point of the Red River Resistance, which
was a precursor to the Northwest Rebellion.
www.alsa.ab.ca
11
FRONT LINES
Technically Certiable
BY DAVID DICENZO
and surveying work is two-fold. Theres the handson eldwork and the subsequent time spent in the
ofce completing other tasks related to the survey.
Back in the day, there were surveyors who did both
parts. Over time, the land surveyors migrated further
into project management roles, says Dr. Robert
Radovanovic of SARPI Ltd., a geomatics and engineering
rm based in Edmonton.
The void in the eld, he says, has been lled by technicians and technologists, who are currently
not officially certified. The move towards
certifying surveying technicians has taken
on momentum as their duties and responsibilities increase. As a member of the
public, you see someone on the street
corner measuring out property lines and
you think that would be the surveyor,
says Radovanovic. They are more
likely to be surveying technicians.
While technicians and technologists dont currently fall under
any legislation, they are an integral part of the industry.
Radovanovic says the
roles of technicians and
technologists should be certied and regulated. In an

effort to better dene these roles and where they t into
the surveying profession, the ALSA has formed a joint
committee with the Alberta Society of Surveying and
Mapping Technologies (ASSMT). The two associations
have agreed to collaborate, addressing the issues that
relate to professionals and para-professionals. Both
groups have pledged to maintain quality in education and
high standards in training.
Theres a lot of responsibility downloaded on the technicians and technologists, says Barry Bleay, a senior
survey technologist with ASSMT and member of the joint
committee. To this point, there has never been any legislative obligation for professionals to hire those that are
certied.
The committee is trying to define processes and
parameters as they relate to certication of technicians
and technologists. Some of the more prevalent issues
the committee will examine include professional development, education and curriculums in schools and, ultimately, the certication of members. Were basically
trying to get these people certied, Bleay says, because
they are working in support of professionals. It only
makes sense. The committee expects to present more
detailed information later this year.
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2/18/09 1:02:02 PM
The Rich Surveyor

In 2002, a painting by Paul Kane sold at auction for $5.1 million, giving it the biggest price tag attached to any Canadian
painting. He was friends with Captain John Henry Lefroy,
the subject of the painting, which is usually known as
In The Northwest Portrait. As well as his military association, Lefroy was a scientist. He reportedly studied the Earths
magnetic field, calculating the location of the magnetic
North Pole. The painting is also known by its other title, one
that celebrates Captain Lefroys other position: The Surveyor:
Portrait of Captain John Henry Lefroy.
Third Dimension
In 2003, Raymac Surveys Ltd. was awarded the ALSA
Geomatics Award of Excellence for a project that didnt leave
anybody at. People think of surveying as marking out space in
two dimensions: a chain on the ground. But when Raymac
undertook the survey of the space between the Telus Convention
Centre in Calgary and the Hyatt Regency during a construction
project that would join the two, they were looking up and down
and at all the spaces between.
Raymac had to survey downwards to include three levels of
parking, and upwards to include ve storeys of sometimes shared
space. At some points in the design, exclusively Hyatt property
overlapped onto Convention Centre space. Raymac had to
account for an underground walkway, LRT and roads. We
dened property boundaries and described what was joint use
and what was exclusive to each side, says project manager and
surveyor Terry Hudema. In the end we had 21 plans, which used
3-D images, to support boxes of documentation.
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FRONT LINES
Family Ties
BY STEPHANIE SPARKS
lberta Land Surveyors are a close-knit group.

Some are even family. Duncan Gillmore, Jr. of
Gillmore Surveys Ltd. enjoyed land surveying with
his father when he was younger, so he entered the
field himself.
My dad let me decide for myself what I wanted to
do, says Gillmore, but certainly didnt discourage
me once I started showing that I wanted to be a land
surveyor.
Lot 56, Still as

Surveyed
Nature lovers in St. Albert are familiar with River Lot 56
Natural Area. Never developed, Lot 56 still bears the
name the surveyor attached to it when it was subdivided in the early 1900s. The river lot system of surveying
ensured that all land holders had access to the
Sturgeon River. In 1973, local users of the area banded
together to maintain it as a park and Lot 56 was eventually granted municipal protection. It is home to walking
trails that wind through graceful aspen forests, meadowland and riverside habitat.
Project managers Byron and Lesley Laurie married

a year after university and both now work at Midwest
Surveys Inc. in Edmonton. We dont work directly
with one another, explains Byron Laurie, project
manager, oil and gas. The best thing about having a
career is having that individuality, and its good to
try to maintain that working environment. I would
say weve successfully done that.
Focus Corporations project manager Ashley
Robertson agrees. Not only does she work with her
husband and father-in-law, shes a land surveyor like
her father, several uncles and grandfather.
[My husband and I] make a conscious effort to not
talk to each other during the day. Working together
in a family environment can be very good, but you
have to be really conscientious of what other peoples
perceptions are. We work harder than we probably
need to because we do want to make sure that people
understand that what were doing is based on our
own skill set and our own credibility, not just who we
are. And I think people respect how we make it
work.
Its funny, the survey community is quite small,
she continues. Everyone kind of knows everyone,
even across provinces. And the more you start to talk
to people, the more you realize it is a family profession in a lot of ways. A lot of people are involved in the
profession because their dad was a surveyor and its
a tradition.
14
Urban Camping
Surveyors erect a tent in the downtown ofces of the
ALSA in preparation for the organizations travelling
historical display. This type of tent was commonly used
by survey teams at work in the bush.
The ALSA maintains a rich trove of surveying artifacts for educational purposes, ranging from antique
survey instruments to cast iron pans. This travelling
surveyors display is scheduled to tour the province this
year to mark the centenary of the ALSA. In the coming
weeks, check in at www.alsa.ab.ca to nd out when the
exhibit is going to be in your area.
Water
Highway
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When I joined the David Thompson

Bicentennial Brigade, I was expecting a
nice two-week canoe and camping trip.
I wasnt expecting the pageant that went
along with it. I was part of the 15member ALSA group who retraced the
route Thompson took along the inland
waterway, which was once the only strip
of civilization in the territory.
We started at Rocky Mountain House
and every community we passed, even
the smallest, put on a big celebration,
with feasts and fireworks. Our group finished at Prince Albert, others went to
Thunder Bay. The journey was to mark
the 200th anniversary of Thompsons
original trip he was an explorer, trader
and surveyor. He surveyed much of the
interior of what was then called the
Northwest Territories.
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000.Valtus_1-3S_nBL.indd 1
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He crossed the continent, mapping

rivers, trading houses and forts. I was
amazed by how accurate his survey was.
He would record his readings at night
(his Salish name meant one who looks at
the stars) then bunk down for the winter
and do his calculations. His maps from
the late 1700s were used until the 1920s.
I see his accomplishment as a real effort
of will.
John Haggerty, Can-Am Geomatics
Whats in
a Word?
Blanket Easement: An easement
that covers an entire parcel of land.
It wont keep you warm.
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Cadastral: Also known as boundary

or legal, this branch of surveying helps
to define and establish the extent of legal
interest in the land.
Easement: Legal right to the access or
use of another persons land. An easement is an agreement in which the landowner grants rights to another party to
use a portion of his/her property.
Encroachment: A structure (such as
a garage onto a neighbours property)
intruding onto the area of easement.
The holder of the easement may ask that
the encroaching structure be removed.
Another reason to call a land surveyor
before you build.
Geomatics: The umbrella science
000.NAIT_1-3S_nBL.indd 1
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RS Raymac Surveys Ltd.
encompassing the land surveying

profession.
Holder: The party who has the easement agreement with the landowner.
Landmark: A survey mark on a
permanent land feature, such as a tree
or boulder. Basically, its a mark on a
landmark.
Congratulates the
Point of Beginning: It means exactly
Alberta Land Surveyors Association
what you think it does: the starting point

for the survey.
Real Property Report: A real

property report reveals the location of
improvements relative to property
boundaries. Not to be confused with
pretend or imaginary property reports.
on their
100th Anniversary
and
Survey Evidence: The location of

one-metre-long pins driven into the
ground to mark boundaries. If you dont
want a huge fine, dont pull the pin.
Annual General Meeting

www.raymacsurveys.ca
Calgary 403-259-5423
Total Station: Optical equipment used

to take measurements. Because you
cant just eyeball it.
000.Raymac_1-3S_nBL.indd 1
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Fugro SESL Geomatics Ltd.

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1/29/09 8:50:26 AM
GLOBAL SURVEYS
GROUP INC.
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GLOBAL OILFIELD
SURVEYS INC.
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CALGARY 403 | 263 | 8055

UNITY 306 | 228 | 4366
REGINA 306 | 775 | 1814
www.c a l te c h su rve ys. com
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1/20/09 10:35:48 AM
SPOTLIGHT
BY ROBERT RADOVANOVIC
RADOVANOVIC;; AS TOLD TO STEPHANIE SPARKS
Surveying
the Distinction
Geomatics is the science of measuring
things on Earth. Land surveying is one
application that puts it to extensive
and valuable use
OCTORS, PHARMACISTS AND DENTISTS EACH HAVE THEIR
own differences in the qualifications and experience they have and the type of work they do.
They have specific titles because they have specific roles.
When a person has a cavity, he doesnt call a doctor. If he
has a question about his heart medication, he doesnt call
a dentist. These professionals can be categorized under
health sciences, but theyre not one and the same. Each
is a specialized job.
The same goes for geomatics, the science of measurement. This large umbrella covers many different roles,
each with its own area of expertise. One particular role
thats familiar to many is that of the land surveyor, who
specializes in uncovering the boundaries that define
interests in land.
The science of geomatics has been around for a long
time. The ancient Egyptians were the first surveyors to
mark out fields when the Nile River flooded. Since then,
the practice has evolved and has been adopted throughout the world.
These days, geomatics is a broad subject that encompasses all types of spatial measurement. The data that is
collected is then used to create information systems that
are easy for individuals to interpret. Two everyday examples of this are MapQuest and Google Maps. Geomatics is
what led to the development of the Global Positioning
System (GPS) and its geomatics that led to the ability to
input your GPS position on a moving map in your vehicle.
18
Geomatics is a supporting science. The information

