The LINK Magazine - August 2018 by Association of BC Land Surveyors

the

VOLUME 43 | NUMBER 2 | AUGUST 2018

GLOBAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM (GNSS) SERVICE THE MODERNIZED METRO VANCOUVER GNSS SERVICE NOW OFFERS GPS AND GLONASS REAL‑TIME CORRECTION SERVICES BC Land Surveyors using these integrated ACPs will comply with the General Survey Instruction Rules (GSIR), as established by the Association of BC Land Surveyors (ABCLS), for georeferencing or integrating legal surveys within the region.

GNSS service area coverage

(Note: the ability to access the system is subject to the availability of wireless coverage)

ACCURATE • INTEGRATED • ALWAYS ON FOR MORE INFORMATION Metro Vancouver Information Centre: 604-432-6200 (Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm) Email: gnss_subscription@metrovancouver.org

VISIT US ONLINE

For more information related to this regional geospatial infrastructure, please go to www.metrovancouver.org/gnss

Table of Contents

August 2018 EDITORIAL GROUP

Message from the President

Link Magazine is produced by the Office of the Association of British Columbia Land Surveyors for the enjoyment of members, advertisers and subscribers. Link Magazine was established in 1977 as an independent forum for the distribution of informed comments on surveying and for the exchange of ideas among surveyors, students and any interested parties. Opinions expressed by individual writers are not necessarily endorsed by the Editorial Group or by the Association.

Link Magazine is distributed worldwide to all British Columbia Land Surveyors, registered students, authors of record, advertisers and subscribers. It is also exchanged with sister associations across Canada, the United States and Australia.

17 Geomatics UAS Update

Looking Forward to the Next Year

Message from the Chief Administrative Officer Enhancing the Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Governance

Message from the Deputy Surveyor General

22 Continuing Professional Development Committee 23 Provincial Adoption of CGVD2013 24 Biography James Gordon Cameron

29 Accuracy Standards

Returning Lands to the Crown

35 OIP Luncheon

Message from the Board of Examiners

39 New Commissions

Board of Examiners - Spring 2018 Sitting

11 Message from the Secretary Remote Offices

44 Book Review My Short Story - from a Collection of Short Novels by John Steinbeck

15 Letter to the Editor 19 Women in Geomatics 21 Complaint Inquiry Committee Public Member

Contributions to Link Magazine must be submitted no later than March 15th, July 15th and November 15th. Submissions may be in the body of an email, as an email attachment in Microsoft Word format or PDF file, or by USB key. Colour graphics should have a resolution of 300 DPI.

Publication takes place in the months of April, August and December. Link Magazine is not protected by copyright. However, articles reprinted from other newsletters may require permission from the author or the editor. For additional information or submissions, please contact The Association office: 301-2400 Bevan Avenue, Sidney, BCâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; V8L 1W1 Phone: (250) 655-7222 Fax: (250) 655-7223 Email: memberservices@abcls.ca PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 41027533 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN MAIL TO ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA LAND SURVEYORS 301-2400 BEVAN AVENUE, SIDNEY, BC V8L 1W1 E-MAIL: office@abcls.ca

5 Published by The Office of the Association of British Columbia Land Surveyors

Editor Chad Rintoul crintoul@abcls.ca Advertising Lucy Watson memberservices@abcls.ca Design & Production Holy Cow Communication Design Inc.

the LINK | August 2018

Message from the President

Looking Forward to the Next Year By Roger Galibois BCLS, President

t has been a very busy few months since my LINK article in April. We have attended four Association conferences and I have had the pleasure of sitting on the panel at the Spring Professional Assessment Interviews. Congratulations to all the successful candidates. Shortly after our AGM we attended the ACLS 2018 National Surveyors’ Conference held at the Empress Hotel in Victoria in late March. This was a joint conference of the Canadian Hydrographic Association and the Association of Canada Lands Surveyors. Congratulations to newly elected councilor Jim Christie; returning third year councilor Doug Dodge; and Vice President Rob Pinkerton, all BC Land Surveyors in addition to holding their Canada Lands Surveyors commissions. The session included the presentation of new Commissions; the David Thompson Award; the Tim Keopke Award; and an Honorary Life Member Award to retiring Surveyor General of Canada Lands, Peter Sullivan. The David Thompson Award for non-Cadastral Survey Projects was awarded to Chris El-Araj of Underhill & Underhill for his George Massey Tunnel Automated Monitoring Project. Congratulations to Chris for his accomplishment. 2