collected can be used in any application that requires a
spatial distribution of data. Even fields such as sociology
benefit from geomatics. For example, with the data from
a sociological study, geomatics can help illustrate the
number of people in a specific salary bracket populating
an area of the city in an easy-to-understand map. It can
also provide tools to answer questions such as, How
many people with salaries below $40,000 per year live
within 300 metres of bus stops? Geomatics provides the
background tools to make it simple for scientists to display their data and make inferences from it.
For those with more immediate interests, geomatics
can be used to measure anything on Earth. This focus on
measurement is at the core of what the science does. It
can be used to find out the perimeter of a parcel of land,
the length of a coastline or the area of an expanse of
trees. Different tools to make these measurements are
available, ranging from simple tapes to expensive GPS
setups to imaging satellites located hundreds of kilometres above the Earth.
A layperson may argue that it sounds a lot like land
surveying but its not. Land surveying is certainly a specialty subset of geomatics, but geomatics is the general
science that covers what land surveyors do. Land surveying is used to determine where a persons boundaries lie.
Its the legal side of geomatics.
From a municipal perspective, landowners can enlist
MAP QUEST: Students at the U of C study

geomatics, then can narrow their coursework to become professional land
surveyors
professionally recognized land surveyors

to determine where lot boundaries are
located. Land surveying takes the science
of geomatics to measure boundaries
and show ownership. If geomatics is the
science of measurement, then land surveying is the application of that science.
Theres a whole legal aspect behind land
surveying. Anyone can open a book and
learn about geomatics, but to actually be
able to call themselves a land surveyor and
put what theyve learned into practice
requires that individual to be licensed.
Land surveyors need to know how to take
the measurements and understand the
legal implications behind those measurements. Should a legal dispute erupt
between land owners, a land surveyor can
be called in as an expert witness but they
Land surveying takes the

science of geomatics to
measure boundaries and
show ownership.
dont actually define the boundary. Instead
theyre making the measurement to determine the boundaries the judge will
make the final decision. In this way, land
surveying is not unlike police work: investigators collect the evidence, but its the
courts that render a legal decision.
The distinction between land surveying
and geomatics is an important one to
make. Its all about the accuracy of the
terms. If a person requires a land surveyor,
they will hopefully not hire someone who
has only read a couple of books on geomatics or someone else who knows how
to wield a measuring tape. Surveying is
so much more than that. Only a surveyor
recognized by the Alberta Land
Surveyors Association can practise in
the province.
Dr. Robert Radovanovic, P.Eng., A.L.S., C.L.S.
WELL SCHOOLED
University of Calgary
Department of Geomatics
Engineering
Schulich School of Engineering
2500 University Drive NW
Calgary AB T2N 1N4
Tel: 403-220-5834
www.geomatics.ucalgary.ca
www.alsa.ab.ca
19
20
Laying Down
the Lines
BY SHANNON SUTHERLAND
Forget the wagon trains, railways and

six-shooters. The West was won with
an axe and lengths of survey chain
HEIR OCCUPATION IS DIVISIVE IN NATURE, BUT PEACE AND
order are most often the outcomes of their work.

Historically, land surveyors in Alberta were the individuals who ventured into uncharted territory, so those who followed would not have to do the same. After surveyors had done
their jobs, those who came after would know where they were
standing, where they were going and where they had been.
The survey was required before Western Canada could be
made available for settlement, says Gord Olsson, a retired land
surveyor who is now helping to organize a travelling exhibit on
the impact land surveyors have had in shaping the history of
the province. It has been said that no other land survey system
in the world equals the Dominion Lands Survey System for precision and uniformity over such a large area of land, and no
other comparable body of surveyors was assembled, trained and
deployed with such focus and dedication to carry out the survey. Yet, to me, it is remarkable that it is hardly mentioned, if
mentioned at all, in books on the history of Canada.
The Dominion Lands Survey was a simple and accurate method of land identification. Its design was based on a rectangular
system laid out from meridians and baselines conforming to
parallels of latitude. The survey covered the largest area in the
world dealt with by one comprehensive survey system, accord-
ing to information from the Alberta Land Surveyors

Association.
In fact, a world record was set in 1883 when the Dominion
Land Surveyors subdivided an area covering 27 million acres
(more than 10 million hectares). This was the largest subdivision survey of its kind ever carried out in the entire world in a
single year. Between 1880 and 1920, more than 3,000 townships, which is more than 440,000 quarter-sections, were surveyed for settlement in Alberta.
The goal was to establish a complete grid of meridians and
baselines before filling it in with extensive township subdivision, says Judy Larmour, author of Laying Down the Lines, a book
commissioned by ALSA on the history of land surveying in
Alberta. The quick construction of the Canadian Pacific
Railway, completed in 1885, saw the Dominion Lands Survey
begin township subdivision on the lands granted to the railway. Following that, surveyed dominion lands were to be
opened to the homesteaders who would flood the West by the
turn of the century. This involved literally chaining out distances on the ground and marking the corners of sections
within townships, explains Larmour. Until the surveyors
township subdivision plan was registered with land titles, no
homesteader could take out a homestead application.
www.alsa.ab.ca
21
miles. Some surveyors had to make arrangements for

The work was as dangerous as it was meticulous,
scows [flat-bottomed boats] to carry freight at Athabasca
not to mention onerous. In Vision of An Ordered Land,
James MacGregor quotes an early surveyors field journal. Landing, and teams of horses and sleighs or dog trains for
later winter work. She says other occupational hazards
He writes, As a protection against black flies, we are
included setting up and tearing down camps in the wilusing Stockholm tar and sweet oil mixed in equal parts;
derness, walking huge distances carrying gear and dealthis mixture we rub over our hands, face and neck. By
this, our appearance is of a hybrid between the devil and ing with bugs, snow and storms.
Once they got there, they had to clear the lines
a white man. For the mosquitoes this is only a mockery,
through the bush with an axe in order to measure and
for the oil only greases their nozzles and the tar gives
mark the ground, says Larmour.
them a good footing to ram in their infernal appendOne of the greatest challenges was surveying mounages. Surviving brutally unforgiving weather, infestations of insects and hard physical labour
was often a daily ritual for land surveyors.
Many early surveys were done to almost the
Larmour says the greatest challenges facsame degree of accuracy that is possible with
ing land surveyors in the years before the
First World War were the trips to northern
todays modern technology.
Alberta. Simply to get where the surveys
were to be undertaken required hazardous
tain areas. This required the use of photo-topographical
journeys, she says. Survey parties had to be hired and
surveying that involved taking views from established
outfitted to withstand any circumstances nature would
fixed points on mountaintops. Surveyors had to first
provide. Planning meant land surveyors and their teams
make arduous mountain ascents and, once on high,
had to prepare for every aspect of the expedition, from
triangulate to establish latitude and longitude.
calculating how much grub the party would need for
When the Dominion Lands Survey started, surveyors
months on end, to determining how many iron posts and
measured distances using the Gunters chain, which was
other pieces of equipment they would require to comnamed after an English mathematician who designed his
plete the task. The surveyor had to check all his equipchain to be 66 feet long, including 100 steel links so that
ment and instruments before going into the field, says
Larmour. He had to order, purchase and load all the sup- 10 square chains would equal one acre. The chain was
heavy and clumsy, making it difficult to move around
plies required for a journey that would last hundreds of
ALSA: A Line of the Times
1920 to 1930
1900 to 1910
Alberta becomes an equal partner in

confederation when it gains administration of public lands and natural
resources in the province by the
Constitution Act of 1930. Future
wealth of the province is assured as
mineral, oil and gas and forest
resources become vested in Alberta.
In September 1905, the Province of

Alberta is founded and, according to
the provisions of the British North
America Act, the government of the
new province becomes responsible
for the administration of real property law within its territory.
1910 to 1920
The Alberta Land Surveyors Act is passed

in 1910 and the Alberta Land Surveyors
Association is born.
22
1930 to 1940
The Great Depression arrived

and a dispirited attitude is
much in evidence. Membership
of the Alberta Land Surveyors
Association steadily drops and
work is scarce.
and difficult to tighten. Steel tape eventually replaced it.

While the chains and tape measure distance, a transit
is used to measure horizontal and vertical angles and to
produce straight lines, explains Larmour. In the 1980s,
electronic transits came into use. These are basically
telescopes that revolve around a horizontal circle and a
vertical circle. Both the horizontal circle and vertical
circle are graduated into 360 degrees like a protractor,
she says. Total stations measure angles and distances,
recording the measurements electronically.
Finally, the use of computers cut out hand-production of maps and today sophisticated GPS units assist
with establishing positions in many instances, says
Larmour. She says that while things are easier and
quicker, many early surveys were done to almost the
same degree of accuracy that is possible with todays
modern technology. At the end of the day, the basic
principles and practice of land surveying have changed
little, says Larmour.
There has always been a need to use a system to
organize the development of land in Alberta and
since it is rich with natural resources, the land has an
incredible amount of value in this province. Land surveyors were instrumental in developing irrigation for
agriculture, for example. A surveyors information was
essential to find the best location for the diversions
and dams.
And then the oil started flowing.
Alberta Land Surveyors were at the forefront. After
Leduc No. 1, the oil companies rushed to hire them to

determine the position of well sites, which were tied
into the established township system. Well site surveys
were followed by surveys to mark out flow lines and
battery sites, Larmour says. Surveyors next marked
out a right-of-way for a pipeline to carry the crude to
its destination ultimately one of the refineries in
Calgary and Edmonton. Eventually exploration moved
north and where the oil companies went, surveyors
preceded them.
A new challenge waited surveyors in the north. The
township system had not been marked out in parts of
northwest Alberta, which made calculating the position
of a well site difficult because there were no survey monuments on the ground, Larmour explains. Surveyors
were able to establish vertical and horizontal control
positions from which they could work, so that seismic
crews could locate shot holes and record ground elevations theyd use for gathering geophysical data.
Once the oil company decided on a drilling location,
surveyors established accurate coordinates for the well
site and boundaries of the lease. Without marked township corners, surveyors had to work from the nearest
baseline, often at a considerable distance, to tie the well
site into the township system, Larmour says. This
meant cutting long lines through the bush, but the
exactness of the survey ensured the precision of the
drilling location and the potential success of a well.
The equipment and instrumentation changed little
1940 to 1950
1990 to 2000
Oil is discovered at Leduc in

1947. Its the most important
factor in the evolution of surveying in Alberta in 50 years.
The township system in Alberta
provides a framework for managing oil and gas rights.
Surveys are also required for
surface leases on well sites,
pipelines and related facilities.
1960 to 1970
New technology continues to arrive.