August 2018 | the LINK

The week’s program was largely dominated by Canadian Hydrographic Conference seminars and presentations. The ACLS held a morning roundtable to discuss the First Nations Land Management Process. The panel included representatives from BC First Nations and the consensus seemed to be that the program has been a success. Our next stop was the Newfoundland AGM in St. John’s. They had a full day of CPD on Friday, followed by their Annual Meeting on Saturday. The general meeting was quite interesting. They have an executive structure the same as ours where an election is held for a Vice President who serves a three-year term as Vice President, to President to Past President. They entered the convention with no candidate for Vice President and 4 candidates for councilor-at-large. In the end there were two nominations from the floor for Vice President. One of the candidates was also a candidate for councilor-at-large and had to withdraw her name from that ballot. In the end she was unsuccessful on both counts. Much of the debate on the floor centered on the creation of their Land Gazette. In Newfoundland, they use a Land Deed Registry. There is no requirement to file a Survey

Plan prepared by a Land Surveyor to accompany a new deed. Plans and sketches can be submitted by the person applying for registration. This is typically a land surveyor or a lawyer. The provincial government seemingly has no appetite to create a Plan Registry or make accompanying survey plans a requirement of registration. As a result, the Association has created their own Plan Registry called the Land Gazette. The requirement to file is being done incrementally over three years from 33% mandatory filing to a maximum of 75% after this AGM. There was a motion to advance the project, however, the motion was defeated, ostensibly because there had not been enough training offered to practitioners in remote parts of Newfoundland. The 2018 Alberta Land Surveyors’ Annual General Meeting was held at the Jasper Park Lodge in mid-April, the week immediately following the Newfoundland meeting. We had four days to travel back from St. John’s, do our laundry and dry cleaning and hop in the car for the trip to Jasper. The CPD portion of the meeting was held on Thursday and offered a wide array of topics offered concurrently. The business session was held over two days with quite a large agenda, much of which was concerned with governance.

The Council elections in Alberta have been known to be contentious and somewhat raucous at times. Prior to this year they elect a President, Vice President, and two new Members each year. The Council puts forward a full slate of names prior to each AGM, however members are free to nominate candidates from the floor of the meeting. A significant motion put forward was to change the procedure for the appointment of the President. As mentioned above, the position of President was subject to an election each year. The proposal was to have the Vice President automatically appointed President each year without any election. This is, of course, the same as our present procedure. There was much debate around this with the main concern being the “erosion of members democratic rights”. The motion passed. Another motion was driven by concerns around the post fee funding model now used to fund member programs. The Alberta post fee is a funding source similar to our ECR fee. The post fee revenue has been declining in recent years due to the downturn in the Alberta economy and the ALSA has been operating in deficit for the last three years. Council was looking for alternate sources that would offer somewhat more stable funding. One model proposed was a product fee, similar to the ACLS Plan Sticker fee. The fees would apply to a variety of products including statute plans, acquisition plans, topo plans, RPRs etc. In the end the motion was referred back to council to strike a committee to bring this motion forward again next year. Another concern driving the debate was that post fees are collected pursuant to a MOU between the ALSA and the

Alberta Government. The MOU was under review by the Alberta Government at the time. Interestingly, the review has been completed and the Government has decided not to renew the MOU. The Association of Saskatchewan Land Surveyors held their AGM in Lloydminster in early June. Lloydminster is a city that straddles the border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The AGM was held at the Lloydminster Agricultural Association (the Fall Fair Grounds) on the Saskatchewan side of Lloydminster. This was primarily because of the statutory requirement that the AGM be held in Saskatchewan. All other events were at the Days Inn in Alberta, as there is apparently no appropriate venue on the Saskatchewan side. The agenda was mainly centered on the SLSA’s recent troubles with respect to the theft of funds by their now terminated Executive Director. Over the last year she had apparently been spending Association funds for personal use. The monies stolen represent a significant portion of the Association’s annual operating budget. During the CPD day there was a fulsome roundtable discussion of the Association’s financial challenges and what the path forward would look like. The first part of the round table was an explanation of some of the processes that the executive had instituted in the weeks following the discovery of the theft to ensure that it does not happen again. The rest of the roundtable and much of the business meeting consisted of discussion and debate as to how the Association could recover and/or replace the missing funds. A President’s forum is held at each of the meetings. This is an opportunity for the delegates from

other organizations to get together and discuss topics of mutual interest. A recurring source of discussion and concern revolves around the evolving role of self-governing professions and the challenges we face meeting our regulatory and public interest obligations. I am sure we are all aware of the fate of the Real Estate Council of B.C. and the Order of Engineers of Quebec (OIQ). The realtors lost their right to selfgovernment due to accusations that they failed to address and adequately discipline members who were engaging in unethical conduct such as shadow flipping, multiple contract reassignments and dual agency sales. The prevailing sentiment was that some realtors were conducting business and offering advice in their own self-interest rather than in the best interests of their clients and ultimately the public. Government is very sensitive to real or perceived improprieties and the outrage expressed by the public, particularly in the hot markets in BC’s major cities prompted them to act decisively. To quote the Premier at the time “the real estate sector has had 10 years to get it right on self-regulation and they haven’t, the point of regulation is to protect people, to protect consumers.” The same is true of the OIQ. The Government of Quebec put them under trusteeship due to accusations of corruption such as bid rigging, connections to organized crime and bribery throughout the industry. The apparent lack of the Order’s willingness to address the situation and impose meaningful discipline on the guilty members resulted in widespread mistrust of the profession and once again prompted government to act.

the LINK | August 2018

The New Brunswick Land Surveyors are facing challenges with respect to a new Land Surveyors Act before the New Brunswick Legislature. There has been some well-articulated opposition from a member of the public to the legislation. The opposition is focused on the lack of a robust and fair discipline process. The protest found a sympathetic ear among members of the legislature. The ANBLS has been meeting with government to discuss the issue and they had managed to receive support from government for the new legislation. The legislation was expected to pass third reading when the government was unfortunately dissolved. It will now enter the legislature as a new bill and will be back to the first reading stage. Meanwhile the Association is working on a more modern and robust set of bylaws to support the new act. While these may be extreme examples, we must be cognizant that we live in a time where self-governing professions are increasingly subject to intense scrutiny by an often cynical public that may have the ear of government. Here in B.C., the government has recently released “Recommendations from the Report on Professional Reliance in Natural Resource Decision Making.” The focus of this report is the professions engaged in natural resource and oversight. They include Professional Associations that oversee qualified professionals, including forest professionals, engineers and geoscientists, agrologists, biologists and technicians. The portion of the report that deals with governance should be of particular interest to all Professional Associations as it contains some very significant recommendations that will undoubtedly be referenced 4

August 2018 | the LINK

in any further reviews. Some of the recommendations that I find notable are, “ Establish an Office of Professional Regulation and Oversight;” “Develop and administer a merits-based process for appointments to professional councils and committees;” “Appoint a public administrator to take over some or all of the duties of a professional organization if necessary, to protect the public interest;” “Specify that up to 50% of council and committee members must be appointed following a merits-based process from the public;”. This is only a small snapshot of the report’s recommendations and I would urge all members to review the summary report. It is available through the B.C. Government “Engage B.C. Portal” or search the title of the report. We need to be cognizant of evolving attitudes towards professions in general and self-regulating professions such as ours in particular. We must understand that these are only recommendations to government and it is not guaranteed that government will act on all or any of them. What we do know is that self-regulating professions are under scrutiny and that these recommendations reflect significant public and government concern. We must ensure that our bylaws and policy put the public interest first and foremost and that we cannot be seen to be acting in self-interest. On that note I will turn the keyboard over to my wife Beatrice for her comments on the year thus far and the early planning underway for the Kelowna meeting in March 2019. ✥