Electronic distance measuring
instruments such as the geodimeter
and tellurometer become available
for everyday use and computers
arrive on the scene.
1950 to 1960
In 1953 Swedish surveyors develop the

geodimeter, the first electronic distance
meter using laser beams or radio frequencies to measure distances. This
instrument reduces the time required to
measure baselines from weeks to hours
with increased accuracy.
1970 to 1980
The Global Positioning System

(GPS) becomes the only fully
functional Global Navigation
Satellite System (GNSS). By
1994, a complete constellation of
24 medium-earth orbit satellites
is in use. The system enables a
GPS receiver to determine location, speed, direction and time.
In the 1970s, surveyors become

involved in developing land information systems and geographic information systems (GIS). Survey control
systems are implemented by surveyors to support GIS.
2000 to present
2005 marks 100 years since the Province

of Alberta entered confederation, and the
Alberta Land Surveyors Association publishes Laying Down the Lines: A History of
Land Surveying in Alberta as a centennial
project. Numerous initiatives to increase
labour mobility are underway.
www.alsa.ab.ca
23
VEY I NG AND MA P
SUR
PI
NG
LB
CHNOLO G
IE
TE
TA SOCIE
ER
TY
OF
The
ALBERTA SOCIETY OF
SURVEYING &
MAPPING
TECHNOLOGIES
values our unique relationship

with the
until the last several decades and Olsson

says that, while its easy to focus on the
ALBERTA LAND
great achievements of early surveyors, in
the last few decades the industry has
SURVEYORS
made impressive accomplishments as
ASSOCIATION
well. For example, an undergraduate
and looks forward to another
100 years of success.
degree program in Surveying
Engineering was created at the
University of Calgary in 1980 and, in
1987, a Professional Audit Branch was
established within ALSA. Prior to then,
surveyors plans were examined by gov000.ASSMT_1-6V_nBL.indd 1
2/12/09 4:17:24 PM
ernment employees, says Olsson. In
1987, this responsibility was given to the
COMMUNITIES
TRANSPORTATION
BUILDINGS
INFRASTRUCTURE
profession.
The work isnt quite as dangerous as it
Providing Geomatics Services in
used to be, but that doesnt mean it isnt
Canada for Over 50 Years!
an adventure. Today, surveyors stay in
modern hotels, travel to remote work
Service Offerings:
sites by helicopter and take measure Oilfield Surveys
ments using GPS, says Olsson. They
obtain survey plans and title informa Legal Surveys
tion instantaneously from government
Bathymetric Surveys
offices by Internet, often through satel Mapping & GIS Services
lite communication. And they can send
their survey observations to their office
Engineering & Construction Surveys
the same way so that survey plans and
GPS Surveys
reports can be prepared and sent to clients electronically within a few days.
Maybe the most fascinating aspect of
land surveying is how irreversibly entangled the work of todays land surveyors
is with the work of yesterdays surveyors.
Larmours book says: Surveyors are
dependent on the job done by the surveyors who went before them. In a sense,
they are historians as they examine old
To learn more,
visit us at
www.mmm.ca
plans and archaeologists as they scrape

away layers of dirt. They always seek
the original mark laid down by their
predecessors, and tie into a position
established in the past to create the
boundaries and property parcels of
tomorrow.
Heres Looking at You

Surveyors are accustomed to being
the ones doing the scrutinizing, but
soon it is they who will be surveilled.
The Alber ta L and Sur veyors
Association is organizing a travelling
exhibit on the history of land surveying in the province. The exhibit will be
displayed in museums across Alberta,
and ALSA representatives hope it will
become a resource for visiting school
classes. It will consist of story panels,
display cases and a surveyors tent
from 1910, complete with bedding,
personal effects and survey equipment of the day.
For many years, the ALSA has had
a collection of land surveying artifacts, says Gord Olsson, a retired
land surveyor and project organizer.
In 2002, ALSA adopted a collections
policy in support of travelling thematic
historical exhibits.
The exhibit will soon be ready for
the public in 2009. Stay tuned to www.
alsa.ab.ca for dates and locations.
000.Precision_1-2H_nBL.indd 1
1/22/09 1:35:52 PM
Precision is the cornerstone of longevity

Congratulations on your 100th anniversay!
Community Development | Industrial Development | Utility Development | Resource Development

Visit us for further information at
www.swg.ca
Photograph by Jeff Miles (System Administrator)
Calling all gearheads and historians.

Take a look at what the surveyors of
yesteryear called high tech. Despite all the
bells and whistles of modern surveying
equipment, the survey evidence indicates
that professionals of the past measured
land almost as accurately as their
counterparts do today. Any bets for
the must-haves in the tool kit
of tomorrows surveyor?
Transit It consists of a small
1909
Past, Present
and Future
mounted telescope that rotates

horizontally and vertically
Field notebook Surveyors

need to protect their records
from the damp in the eld
Survey posts Wooden posts, or occasionally piles of rock, commonly mark

boundaries. Eventually metre-long
metal pins will supplant these
26
Chain The standard measure for

surveying, Gunters Chain, has just
been replaced with steel bands
measuring distance in feet
Total station It measures

distances and angles by aiming a beam of infrared light at
a prism, supported by a tripod
Univisor A spectral headset

that records data as the eld
tech views it and allows
speech-to-text input
2059
Global positioning system

Surveyors use more precise GPS
units than those available in the
hardware store. Its just one tool
in the kit
2009
Safety equipment Surveyor teams

in the eld wear hard hats, safety
vests and steel-toed boots. Bug and
bear spray where appropriate
Monumarker staff Injects the

boundary with nanoprobe survey
markers that send continuous data
to the global network. Added feature:
stun laser for bothersome wildlife
Multibelt It holds eld items such as

food pellet dispenser, sonic grooming
system and expandabode shelter
Laptop computer As iconic today as

a transit was in the past, a surveyor
spends more quality time with a computer than any other piece of equipment
Versabound boots
Grip terrain as
steep as 90 and
take three-metre
strides
ILLUSTRATION BY RODRIGO LPEZ OROZCO
Cellphone with camera

A land surveyor is never
out of reach. Cameras
come in handy for documenting survey evidence
Transicorder
It downloads data
from the eld
teams univisor,
allowing multidimensional
interpretation
www.alsa.ab.ca
27
An Educated
Profession
BY DAVID DICENZO
While the basic tenets remain the same,

the profession of surveying has morphed.
Schools are catching up
FEW THINGS HAVE CHANGED IN LAND SURVEYING
since Bruce Gudim entered the field over a quarter

of a century ago especially on the technological front.
When Gudim began his career back in 1982, surveyors
were in the middle of a gradual transition from making
their measurements with steel tapes to using electronic
distance measuring equipment.
The tapes were survey chains 300 feet in length. Gudim
says that using them especially rolling them up is an
old-school skill that would likely be foreign to todays
newer surveyors.
It was neat to be a part of that change, says Gudim,
now the vice-president of Alberta firm Maltais Geomatics
Inc. In those old days, the surveyors equipment would
consist of a plumb bob strapped to their hip at all times
and a survey chain. Somewhere along the line, the plumb
bob went by the wayside.
So did the survey chain. Surveyors learned to use the
newer electronic distance measuring equipment. Now
another transition is underway and EDMs are being
phased out, replaced by high-tech global positioning
systems.
We transitioned from using survey tapes to EDMs to
the point where wed notice that a week might go by since
wed last used our survey chain, recalls Gudim of the
changes that took place in the early 1980s. Today, its
exactly the same with EDMs. Ill ask crews, Whens the
28
A LBERTA BOUNDARIES 2 0 09
last time you used your EDM equipment? They might say
a week or a month because theyve been able to improvise
and use their GPS for almost everything they do.
While the tools of the trade have evolved, the things
Gudim has always loved about land surveying remain
constant. He remembers the late 1970s, when he was
studying physics at the University of Alberta. Gudim saw a
want ad in the Edmonton Journal looking for land surveyors.
Gudim, who didnt really see himself as much of an academic, decided to switch from physics to the U of As surveying program.
What attracted him to the field was the variety of
things a surveyor would be tasked to do. There are many
different types of projects a surveyor does in the field plus
there are many different areas they can work within
Alberta, he says. The variety of landscapes a surveyor
encounters in the province appealed to him, as did the
city work.
Sometimes, Id be working on a construction project.
In those environments, the surveyor is typically given a lot
of respect on the job site, Gudim says. Its nice to have a
job where you get that kind of respect.
But other times, Id be working in a wooded area,
far from human habitation, which is a whole different
experience.
The job comes with challenges. Challenges, not only in
what skills and aptitudes the profession demands, but also
TEST TIME: University of Calgary Geomatics

students put their new-found knowledge to
practical use
the logistical challenges of getting to and carrying out a

job, because some sites are remote and difficult to access.
But Gudim says that depending on whos working on a site,
the logistical challenges can be part of the fun.
In my early career, those challenges often became competitions with other survey crews, he says. You compete
to see who can be the most productive and do the most
work in a given day. Sometimes, they become physical
competitions where its really a foot race to get to a
job site.
LAND SURVEYORS IN ALBERTA ARE A FAIRLY EXCLUSIVE
club. Bruce Gudim is one of approximately 370 surveyors in

the province. One of the primary sources of Alberta Land
Surveyors these days is the University of Calgarys geomatics program (part of the Schulich School of Engineering),
which has been in existence for 30 years.
Guided by a staff of about 20 specialized professors, the
U of Cs undergraduate engineering class consists of 45 to
50 students per year, with anywhere from 15 to 25 eventually going on into the surveying field.
Weve been fortunate to have many innovative
students, says Prof. Mike Barry, who teaches fourth-year
survey law and a geodetic engineering course at the
university. In recent years, we have had a lot of students
go through land surveying.
The U of Cs geomatics program is excellent training for
surveyors in Alberta. Approved by the Canadian
Engineering Accreditation Board and the Canada Council
of Land Surveyors, the university boasts a large department
that offers a lot of technical electives for students who are
interested in surveying or other aspects of geomatics.
Students can undertake practicums in the field while
studying. Gudim says that the nice thing about doing the
practicum at the U of C is that a student has the opportunity to get out, work the year with a survey company and
learn about the industry.
The hope of the company is that the students will come
www.alsa.ab.ca
29
ON THE JOB: Bruce Gudim, left, with Jeremy

Park. Park is a U of C graduate, currently
articling to Gudims colleague Doug Sharpe
back once they graduate, Gudim says. Theres a win for

both parties.
As students near the completion of their courses and
begin to enter the field, mentoring becomes an integral
part of their experience. Thats no different from when
Gudim came up the ranks in the early 1980s. Gudim says
that a former Alberta Transportation employee named Tom
Holt was well known in the Edmonton area and throughout the province for the guidance he offered to aspiring
land surveyors.
He has a special place in the lives of a lot of land surveyors, says Gudim. He would meet up with us on Saturdays,
taking his own time to sit down and chat with the pupils
about the profession.
When students graduated, he would give them Alberta
Transportation projects to work on. That mentoring process was very instructive for a lot of us.
The pay-it-forward approach remains strong in surveying
today. Articling is important and while young surveyors
typically article to one principal, many will transfer to different principals to obtain experience in different areas.
And when the time comes for the gruelling oral examination surveyors must pass before they are certified, students will sit before a panel of Alberta Land Surveyors, who
try to duplicate the exam experience in whats known as a
mock oral. Larger firms will arrange that for their students, while smaller firms will often accomplish the same
30
by collaborating with other firms.

Pupils find that process really instructive, says Gudim.
Its very similar to the real oral. You sit down in front of a
half dozen people youve never met in your life. You get
some tutelage on how to handle yourself at the oral.
GUDIM LEARNED FROM HIS MENTOR, HOLT, THAT PROFES-
sionals must partner with surveyors of the past by uncovering their work. He tries to impress the same lesson on his
protogs. Both men stress the significance of finding traces
of the original surveying evidence, placed by surveyors in
the past, and the work required to uncover that evidence.
Its an ability that is just as important to a land surveyor
today as it was decades ago. One of the things that surveyors take pride in is their ability to be sleuths, says Gudim.
Finding survey monuments on a piece of property the
three-foot square pit, 18 inches deep, with a five-foot square
mound that governs a boundary is always a fun challenge
for a land surveyor. It takes a great deal of effort and
labour and sleuthing to determine that location, Gudim
says. You cant shorten the work any better than you could
30 years ago. The shovel is still your friend.
For Gudim, finding evidence is just one of the many
intriguing things surveyors do in the field or in the office.
The challenges are vast, he says of the profession. In
some respect, youre like James Bond. To be James Bond,
you have to be good at a lot of things.
000.Maltais_1-2H_nBL.indd 1
1/7/09 4:22:37 PM
A MOBILE WORKFORCE
Of the 370 professional land surveyors currently working in Alberta, 17 received their training outside of the
borders of Wild Rose Country. That might not seem
like a large number but as the Alberta Land Surveyors
Association executive director Brian Munday points
out, its about ve per cent of the working population.
Consider that just eight years ago, that number
would have been zero.
I think well start to see more people move more
seamlessly from one province to another, says
Munday, making reference to the much-improved
labour mobility legislation that is having a signicant
impact on the profession.
In the 1990s, the federal government and the provinces signed the Agreement on Internal Trade, which
required that professions get together and set up an
agreement among the provinces in which they set
a level playing eld for the bare entry requirements
into a particular profession. In 2001, the land surveying profession signed its own agreement. The move
expanded the opportunities of people in the eld.
The key to the mutual recognition agreement was
that provinces would not question the professional
designations conferred by other provinces, explains
Ron Hall, executive vice president, geomatics at Focus
Surveys Limited Partnership. Since the MRA, all surveyors registered in other provinces or at the federal
level are deemed to have met the minimum requirements. End of story, Hall says. But that was not
always the case.
The ability to move freely took another leap forward
in 2006 when Alberta and British Columbia signed the
Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement
(TILMA). It has proven to be a groundbreaking deal
meant to remove barriers surrounding trade, investment and labour mobility.
In 2008, the federal government and the provinces amended the Agreement on Internal Trade to
further enhance labour mobility across Canada for
land surveyors coming to Alberta. This means the
lengthy process of four exams and three project
reports is no longer required.
All you have to do is write one exam that proves
you have local knowledge in our area and around our
32
statutes, says Hall. Its one more step towards

labour mobility.
Munday believes that the original Mutual Recognition
Agreement and TILMA have had a hugely positive
impact in Alberta. Alberta has been the leader pushing for increased mobility, he says.
Munday says he likes what he has seen from the
out-of-province imports who have entered Albertas
land surveying community. As weve seen those
members come in as Alberta Land Surveyors, there
is a tremendous comfort level that theyve been a benet to this province, he says. They have been involved
in associations, committees and activities. They have
really become a part of the association and thats been
a benet.
As more agreements pertaining to labour mobility
are struck (for example, Ontario and Quebec are trying
to establish their own version of TILMA), the result will
be a greater ability for professionals to pursue work
outside their own backyards. Hall makes it clear that
there are, however, challenges in doing it right.
There is no doubt in my mind that labour mobility
and access issues are going to become bigger with
governments, he says. They want bigger trade areas.
The balancing act for us is that we are self-regulating
and self-legislating with a mandate to serve and protect the public. The public relies on a land surveyor no
differently than they do an engineer or a lawyer. How
do we protect their interests?
The job is to make sure the people we bring in can
do that and meet the criteria. If we dont, that right will
be taken away from us.
Serving Alberta Since 1985
Professional Alberta
Land Surveyors
000.BOA_1-6H_nBL.indd 1
1/30/09 1:32:02 PM
Urban and Rural Subdivisions

Municipal Road and Infrastructure
Land Development Consultants
Real Property Reports
Facility Layouts
Topographic Surveys
403-782-5358
TOLL FREE:
1-888-782-5358
403-782-3508
administration@olsonsurveys.com
306, 5033 - 52 St. Lacombe, AB T4L 2A6
FAX:
000.Olson_1-6V_nBL.indd 1
The geomatics engineering program at the

Schulich School of Engineering is the proud
alma mater of 117 of the 370 active members
of the Alberta Land Surveyors' Association.
Congratulations on your 100th anniversary!
1/8/09 4:24:07 PM
IN THE FIELD: A two-man crew and a trainee

conduct a survey in southern Alberta
on behalf of Focus Surveys
34
A LBERTA BOUNDARIES 2 0 09
Eyes to the Patch

t
HEY ARE MODERN-DAY EXPLORERS, SLOGGING
through some of the most inhospitable and remote

terrain in Alberta to map out potential well sites,
access roads and pipeline routes. Land surveyors have a
long history in Albertas oilpatch and have helped put
the provinces energy industry on the map.
We are the shock troops of the oil and gas industry.
We are usually the first people on the ground and were
working under some pretty rough conditions, trying to
create order where there was none before, says John
Haggerty of Can-Am Geomatics, a Calgary-based consulting firm that specializes in land surveys, engineering,
mapping and geomatics for the oil and gas industry.
We are an integral part of the machine that keeps
Alberta running.
The involvement of land surveyors in the oilpatch
seems pretty straightforward. If an oil and gas outfit
wants to establish a well site, for example, it contacts
a company such as Can-Am Geomatics and describes
where it wants the well. Can-Am sends surveying personnel into the field to make sure its physically possible
to locate a well on the site.
Surveying employees mark out where a well could be
constructed and, back in the office, land surveyors draft
a plan that the oil and gas company will send to various
government bodies.
The information cultivated by land surveyors includes
the boundaries of each site down to the centimetre
BY JIM VEENBAAS
topographical features of each location, overhead and

underground structures, elevations and information
related to water distribution. The Energy Resources
Conservation Board requires that information before it
will approve any proposed project. Oil and gas companies also use the information for their Geographic
Information Systems, the databases that allow companies to electronically map facility locations, pipelines,
well sites and other related structures.
Surveyors map out plans for each of the thousands of
wells drilled in Alberta each year, as well as the pipelines used to move the product and the access roads to
get to the sites. But their role exists a little apart from
their clients main concerns.
First, land surveyors offer a legal framework in that
their plans on behalf of their client are official documents that cannot be disregarded. Second, they satisfy a
regulatory function, facilitating communication
between the oil companies and the regulatory bodies.
Regulatory officials can adequately address environmental concerns with a surveyors report in hand. It
slows down the process, offering time for checks and
balances. Its a safeguard to the public.
And this is at the request of the energy sector, says
Haggerty. Its in their best interest to have a third
party, a professional body with the necessary expertise
and a code of ethics, one that obligates them to be
responsible to the public.
PHOTO COURTESY FOCUS SURVEYS LIMITED
Surveyors operate at an arms length from

their big oil clients. They keep an eye to the
ground and safeguard the public
www.alsa.ab.ca
35
1500s. The equipment has advanced tremendously in the