Thank-you to Roger and the Association for allowing me to add some comments from a partner’s perspective to this message. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to visit almost every province in this enormous country and as the partner of a delegate, it is so much fun! My intention is to share some of the more memorable partner experiences with you. The first convention we attended was the ACLS 2018 National Surveyors’ Conference that was held at the newly renovated Empress Hotel in Victoria. This was a joint conference of the Canadian Hydrographic Association and the Association of Canada Lands Surveyors. There were many partners’ events to choose from, as we were a much larger group than usual. My favorites were the Victoria City Sightseeing Tour and a visit to Butchart Gardens. The sightseeing tour was with a retired Victoria Transit driver. As a long-time Victoria resident his tour was knowledgeable, informative and delivered with a great sense of humor. I was surprised how much I learned about a city I thought I knew well. I enjoyed going to Butchart Gardens as this was my first visit there, and it is stunning, even early in the year. The next convention we attended was in St. John’s, Newfoundland. This convention was amazing because the people there are so friendly and fun. It is difficult for me to choose only a few events to write about. But I will narrow it down. My favorite was the tour of the Newfoundland Chocolate Factory, where we all made a delicious chocolate bar. One of the

One foot in Alberta, the other in Saskatchewan in Lloydminster

other events I thoroughly enjoyed was a three-hour lunch on the harbor at Portobello’s. After this lunch we returned to the hotel for a “Sip and Paint” session, only to be told that there was no “Sip” as someone had drunk it the night before. (I think my painting might have been better with a little “Sip!”). The next stop on the tour was Jasper, Alberta, less than a week after Newfoundland. The short time to travel such a distance made me realize how large a country Canada is! There we stayed at the beautiful Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, right on the lake and in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. We had the opportunity to hike down the frozen Maligne Canyon. This was a difficult hike, as this is the deepest canyon in the park dropping to a depth of 50 meters. It was worth the effort to see not only the canyon, but the frozen river as well. I also enjoyed going on the Glacier Skywalk at the Columbia Icefields. This is a glass-floored observation platform that seems to float 280 meters over the

Delegate partners at Maligne Canyon near Jasper

Sunwapta Valley. The views from there were outstanding. Lloydminster, Saskatchewan was our next stop, although we stayed in Lloydminster, Alberta. The border between Saskatchewan and Alberta passes right through “Lloyd” as the locals call it. There we had a tour of the Lower Shannon Farm. This farm grows organic produce year-round in specially designed green houses. The farm is also the home of the “yoga goats”. Participants do yoga while the goats mill about. Who knew?! We had a lovely lunch in downtown Lloyd followed by a moonlight and sage bracelet making session. My absolute favorite place in Lloyd was the Home Hardware Store. From the awesome restaurant where they serve organic produce from the Lower Shannon Farm, to the incredible nursery and the store where you can buy almost anything you can think of, including some things you would never expect to see in a hardware store. If you should ever get to “Lloyd” I recommend you go there.

Butchart Gardens

That ends the partner report of the conventions we have attended so far. It is difficult to believe that we are not even halfway through the conventions, so many more places to see. The second topic I will be writing about is our convention in Kelowna next March. As many of you know, planning for these events starts almost a year in advance. I suspect this convention will be very similar to previous years, with a small change. We would like to introduce some child-friendly events, especially for smaller children. I have noticed over the last number of years that the number of younger surveyors has increased. Many of them bring their partners and young children, but they do not participate in partner events. We would like to change that. We are looking for ideas from the membership for some child-friendly activities. If you have any suggestions for the convention you can e-mail me at bvonsch@shaw.ca. ✥

the LINK | August 2018

Message from the Chief Administrative Officer

Enhancing the Association’s Governance By Chad Rintoul Chief Administrative Officer

hope you are all finding time to enjoy the summer weather! In my household I always find this a great season to charge my batteries, and get reorganized for the busy fall season coming up. In that spirit, I would like to provide you with updates on some Association initiatives we are working on that you should be familiar with or preparing for.