last 30 years and surveyors now rely overwhelmingly on
with their unique set of skills and abilities: part mathemareal-time GPS, which use satellites to determine the exact
tician, part computer whiz and part Paul Bunyan. While
location of any spot. Equally profound has been the changthe classic image of a loner behind a tripod in the back
ing political environment. Government departments now
country is one that most surveyors today would prefer to
require much more information about each site and have
downplay, the field conditions in the oil and gas sector are
stricter environmental standards.
pretty tough. The isolation, terrain and extreme weather
The actual information gathering is such a breeze.
can make even the simplest job a logistical nightmare. But,
When I started in the 70s, you might spend three or four
at some level, most surveyors do have an affinity for the
days at one well site in the bush. Now youd be hard-pressed
outdoor workday.
to spend more than two days in the bush and that includes
Working in an urban area is a whole bunch of fun, but
line cutting. A well on the prairie may have taken you a full
not as much fun as working in the bush. When you think
day in the 70s. Today you might do up to five or six in a
of the early explorers like David Thompson and John
day, says Wallace.
Palliser, they were doing survey work. What we are doing
now is not that much different 100 to 200
years later, says John Wallace, president of
If youre afraid to get your hands dirty or your
Can-Am, which employs 200 people in five
feet wet, youre in the wrong business. When
offices across Western Canada.
We are still out there in remote areas
youre out in the bush, you have to be prepared
gathering information not only on the posito be chief cook, bottle washer and surveyor.
tion of boundaries, but also with respect to
topography and surface improvements. Its
thrilling to be out in the bush and to find original survey
Its not just the speed of work thats spiked in the last
evidence that was planted in the 1800s. Its a special feeling 30 years, either. The amount of information that surveyknowing that you are the first person to lay eyes on that
ing teams process has changed. The regulatory bodies
site since the surveyors of old were there more than 100
in Alberta and across the West have become hungrier for
years ago. The big thing is orderly development, explains more and more data, and they want more of it to be
Bruce Winton, president of McElhanney Land Surveys.
provided exclusively by land surveyors. The information
We have to account for all the regulatory requirements
that used to be included on a well site plan doesnt even
in a plan.
come close to resembling the amount of information
If its a well site, were picking up all the natural terrain
you need today.
features and anything that will have an impact on the enviOne of the biggest challenges facing surveyors out in
ronment. For a pipeline, the biggest things are crossings
and route selection. McElhanney is an Edmonton-based
WELL BEING: Before any well is drilled or access road
firm with 380 staff members across Western Canada.
cleared, teams like this from Focus Surveys get the
measure of a property
Winton and his colleagues have to be intimately familiar
with the various government departments that have
restrictions on the development of oil and gas. The information we gather helps determine if each site meets those
regulations, he says.
We deal with drilling engineers, pipeline engineers and
land people. Its almost a partnership you have with your
client. They know what to expect from you and you know
what they need. One thing about being a land surveyor is
that you serve your client, but your responsibility is to the
public. Youre an impartial party and you have to respect
the interests of everyone involved.
The tools of the trade have changed dramatically since
Wallace and Winton started their careers in the 1970s.
At the time, the most sophisticated instrument was the
theodolite, technology originally developed in the late
36
PHOTOS COURTESY FOCUS SURVEYS LIMITED
OIL AND GAS COMPANIES HAVE TO COUNT ON SURVEYORS
MAKING INROADS: A survey team conducts a topographic

study that the client will use to expand an existing haul
road in northern Alberta
the field is accessing the proposed locations. Haggerty is based in Grande Prairie
and does a lot of his work in the foothills
south of the city. The terrain is daunting, to
say the least, but it takes more than bad
weather, steep slopes and thick bush to stop
surveyors from pushing through to their
target, even in locations that ultimately
prove unsuitable for drilling.
Some of the conditions are really hairy
and not everyone likes to forge out there
into the bush. Ive waded through a swamp
and waist-deep water. It can be really rugged out there, Haggerty says. When everything is finally done and ready to go on a
site like that, you could probably drive a
car in there.
To enjoy those extreme conditions
requires a rare breed people who place
equal value on knowledge and formal education, with a love of the great outdoors
and a real sense of adventure. You are talking about individuals, almost without
exception, who know the backend of a
chainsaw. How many other professionals do
you see out there cutting line? You have to
be made differently to do that, says
Wallace.
If youre afraid to get your hands dirty or
your feet wet, youre in the wrong business.
When youre out in the bush, you have to be
prepared to be chief cook, bottle washer
and surveyor. Ive always believed in the
value of education and I was always strong
in math, Wallace says, but I really like the
outdoors and I just couldnt see myself

working only in an office when I finished
school. For the people who like that, theres
no life like it.
Like Wallace, Haggerty now oversees his
clients projects from his Grande Prairie
office but some of his fondest memories
also involve the situations he has faced in
the field. Increasingly, surveyors are in
managerial roles and technicians are in the
field. And the surveyors of today spend
more time in front of a computer than
TALES FROM THE FIELD

One of the last eld jobs John Wallace
of Can-Am Geomatics did was surveying an area north of Fort Chipewyan
in 1987. The job required Wallace and
two other men to spend a week in the
bush, taking measurements and making boundaries for the federal government. Trouble started even before they
arrived at their bush camp, when the
pontoon airplane that was to take them
there couldnt get up in the air.
By the time the pilot shut down his
engines, we ended up drifting onto the
rocks and puncturing a pontoon. We
had to jump into the lake to lighten the
load and lift the plane off the rocks to
get it up on shore. We were up to our
chests in the lake with ice floating
around us, recalls Wallace.
behind a tripod. Still, says Haggerty,

early in their careers, young surveyors are expected to spend time in the
field. After all, theyll be managing
field crews later. Other surveyors
like the outdoor fieldwork so much
that they start their own businesses
or stay with smaller outfits where
they are virtually guaranteed time
in the field.
As Wallace says, theres just no life
like it.
Undaunted, the men pushed on by

engaging another, larger plane that
could handle the load only to discover
their communication equipment wasnt
working. They spent a week in the bush,
cut off from civilization, with no means
of communicating to the outside world.
They didnt need to radio for emergency
pickup quite the opposite.
The pilot came to pick us up, but we
needed more time to complete the survey, so we left a note in the cookhouse
saying we needed another day and to
come back tomorrow. Sure enough, the
next day the plane came in and picked us
up, says Wallace. I think thats when
I came to the conclusion that I should
spend more time in the ofce. Sometimes
I think you have to be nuts to do this job.
But he means it in a good way.
www.alsa.ab.ca
37
TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Robert Wallace

spends most of his time in the ofce, where
most of a land surveyors equipment is found
38
Town Limits
Urban surveyors might not have to stare
down a grizzly but they face their own
challenges
BY TRICIA RADISON PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN GAUCHER
TS 10:30 A.M. ON A TUESDAY AND THE WORLD IS AT
work. With the temperature a good 10 degrees below

zero, its definitely toque and gloves weather, but the
sky is a swath of cheerful blue. Cracking branches, chattering squirrels and bird song fill the air.
A survey crew of two is setting up for work behind the
garage of a residential property across the street from
the Elbow River in Calgary. Its a street of expensive and
relatively new homes on the large, heavily treed lots of
an older area. The crew works with care and accuracy;
they arent rushing to get the job done or hurrying to get
the next step over with. Instead, they carefully imple-
ment the proper set of checks to ensure their work is

done correctly.
Crew chief Ben Woodland interrupts himself briefly to
point out a blue jay swooping onto a branch, then
returns his attention to rodman Marc Michaud. The two
often team up and their ability to work well with one
another is apparent in their easy conversation and quick
decision-making.
Woodland and Michaud began the workday at 8 a.m.,
meeting at the office to receive the plans for their projects for the day. Each day is different. They may be surveying large, bare parcels of land for subdivision, urban
www.alsa.ab.ca
39
commercial projects such as high-rise office or condoproperty, so the surveyors already know that these pins
minium towers, acreages outside the city or residential
accurately mark the property lines. Without this lucky
properties like this one in the city. The fact that I can
happenstance, the surveyors would have to take extra
do all sorts of work makes it pretty interesting, says
steps digging up and measuring the pins to ensure
Woodland, whos been in the surveying business for
they are actual survey pins to ensure that the property
a decade.
lines are valid. This record is evidence that property
The owner of the property theyre now on wants a
owners can rely on when they undertake landscaping,
comprehensive survey detailing the placement of all
additions and renovations.
structures, utilities and trees on the lot to help in the
People believe that [the location of a boundary] is an
process of obtaining a development permit. As part
absolute. Its not an absolute, says Robert Wallace, presiof the in-depth survey, Woodland and Michaud have
dent of Global Surveys Group and past-president of the
already surveyed the yards on either side of the clients
Alberta Land Surveyors Association.
boundaries. Today they are focusing on
the clients property.
Behind those iconic tripods, survey personnel
Their first step is to locate the survey
pins, or survey evidence. Surveyors have
are taking extremely precise measurements
planted these pins in the ground years ago
from carefully determined positions to create
to mark property lines. The location of the
pins is marked on the plan but they arent an accurate blueprint of the location. Its a
always where theyre supposed to be. (See
numbers game and the numbers have to match.
sidebar page 43.)
While Woodland creates a sketch of the
clients property, Michaud uses a metal detector to scan
There are mathematical solutions but in older areas
the ground at the location indicated by the plans, lookthere may be conflicting survey pins, so there may be
ing for the pins. The pins are often accessed via private
various mathematical solutions to choose from,
property, not always the property of the actual client.
explains Wallace. We try to determine how the original
Although surveyors are legally entitled to enter private
survey plan was done and conduct the new survey in
property, they are aware that people have concerns about accordance with that. Sometimes its not cut and dried.
possible damage to their yards and land. Out of respect,
The amount of deductive reasoning required for
they knock on doors to inform homeowners that they
surveying is surprising to most members of the general
need to go onto the property and dig.
public because they often dont know what surveyors
Most people are happy to allow the surveyors on their
actually do. In fact, research shows that many of the
land after learning that they will carefully fill the hole
people driving past survey teams think that they are
and replace the patch of sod theyve removed to gain
just carrying out rote tasks.
access to the pin. Often, the conversation becomes an
That wasnt always the prevailing image of the surveyor.
opportunity for the homeowner to learn where the
A hundred and fifty years ago, the land surveyor was one
boundaries of the property are and get information
of the most important people in Canada. When the
about the survey process.
Dominion Land Surveyor came to Fort Edmonton or Fort
Today there are no problems and Michaud and
Calgary, he was treated like a god because he was the
Woodland easily find the pins. Michaud removes the
guy that determined land boundaries and would measod and sets it and the dirt hes dug up onto a small
sure out homesteads, explains Brian Stecyk of Rose
tarp for later replacement. We try to leave the ground
Country Communications.
as we found it, Michaud says, out of respect for the
Rose Country Communications undertook research to
property owner.
find out how the public views land surveyors today. The
In this case, the validity of the pins is not in question;
results show that the publics understanding of the field
the company Woodland and Michaud work for, Global
had become murky.
Surveys Group Inc., recently surveyed a neighbouring
We did the first research in the early 1990s and we
40
found that the majority of the public perceived land

surveyors as poorly educated tradespeople who wore
tattered clothes and stood on the side of the road behind
a tripod, says Stecyk.
That image is a far cry from the truth and is one that
organizations such as the Alberta Land Surveyors
Association has worked to change. A registered land surveyor has four years of post-secondary education under his
or her belt and articles for two years before working solo.
Many surveyors get their first taste of the job working
as rodmen, like Michaud is doing. They learn as they go,
taking training as required. While they cant become
registered land surveyors without attending a college or
university program and then articling, they can still
move up to positions like Woodlands, running the crew
and making educated decisions on-site.
Its great for a guy like me, says Michaud, whos been
working in the entry-level position of rodman for about a
year and wants to make surveying his profession.
Theres a lot to learn and you can keep advancing.
Education and experience combine to give surveyors
and their crews the knowledge required to engage in
deductive reasoning so that when measurements dont
agree, they can make their own decisions.
Behind those iconic tripods, survey personnel are
taking extremely precise measurements from carefully
determined positions to create an accurate blueprint of
the location. Its a numbers game. The numbers have to
match, says Michaud.
On-site, the joke is close enough because in surveying, there is no such thing. Measurements have to be
THE REAL PROPERTY REPORT

The Alberta Real Estate Association listing contract requires a real
property report or RPR when a house changes hands. The report
is a drawing of your property that shows where each structure is
located. If structures such as decks, sheds or fences cross property
lines, the vendor of the property has to fix the problem before selling
the property.
Vendors must supply a current RPR to the real estate agent before
the house can be legally sold. Although the term current is relative,
Wallace recommends people always obtain an updated RPR if theyre
going to sell their home, even if they have one they believe is current.
The real property report that was performed in 1997, for example, is a snapshot of that property in 1997, explains Robert Wallace,
president of Global Surveys Group. Over a decade later, the property
may have changed due to improvements made by the owner.
They may have built a deck, changed a fence or poured some concrete. A neighbour might have built a fence or built something up to
the property line. The municipality may have changed a requirement
or there may be changes to the title, says Wallace.
An update guarantees the RPR is accurate, providing assurance to
both vendor and buyer. There have been cases in which vendors have
doctored old RPRs, causing headaches for unwitting buyers suddenly
stuck with a shed or deck that extends beyond the property line.
The typical RPR takes a couple of hours and requires the crew
to measure about 10 points. An in-depth survey requires crews to
measure the X, Y and Z co-ordinates of approximately 100 points. For
property owners, its worth the time. An up-to-date RPR can quickly
solve boundary disputes.
A Century of History for an Association

A Century of People, Pride and Passion.
Challenger Geomatics Ltd. wishes to congratulate
the Alberta Land Surveyors Association on its 100th
Anniversary.
Challenger Geomatics is a multi-disciplinary
geomatics and engineering company commited to
the growth and development of land surveyors.
Visit us at chalgeo.com to learn more.
Celebrating Our 25th Year
exact, equipment has to be perfectly level a struggle

in some cases and all relevant structures must be
included. Close enough doesnt count at all. Everything
has to be really tight. Really precise, Woodland says.
Survey personnel often have an affinity for gear.
Technology changes quickly in surveying and that can
be part of the appeal. But advanced technology can also
make finicky gear. Even though Woodland can manage
to take notes even when its -20C, the electronic device
he uses to store information prefers warmer weather.
Even today, at -10C, the machine is sluggish, protesting
the cold.
Thanks to Albertas land title system and

sound survey practices, there are very few
boundary disputes in the province. Disputes
mainly arise between feuding neighbours and
those are quickly put to rest with an updated
real property report.
Sometimes the team cant use a particular technology
due to the location of the job. GPS, for example, is widely
used in surveying but requires an unobstructed view of
the sky. Tall trees in residential areas or the office towers
downtown make the technology useless.
Later in the day, Woodland and Michaud will head to a
job where theyll be able to use GPS. Those kinds of jobs
are Woodlands favourites, perhaps because they often
take place outside the city. People drawn to surveying
typically enjoy mathematics and highly technical, very
detailed work but they are also often outdoor enthusiasts.
Projects on acreages or for oil and gas companies put
them in close proximity to nature and allow them to
work in a truly serene environment.
Other projects, such as construction sites, dont provide
the same sense of peace. The sites are crowded, noisy and
dirty. You cant even hear yourself think, says
Woodland. But for the urban surveyor, theyre interesting
for other reasons.
Surveyors and their technicians are involved at every
stage of a construction project, says Robert Wallace.
Typically, Wallace and his team would first conduct a survey on the parcel of land and provide the architects and
engineers with the information they need before they
can begin designing: the location of roads, curbs, sewers,
42
electrical lines and so on. The initial survey is used to

help design the building that will go on the site as well as
in the application for a development permit.
After the building is designed, the survey crew returns
to the site to identify where each component will be
placed. Well give them the elevation of the roads, tell
them where to put the asphalt, where to put the curbs,
where to put the buildings, says Wallace.
Finally, the crew returns to measure everything and
provide an up-to-date drawing of whats been constructed.
Clients like to see the same survey crew on-site each time,
and the crew might visit anywhere from a dozen to 100
times, depending on the clients needs.
Its the return trips that field guys like Michaud like.
You get to see the site evolve from nothing into a
completely finished building, he says. I love that. Start
to finish.
Even in 1975, when Wallace began surveying, measuring was done with a roll-up tape. Today, electronic measuring devices and global positioning systems do the
work. Even a decade ago, a field technician such as
Woodland would have to painstakingly write down each
measurement. Now, he stores the information electronically and simply downloads it into his computer at the
end of the day.
Woodland and Michaud do anywhere from two to four
projects per day, depending on the type of project, how
smoothly the job goes and the amount of travel time
involved. Much time is spent conducting surveys of residential properties for real property reports, or RPRs. (See
sidebar page 41.) Surveying isnt a 9-to-5 proposition; in
the summer they can be in the field until 8 p.m. or later.
Winter hours are shorter because of the need for daylight.
At the end of the day, the crew returns to the office and
turns in the information theyve collected. There, a land
surveyor or a supervised technician analyzes the information and gives it to a draftsperson, who creates the
drawings for each project using AutoCAD software.
Thanks to Albertas land title system and sound survey
practices, there are few boundary disputes in the province. Disputes mainly arise between feuding neighbours
and are quickly put to rest with an updated RPR.
The value that technicians such as Woodland and
Michaud and surveyors such as Wallace offer lies at least
partly in the peace of mind they are able to supply to clients and the public. Their attention to detail and refusal
to hurry through any step of the process ensures that
people can buy property knowing it is properly demarcat-
Maidment Land Surveys Ltd.
Land Surveyors / Land Development Consultants
ed. Their efforts help the construction

industry ensure buildings are properly situated on a property and constructed in
such a way as to maximize the quality of
design and development.
Alberta is a nice-looking province. We
have orderly development, Wallace says.
The surveyors play an active role in assuring the planning process is adhered to. We
are a check-and-measure system to make
sure Alberta continues to be a nice, esthetically pleasing place to live.
SURPRISING FINDS
Sometimes a surveyor may nd what
appears to be a pin but is, in reality,
something else entirely, says Robert
Wallace, president of Global
Surveys Group Inc. and pastpresident of the Alberta Land
Surveyors Association.
Surveyors of bygone days
may have marked property
corners with many types of
iron pins, rebar, wooden posts
and even railway track spikes.
It is up to the current surveyor to assess what he or she
has found, to determine if its
a piece of survey evidence or
something that the landowner
has put there, Wallace says.
Surveyors may have to be
part historian, undertaking
research to determine if what
they have found is indicative
of pins typically used in a certain area and of a certain time
frame.
A nd its not just about
what they have found. When
expected pins are absent, it may
be because a wooden pin has rotted away or a proper ty owner has
unwittingly removed it in the course
of landscaping or other work.
Congratulations to the Alberta Land Surveyors Association

100 Years Surveying Alberta Lands and Resources
(403) 286-0501
www.maidment.ca
Calgary, Alberta
000.Maidment_1-6H_nBL.indd 1
Land Development
Land Surveying
Oil Field Surveys
Pipeline Surveys
Utility Surveys
2/9/09 9:42:43 AM
Office: 780-523-4890
Toll Free: 1-866-928-4890
Fax: 780-523-4860
www.barlowsurveying.ca
Construction Surveys
GPS
Real Property Reports
Site Plans
Subdivision Surveys
4826-51 Avenue, P.O. Box 1017, High Prairie, Alberta T0G 1E0
000.Barlow_1-6H_nBL.indd 1
1/29/09 8:56:36 AM
Pals Surveys and Associates Ltd wishes to

congratulate the Alberta Land Surveyors
Association on its 100th Anniversary.
Land Surveying in Alberta has a long and sometimes colorful history which Pals
Surveys is proud to have been part of for over 25 years. As a Land Survey
company with offices in Edmonton and Whitecourt, we provide our clients
throughout Alberta with a wide range of services.
At Pals Surveys we work hard to earn and keep our clients trust. As a COR
certified company job safety is at the forefront of everything we do. We are
p roud to have on two occasions (2006 & 2008) been the recipient of the
Canadian Home Builders Association - Alberta: Safety Award Winner.
WORK WITH YOU NOT FOR YOU.

www.palssurveys.com
1.800.263.0305
44
PHOTOGRAPH BY DREW MYERS
THREE SURVEYORS: Chris Tucker,