Mandatory Continuing Professional Development The Continuing Professional Development Program requires a minimum of 45 credit hours of Approved Professional Development over a three year period. For those Land Surveyors who were practicing at January 1, 2016 you will have until December 31, 2018 to report 45 credit hours using the ABCLS online CPD Reporting Tool. Bylaws 19.2 and 19.3 address the ‘Requirement to Complete and Report Mandatory Professional Development’ and potential ramifications in the event of ‘Failure to Complete or Report Continuing Professional Development’. The Continuing Professional Development Committee may recommend to the Board circumstances in which a member 6

August 2018 | the LINK

may be excused from completing part or all of the Continuing Professional Development Program. Failure to Complete or Report Continuing Professional Development is outlined as follows in Bylaw 19.3; (a) Except to the extent excused in accordance with Part 19.2(c), and subject to Part 19.3(b), a member who fails to comply with either Part 19.2(a) or Part 19.2(b) will have their right to practice revoked in accordance with Part 15. (b) The Board, may, in its discretion and where special circumstances exist, defer the actions of Part 15 in accordance with Part 19.3(a) for such period of time as the Board deems reasonable. (c) At least 30 days before revoking the right to practice under Part 19.3(a), the Secretary must deliver to the member a notice setting out: (i) the date upon which Part 15 will take effect; (ii) the reason for revoking their right to practice; (iii) the means by which a member may apply to the Board for relief under Part 19.3(b).

I would urge you not to delay your CPD reporting, and ensure your reporting is up to date in advance of year end.

ABCLS Strategic Plan The Governance Task Force has been meeting this summer to advance strategic priority number 3, Enhance the Effectiveness of ABCLS Governance. Participants include Nigel Hemingway - Chair, Al Zacharias, Bronwyn Denton, Dave Koczoka, Jason Whale, Kate Cairns, Brent Taylor, Chris Cryderman, and myself as the staff liaison to the project, and this undertaking is very important. As Roger referenced in his Link article, the Independent Professional Reliance Report to the government of British Columbia has recommended bringing five provincial Associations under the administration of a newly proposed Office of Professional Regulation and Oversight. EGBC, ASTTBC, ABCFP, BCIA, and CAB-BC would be directly affected by this change if implemented. Some of the other recommendations include: ➤➤

Amalgamation of professional organizations where desirable to avoid duplication or achieve economies of scale.

➤➤

Specify that up to 50% of Board and Committee members be appointed following a meritbased process from the public.

➤➤

Ensuring that professional organization duties and objects are focused on regulation of the profession and the public interest, and do not include advocacy or representation of member interests.

➤➤

Appoint a public administrator to take over some or all of the duties of a professional organization if necessary to protect the public interest.

The ABCLS will continue to be progressive regarding its governance and its protection of the public interest, and our current review in light of this report is timely to ensure we continue to take the appropriate steps to retain the confidence of government and the public.

Survey and Plan Rules On July 12th, the ABCLS Board approved Survey and Plan Rules version 1.0 (formerly the GSIR) for circulation to members, and that an implementation date be confirmed following completion of an update to the electronic checklist registry. A discussion on implementation and approval of a rule change policy for future revisions to the Survey and Plan Rules will also be carried out. The new Survey and Plan Rules are expected to be implemented for use during Q4 of this year. Please take some time this summer and review Survey and Plan Rules version 1.0 available on the ABCLS website, and ensure you are ready! ✥

Message from the Deputy Surveyor General

Returning Lands to the Crown By Dave Swaile, BCLS Deputy Surveyor General

eturning areas to the Crown on Land Title Act plans generates a number of questions to the Surveyor General Division and to the Practice Advisory Department. The two most common questions seem to be: 1. When am I required to return a watercourse to the Crown? 2. Do I use section 107(1)(b) or 108(1) of the Land Title Act to return land to the Crown? The answers to both of these questions need to be determined on a case-bycase basis by the land surveyor in consultation with his or her client, and possibly with input from the approving officer or a legal professional. This document seeks to provide some guidelines, from my experience, that might help inform the decision made.

When am I required to return a watercourse to the Crown? I would suggest that the first question to ask is whether the watercourse is currently owned by the Crown or not. This question is well beyond the scope of this document, but the land surveyor needs to closely examine the Crown grant, Dominion Patent or other root of title document; the various survey plans that have dealt with the parcel since; and the effects of

legislation such as sections 55 and 56 of the Land Act and sections 107 and 108 of the Land Title Act. Where a watercourse passing through, or lying adjacent to, a parcel under survey is found to be owned by the Crown, the land surveyor should generally be returning to the Crown any areas that have lawfully eroded, so that the extent of ownership on title matches the extent of ownership at common law (likewise, any areas that have lawfully accreted, or are found to be depicted in error on the prior plan, should be dealt with as appropriate under section 94 of the Land Title Act). Where a land surveyor’s research determines that a watercourse is indeed owned by the Crown but it is not shown as being excluded from the parcel under survey, then the watercourse should be returned to the Crown. Where a watercourse passing through a parcel under survey is found to form part of the parcel, I am not aware of any requirement to automatically return it to the Crown. However, an approving officer might ask that it be returned to the Crown as a condition of subdivision approval. When a watercourse is owned by the upland owner (and there is no requirement to return it to the LINK | August 2018

the Crown), one should proceed cautiously in considering whether to retain ownership of the watercourse for his or her client. There may, for example, be potential liability issues with being the owner of the bed of a watercourse. It would be wise to discuss this carefully with the client and seek legal advice as appropriate.

In all cases, a land surveyor must not rely on s.108(2) to return lands to the Crown of submerged areas; all lands being returned must be shown within the bold outline and labelled “Return to Crown”. For more information on section 108(2) of the Land Title Act and its retroactive effect, the reader may refer to Circular Letter 468.

Do I use section 107(1)(b) or 108(1) of the Land Title Act to return land to the Crown?

Section 107(1) reads as follows:

For many projects that involve a return to Crown area, it may well be perfectly fine to use either section 107(1)(b) or section 108(1), and the land title offices will generally leave it to the professional to determine which is appropriate for a given project. However, there are some situations where one section may be more appropriate than the other. On a subdivision plan, there is no need to state the particular section being used, but a reference plan requires the applicable section to be noted in the “pursuant to” statement. Generally speaking, and in most common cases, a return to Crown of submerged land, where the Crown is the owner of the adjacent submerged land, either s.107 or s.108(1) will be equally acceptable to the land title office. Note that in either case, the approving officer will need to sign the plan (even if it is a reference plan) indicating his or her consent for the return to Crown area. Note also that there are subtle differences between sections 107 and 108 in their impact on third party rights such as subsurface charges. The land surveyor is encouraged to seek legal advice where this may be a consideration.

August 2018 | the LINK

107 (1) The deposit of a subdivision, reference or explanatory plan showing a portion of the land (a) as a highway, park or public square, that is not designated on the plan to be of a private nature, or (b) as covered by water and as lying immediately adjacent to a lake, river, stream or other body of water not within the land covered by the plan, and designated on the plan to be returned to the government,operates (c) as an immediate and conclusive dedication by the owner to the public of that portion of land shown as a highway, park or public square, or to be returned to the government, for the purpose indicated on or to be inferred from the words or markings on the plan, (d) to vest in the Crown in right of the Province, subject to any other enactment, title to the highway, park or public square, or to the portion to be returned to the government, except any of the following that are registered in the name of a person other than the owner: (i) minerals and placer minerals as defined in the Mineral Tenure Act;