Leanne James and JiunHan Keong are
at work in the land surveyors natural
habitat the ofce
The Workforce,
Surveyed
Albertas land surveyors are a varied
bunch. What unites them is their zeal for
the profession and their commitment to
serving the public
BY CAITLIN CRAWSHAW
URVEYORS ARE ALL ABOUT TREADING THE FINE LINE
or at least finding it, anyway between nations and

neighbours, parks and municipalities. Unsung and often
misunderstood, a land surveyors work goes a long way
to keeping communities running smoothly. The Alberta
Land Surveyors Association is one of the oldest selfgoverning professional bodies in the province and its
surveyors touch most industries, directly or indirectly.
Meet some of the ALSA professionals at work today.
PETER SULLIVAN, SURVEYOR GENERAL, EDMONTON
When Peter Sullivan decided to study surveying in the

1970s, he was looking for a gig that would allow him to
travel and work outdoors.
Three decades later, his career has delivered. Though
most of his work happens in an office now, he continues
to travel across Canada in his current role as Canadas
Surveyor General. Sullivan oversees the surveying of
federal lands, including the northern territories,
Canadas offshore region, First Nations reserves and
National Parks in other words, more than 50 per cent
of Canadas land mass.
From his Edmonton office, Sullivan also assists with
various land claims projects mainly comprehensive
land claims in Northern Canada. This involves using
modern surveying techniques and consulting historic
land records in order to provide some certainty about
parcels of land. This land is critical to First Nations and
the land is a generator of economic wealth, explains
Sullivan, adding that a community cant attract investors

without knowing for certain where its boundaries lie.
Sullivan wears another hat, too. Hes Canadas representative on the Canada-U.S. International Boundary
Commission, which resolves rare boundary disputes and
maintains the 9,000-kilometre boundary between the
two countries. This involves clearing a swath six metres
wide between the two countries. If law enforcement
people dont know where the line is, they dont know
what jurisdiction theyre in and what laws apply,
he continues.
An Alberta Land Surveyor since 1990, Sullivan says his
office isnt well understood by the general population
nor is the surveying profession as a whole. Surveyors
work in the background, he says, but their work is critical to the governance of the country.
www.alsa.ab.ca
45
JIUNHAN KEONG,
CALGARY
At only 17 years old,

JiunHan Keong hopped on
a plane for Hamilton,
Ontario, to complete his
high school education.
Staying behind in Malaysia,
his parents believed their
son would have better
opportunities in Canada.
It was a pivotal moment
for a high school senior on
the cusp of his adult life. Hed long considered engineering as a career route as he was skilled at math and raised
in an educated family but he was unsure of his path. His
high school guidance counsellor considered both his
aptitudes and unusual passion for maps I can read
maps and atlases for hours without becoming bored, he
says and suggested surveying.
So, Keong headed to the University of New Brunswick,
with little knowledge of surveying but a sense that it
would be worth the risk. And it was. Keong went on to
complete a masters in geomatics engineering.
When he graduated in 2000, Keong and some friends
partnered with a Calgary tech firm to create a new cellphone GPS system, a venture that led him to China for
several years. When the tech bubble burst, Keong chose
to leave the volatile world of tech development for land
surveying.
After years with Focus Surveys, he now works for
Calgarys Maltais Geomatics. He loves surveying areas
that havent been measured for generations, and
retracing the footsteps of our predecessors.
Keong takes great satisfaction in the fact that his profession is well-respected and integral to society. All of
the Alberta Land Surveyors I know take great pride in
their work. A lot of the time were dealing with boundaries and we know that thats very important to how
society runs.
CHRIS TUCKER, CALGARY
On a frosty November night in 1988, 24-year-old Chris

Tucker was draining an inlet scrubber for a gas dehydrator at an oil and gas site near Drayton Valley, Alberta. It
was an ordinary evenings work until sometime around
midnight. Thats when a systems problem at the dehydrator caused a critical steam pressure buildup. The ensuing
46
explosion demolished a building and ruptured gas lines.

Worse, it left Tucker badly burnt.
This incident threw a fork in the road for Tucker and
put him on the path to becoming an engineer something hed never had any intention of pursuing. A former
air cadet, he began his career as a pilot but his flying
dreams were squashed when the economic downturn of
the early 1980s saw Alberta companies casting off their
corporate aircrafts, and airline jobs were scarce.
So, Tucker opted to work as an oilfield operator until
the explosion forced him to reassess once more. A year of
rehab later, he decided to use his compensation package
to go to university.
The burn was actually really instrumental in me
becoming an engineer, he says. At first he was unsure of
what educational path to take, so he walked into the
administration building at the University of Calgary and
flipped a coin between geology and engineering.
Engineering and specifically geomatics won out.
The creation of Tuckers geomatics business was
almost as serendipitous. He was considering focusing on
the 3-D scanning niche when he came across his first
scanner online. I couldnt believe it when I saw it on
eBay I thought, My God. If theres a message from a
greater being that I should start a business in laser scanning, this is it.
Now his company, Point Geomatics, uses state-of-theart 3-D scanners for a diverse range of surveying projects
everything from heritage buildings to freeways to gas
plants. Weve even worked with the Department of
National Defence for blast protection for troops, Tucker
proudly says.
Its an uncommon focus for a surveying company. The
3-D scanners, which arent much bigger than a breadbox,
generally cost between
$130,000 and $1 million. Its no more accurate, Tucker says of 3-D
scanning, but its
much more complete.
We could scan the
office youre sitting in
and tell you how far it
is from your laptop to
your coffee cup. This
level of detail is hugely
appealing for Tuckers
oil and gas clients.
Some days I think its a good move, he says. Other

days I think, What the heck have I done?
ryan Gordon, Peace river
GeorGe Smith, red deer
George Smith and his neighbour Bruce Koss were playing pool and tossing back a couple of cold ones in the
basement of Smiths Red Deer home. They got to talking
about work. At the time, Smith was an office manager at
a land surveying company where hed worked for 19
years and his neighbour was a land agent. The two men
had never really talked shop much before.
Smith mentioned that he was considering an offer to
buy the established company where hed been working
for so long. His neighbour asked why he didnt just go
solo. Smith saw his point. If I was going to run a company, I thought I might as well make my own mistakes.
The thought of starting fresh, which would allow him
to choose the companys staff and direction, appealed.
Eventually, the two men decided to team up in a new
venture and, in September 2008, they launched
Diversified Geomatics, offering oilfield surveying and
municipal surveying services. The plan is to create a
resilient company that can weather all economic climates. As one sector slows, hopefully the other will
keep our people busy, says Smith.
The biggest challenge is staffing, he admits. Like most
surveying companies, party chiefs and articled students
generally stick around once hired but rodmen change
companies frequently.
Regardless of how the work shifts, keeping staff
requires keeping busy. The economy seems to have
slowed down somewhat, so now that Ive got a couple of
reliable guys, I dont want to say, Sorry, fellas, its just
not working out thanks for coming.
All in all, hes rolling with his decision to start fresh.
When it came to choosing a university major, Ryan

Gordon was stumped so he did what seemed easiest.
I went for a [geomatics engineering] degree because
my sister was taking it and I could inherit all of her textbooks, he says, and he laughs. Not the best reason. I
never pictured a career as a surveyor but, after my third
year of school, I got a job surveying and went out in the
field thats when I fell in love with it.
Gordon, who was raised in Saudi Arabia and Calgary,
had travelled extensively in his youth but still had itchy
feet. So, after graduating, he headed to Slave Lake to
launch his career, turning down jobs in Calgary.
Ive been other places in the world, but Id never
explored Alberta, he says.
Slave Lake was a neat place for a while, but now
Gordon lives in Grimshaw with his wife and two children and works in Peace River. Hes already a project
manager at only 27 though management has never
been his plan. He is quick to point out that he started at
the bottom of the ladder, pounding stakes in the ground
and tying flags.
His ambition is to develop his career at a pace that will
allow him to grow into his roles and learn all he can.
Im happy where Im at right now, he says.
www.alsa.ab.ca
47
PIOTR STROZYK,
EDMONTON
In 1989, Piotr Strozyk and

his wife left Poland for
Canada. The new grads
were tired of the lack of
available housing that was
forcing them to divide their
time between the student
dormitory and in-laws.
They settled in Alberta
and Strozyk launched his
career as a land surveyor, a
profession hed been working in since his high school
days. He was initially drawn to it because of family ties
his uncle was a surveyor, as was Strozyks cousin. I basically followed in his footsteps. When he was getting his
degree, I was starting university.
After arriving in Canada, Strozyk held many different
positions related to land surveying before getting his
commission in 2004. He was surprised to discover that
land surveying is not an area many Canadians are familiar with. In Poland, land surveying is as commonly
known as law or medicine.
I think that, historically, it was one of the most
important professions in Poland, he explains, adding
that after the mayor and priest, the land surveyor was
the most-respected person in a community. And until
the 1970s, it was one of the best-paying jobs as well, possibly due to the demand estates were frequently divided up among family members.
After 15 years in the industry, in 2004 Strozyk opted to
start his own company, Alberta Geomatics, and hit the
ground running. At the height of the boom, his company
was over-worked and staffing was a perpetual problem.
Now, Strozyk says his staff of six is the perfect size to
manage the workload.
Recent changes to the real estate market have meant
that demand for residential surveying has dropped off
significantly. Between August and September 2008, for
instance, demand for real property reports diminished
significantly. But rather than branch into oilfield surveying, Strozyk is committed to residential surveying and
growing his company incrementally.
48
LEANNE JAMES, CALGARY
Leanne James surveying career began at the Northern

Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton two
decades ago, where she completed the survey technology diploma program.
I like the outdoors, Im good with mathematics,
and astronomy interested me, she says. It was like a
checklist for surveying.
She enjoyed the profession so much that she later
moved to Fredericton to earn a degree in geomatics
engineering at the University of New Brunswick.
For the first part of her career, James worked mostly
for smaller firms until she was hired on as a supervisor at the City of Calgary, where she worked for eight
years. From 2007 to 2009, James was an associate at
Stantec, where she worked in land development, heading up legal surveying work for large subdivisions.
It was a change from her other experiences. At the
City of Calgary, her work focused on plan integration
integrating legal surveying plans with mapping systems. In other positions, shes done a wide range of
surveying, including oilfield and land claims projects.
When she began her career, James was one of literally a handful of Alberta women in the profession.
More have since joined, but the profession is still
largely dominated by men. A lot of women become
surveying technologists, but stop at
the professional
stage. I think
theres an underlying feeling that its
still a mans world,
she says.
James would like
this to change and
does her part to
support young
women entering
the field but at the
same time, she says
she has never felt
limited by being in
the minority.
The 13th Sign

Youve known it all along you are
one of a type, not just a random
assemblage of quirky skills
and interests
STROLOGERS HAVE RECENTLY DISCOV-
ered a 13th star sign, which they are

calling Surveyus the Measurer. Along with
Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, this new one
is an earth sign, associated with stability,
strength and practicality.
Unlike the other signs, Surveyus has no
fixed calendar date and people falling
under this sign may be born at any time of
the year. Perhaps you are a Surveyus only
you will know for sure.
Your Horoscope: Surveyus, like many of
your earthy brethren, you are solid and
dependable as well as cautious and thorough some would say overly so. You have
oddly juxtaposed talents. You possess a
bookish love for math and history, yet you
often yearn for the solitude of the outdoors.
You are equally at home with a desk and a
keyboard as you are with hiking boots and
bear spray.
Some would call you fussy and overly
obeisant of laws and regulations. You have
the ability to visualize objects, shapes, distance and sizes with creepy accuracy. Your
affinity for maps, charts and data is distracting. Despite a love of dusty volumes
and historical records, you are a gearhead at
heart with a passion for GIS, GPS, CAD and
other equipment. You love computers and
gizmos with all the bells and whistles but
you maintain a certain smug satisfaction

that you can reach the same conclusions
down to the millimetre using nothing but
your big brain and a plumb bob.
Yours is a mutable sign and your Surveyus
heart wont let you be lonely for too long.
Your ability to organize and your good communication skills keep you out of the field
occasionally pining for it for long stretches
as you oversee others in larger projects.
Seek out Capricorn and Virgo as natural
allies and excellent techs for your team. The
year starts slowly for you, with a steady rise
in activity towards the fall. The main theme
for you this year is individuality tempered
by sociability that lets you lead a team to
a common goal. Seek out interprovincial
alliances, keep your skills current and look
for brother and sister Surveyuses in unlikely
places.
GET EDUCATED
If you fall under the movable star sign of
Surveyus the Measurer, consider a career in
land surveying. Check out these links to nd
out more.
Careers in Geomatics:
www.careersingeomatics.ab.ca
University of Calgary:
www.geomatics.ucalgary.ca
University of New Brunswick: gge.unb.ca
Alberta Land Surveyors Association:
www.alsa.ab.ca
www.alsa.ab.ca
49
Last Word
BY BRUCE DRAKE; AS TOLD TO RACHEL SINGH
Tales from the Field

Every surveyor has them those stories from
the early days before they wound up in an ofce
for most of the day. Here are a few of mine
ILLUSTRATION BY HEFF OREILLY
50
FTER I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL,
I attended the University of

Calgarys geomatics program, then
went to work for the family surveying
business. Our family has always been
part of land surveying. I got involved
with it in my first summer job.
The very first surveying job I did was
with my dad. I was still a kid in grade
school. He was working for McElhanney
Land Surveyors Ltd. in Edmonton and
had to go out and do some slack chaining through a field. So out I went with
him on a Saturday afternoon to follow
the end of a surveyors chain through
the bush.
Every time I saw some surveyors ribbon on the fence I was to hold onto the
chain with all my might until my father
tied on a new piece of ribbon. We spent
the day heading across the bush, down
the fence line like that. It was a lot of
fun, but the thing that always makes
me remember this story is that on
Monday, Dad went into the office and
told his boss that I had gone out with
him on the weekend. His boss insisted
on giving me a paycheque. So dad comes
home with this cheque for $10. I was six
years old and I remember thinking,
Man, surveying is great. You make this
huge amount of money and you dont
have to work too hard. You just go out
and get some fresh air.
Thirty years later, I realize that survey
helpers wages havent increased.
Early on in my career, after high
school graduation but before I went to
university, I was working for a company
in Calgary and I went out for the day to

do this little measure one angle, measure one distance kind of job. My boss
and I get out into the middle of this big
open field and see a tree that we think
will be a hindrance to our survey line.
So we go wandering along to investigate.
After walking about 100 yards from the
truck to the tree, sure enough the hanging branches were in our way.
We looked at one another and realized neither one of us had brought an
axe so I said, Well, Ill climb the tree
and bend the branch so you can reach
up and break it off. Off I go up the tree,
out onto the branch. Im standing on
this branch, bouncing up and down trying to get it down to the point where he
could reach it to snap it off. Then my
boot slipped of course it was the middle of winter and it was icy. I hear this
popping and tearing noise and then Im
hanging from the tree, five feet off the
ground with this excruciating pain in
my knee and my boss going, Come on,
Bruce, just jump down.
Twenty years later when I go for long
walks, my knee reminds me that climb-
ing trees in winter is a very bad idea.

Another story that always brings a
smile to my face is about an early subdivision survey. We were creating a lot out
of a quarter-section up at the Paddle
Prairie Mtis Settlement. My assistant
and I were trying to locate a survey section corner. We got to the place where I
knew it was supposed to be. To my dismay, I found a ditch filled with water
that was more than waist-deep. I knew
the survey evidence was in there, so I
ended up stripping down to my boxers
I left the rubber boots on because youre
never sure what youre going to be stepping on. And I jumped in. I managed to
find the post with my foot, but to make
sure that the bottom of the prism pole
was on the right spot I actually had to
feel with my hand to put the point in
the survey post. There was nothing else
for it: I had to put my head under the
dirty, grimy ditch water.
Thats always a good story to tell to
get people interested in the profession
being naked except for rubber boots and
boxers and soaking wet in a ditch on a
lovely July afternoon.
Proudly brought to you by Professionals in

Geoscience and Engineering
Albertas Professional Geoscientists and Engineers provide Albertans
with many of the essentials of daily living. The work that they do allows
all of us to enjoy warmth, light, power, water and the ability to travel
and communicate over distance.
Since 1920, Members of APEGGA, The Association of Professional
Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta, have made a
difference in the daily lives of millions of Albertans by bringing science
and innovation to life.
The P.Geol., P.Geoph., P.Eng., and R.P.T. professional designations
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in geoscience and engineering. APEGGA Members can take pride in
the role they play and the contribution they make to Alberta.
APEGGA and its 54,000 Members are committed to public safety
and well-being through the self-regulation of the geoscience and
engineering professions in Alberta.
Visit www.apegga.org for more information.
Professional
Geologists
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WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE
www.apegga.org
F C
Focus congratulates the ALSA on 100 years of public service in establishing and
maintaining boundaries throughout Alberta. Focus is proud to have participated
at all levels of the associations rich history, and our staff of over 40 Alberta Land
Surveyors will continue this tradition forward. Focus would like to extend thanks to
all of our clients, partners, employees and communities for their support that has
allowed us to contribute to the ALSAs 100-year history.
Focus Surveys is a division of Focus Corporation, a multi-disciplinary consulting firm that provides a
range of engineering, geomatics, planning, project management and environmental services. Focus
employs more than 1,400 employees in more than 20 offices throughout Western Canada. Focus is
one of Albertas Top 40 Employers for 2009 and one of Albertas 50 Fastest Growing Companies for
the past three years.

Alberta Boundaries Spring 2009

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Alberta Boundaries Spring 2009

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The Perfect Candidate: Find out what it takes to be a surveyor

GROUNDED IN THE PAST - LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

A tripod is only one

Forget the Bush

Global Exper tise. Local Deliver y.

Edmonton (780) 917-7000

Calgary (403) 716-8000

One Team. Infinite Solutions.

Alberta Land Surveyors Association

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

Meeting the challenges ahead

A view from the ALSA

Venture Publishing Inc.

MESSAGES FROM THE PREMIER AND MINISTER

Jargon buster; Technicians and technologists; ALSA family ties;

Find out the difference between geomatics and land surveying

SURVEYORS STAR SIGN

Forget about Sagittarius the Archer.

A surveyor recalls some of his finer moments from the field

A glance at the first 100 years

Rodrigo Lpez Orozco

Alicia Kuzio, Penny Smith, Stephen Tamayo

EDUCATING THE SURVEYOR

Discover access points to the field with a focus on the

PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

Meet the surveyor of yesteryear

SURVEYING THE PATCH

A day in the life of a team

Contents 2009 by Venture Publishing Inc.

Non-deliverable mail should be directed to the

PROFILING THE PROS

Meet seven Alberta land

On the Cover: From left, Ben Woodland, Bob Wallace

Top photo courtesy of McElhanney

Congratulations to the Alberta Land Surveyors

A trusted partnership through the years

REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I WAS IN A PLANE

flying over Alberta. I couldnt help but

using the latest technologies to measure,

HESE ARE CHALLENGING TIMES FOR ALL PROFESSIONALS

and professional associations in Alberta and elsewhere.

A LBE RTA BOUNDARIES 2 0 0 9

In Alberta, todays land surveyor has to be a bit of a

The paramount aim of the Alberta

Message from the

On behalf of the Government of Alberta, I wish

Message from the

HE ALBERTA LAND SURVEYORS ASSOC-

iation (ALSA) has a strong and proud

continue to face, is that of demographics

target of governmental approvals adds many layers of complexity

REDCLIFF STAKE &

PO Box 914, Medicine Hat, Alberta T1A 7G8

Were here when you need us.

h u g e in ven tor y of qu ality

Offices across Western Canada

First Order Measurement Solutions

1/27/09 2:05:42 PM 000.FirstOrder_1-3S_nBL.indd 1

Meet the Public

ouse buyers need to converse with numerous

Riel Yanks a Chain

technologists should be certied and regulated. In an

The Rich Surveyor

lberta Land Surveyors are a close-knit group.

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