(ii) coal; (iii) petroleum as defined in the Petroleum and Natural Gas Act; (iv) gas or gases, and (e) to extinguish the owner’s common law property, if any, in the portion of land referred to in subsection (1) (a) or (b). From reading this section, one can see that s.107 will generally be acceptable any time the lands being returned are submerged and lying immediately adjacent to a watercourse. Section 108(1) reads as follows: 108 (1) Except as provided in section 107 (1), if, on the subdivision of land, a subdivision or reference plan is deposited in the land title office, and a portion of the land subdivided is designated on the plan “Returned to Crown in right of the Province”, the deposit of the plan is deemed to be a transfer in fee simple by the registered owner in favour of the government. Note that there is no mention in the above section about submerged lands, whereas s.107(1)(b) explicitly mentions lands “covered by water”. Thus, s.108(1) will generally need to be used if the lands being returned to the Crown are not submerged (i.e., dry land is being returned). Likewise, s.108(1) does not require the lands to be “lying immediately adjacent” to a watercourse, so it should be used when an entire watercourse (such as an internal lake or creek) is being returned. Further information on returning lands to the Crown may be found in the Land Title Practice Manual and from resources on the LTSA website. ✥

Message from the Board of Examiners

Board of Examiners - Spring 2018 Sitting

he Board of Examiners has decided to include an article in the Link following each exam session. The articles will generally touch on areas where the candidates performed well and where improvements can be made. It may also include comments or trends that examiners are seeing as they adjudicate each exam or project. Candidates submitted a total of 59 written exams and 16 field projects for the spring 2018 sitting. After adjudicating this round of exams and field projects, the examiners had these comments:

➤➤

Poor handwriting has been a theme over the last few rounds of exams but has improved. Legible printing cannot be stressed enough.

➤➤

Candidates need to focus on what the question is asking and not just regurgitate an answer from a previous exam. There may be similarities in questions each sitting but the questions posed may be different.

➤➤

Candidates should be aware of the marks awarded to each question. In some instances there is too much writing for a simple (2-3 mark) question and not enough for a complex (6-8 mark) question.

➤➤

Examiners are looking for an understanding of the subject

material rather than focusing on a key word, which is linked to a specific statute. ➤➤

From a marking perspective, one answer per page simplifies that process. Understandably, we look to be environmentally conscious but hope that the answers are not all squished together.

➤➤

Candidates appear to have a good understanding of the different survey systems and generally have a solid grasp on recent case law pertaining to Land Surveying.

➤➤

Questions relating to the hierarchy of evidence rarely pose problems, however, there could be improvement in the explanations around the evaluation and assessment of evidence.

➤➤

It is important to read the question carefully in order to address the question posed. In some instances, the response will include everything the candidate knows about that subject without providing a clear answer.

➤➤

Candidates whom are not involved in the approvals process due to client arrangement must be able to articulate the approvals process specific to their project file. They must not repeat or restate the approvals process from the municipality website. They need to demonstrate an involvement and

understanding of the approvals as specific to their project. ➤➤

For project 2, Evidence Evaluation and Boundary Resolution, candidates should choose a survey with enough boundary resolution challenge. Replacement of lost corners, set by a recent plan, without any dimensional issues, is not sufficient. Examiners want to see how the candidate handles retracement of boundaries that are not straightforward. There must be some challenging issues to resolve, situations that require consideration of the following problems: significant, principle corners lost or displaced; plans upon which the subject title is based do not close or are illegible; conflicting dimensions between plans within the subject parcel’s history; boundaries compromised due to an earlier retracement survey which missed critical evidence; use of occupation for retracement due to lack of monuments; multiple conflicting evidence representing a corner; boundaries coincident with an original section or district lot boundary, or similar.

It is hoped that these articles provide some help to the candidates as to where the examiners are seeing trends both positively and negatively. ✥

the LINK | August 2018

YOUR

SURVEY SOLUTION MicroSurvey CAD 2018 gives you the features you need to get the job done on budget and on time! Packed with support for AutoCAD® 2018 .dwg files, Esri® Shapefiles, Trimble® JobXML files and powered by the latest IntelliCAD® 8.4, MicroSurvey CAD continues to be the absolute best choice for land surveyors and civil engineers.

What’s New?

Import Trimble® and Spectra Precision® JobXML data files including point coordinates, GPS coordinates, and total station measurements.

MicroSurvey CAD 2018 can import Esri shapefiles and other GIS data formats and the features will be drawn as CAD objects including points polylines and boundary hatches.

The new toggle under the CAD drawing controls tab called 3D point labels causes point labels to be drawn at the same elevation as the point node.

Message from the Secretary

Remote Offices By Kelly Stofer, BCLS Secretary

t the 2015 AGM in Penticton, members repealed Bylaw 10 of the 2014 Bylaws and replaced it with current Bylaw 12. Repealed Bylaw 10 (2014) read as follows:

10.

Branch Offices

(a) No Land Surveyor or group of Land Surveyors may conduct business through a branch office or agency remote from their principal place of business unless that office has the personal attention and supervision of a Land Surveyor to a degree satisfactory to the Board. (b) A branch office may not be advertised or listed in any publication or directory unless there is a qualified Land Surveyor in full attendance in this office. Current Bylaw 12 reads as follows:

12.

Offices

No Land Surveyor or group of Land Surveyors may conduct business from any location unless a Land Surveyor supervises the operations of that location, in accordance with Bylaw 14.2(b) and policy established by the Board.

Both bylaws required locations to be supervised by land surveyors, but based on the rationale in the notice of motion for Bylaw 12, the former bylaw was problematic. The issue was the vague reference regarding supervision “to a degree satisfactory to the Board”. As different Boards may have different views, land surveyors really had nothing to rely on. Land surveyors couldn’t set up branch offices in small communities because they couldn’t predict what the Board would decide from year to year. Further, nothing was written, so neither the Complaint Inquiry Committee nor the Board had sufficient grounds to suggest there was ever inadequate attention or supervision. Thus, in a practical sense, the former bylaw was unenforceable. The current bylaw was partly intended to address these shortcomings. Bylaw 12 references policy that is now published in the Board Policy Manual as number 6.5 – Offices. The policy is comprised of six parts. Part 1, among other things, defines a primary office as “an office or operation where a Practising Land Surveyor is in full time attendance in the ordinary course of operations”. It defines a remote office as “a secondary or part time office or operation where the attendance of a full time, resident practising land surveyor in that

community is not sustainable” – (I will address this further). Parts 2 through 5 generally focus on supervision of an office or operation. It is important to recognize that Policy 6.5 applies to all offices, whether primary or remote, however Part 6 pertains to remote offices. It requires the proponent of a remote office to submit an application document which provides rationale for the office, names the BCLS responsible, and outlines the supervision plan. The policy indicates that the information provided by the proponent will be used during a practice review and that advertising of a remote office is to be in accordance with Bylaw 14.1(d). To be clear, Policy 6.5 DOES NOT put the Board or the Secretary in a position to “decide” or “approve” anything. If the required information is submitted, a remote office MUST be registered by the Secretary. While I like where the Association is at now, from my perspective, it has not been smooth sailing. The definition of remote office has some history. A preliminary version of Policy 6.5 was circulated to members in advance of the 2015 AGM. This version defined remote office as simply “an office or operation without a British Columbia Land Surveyor in full time attendance”. Following the the LINK | August 2018

AGM, this definition was approved by the Board as part of the first reading of Policy 6.5 on May 7, 2015. The draft policy was then circulated to members for comment and returned to the Board for consideration at the June 2015 Board meeting with the same, simple definition for remote office. At this meeting, the Board considered comments provided and took the unusual step of deciding to circulate Policy 6.5 to members for further comment. Then, presumably as a result of this further consultation, the definition of remote office was amended to its current form and approved for second reading at the September 14, 2015 Board meeting. Interpretation of the current definition has been challenging. Some interpret the phrase “ … where the attendance of a full time, resident practising land surveyor in that community is not sustainable” to mean that a remote office would be prohibited in a community that already has a land surveyor. This is understandable. After all, the rationale in the notice of motion for Bylaw 12 was to help provide land surveying services in small communities that may not be able to support a full time land surveyor. On occasion, a member will contact me with concerns over a remote office in their community. The argument goes something like this: My company and (sometimes) other companies are already operating in the community, which means it is in fact “sustainable” for the office or operation to have the attendance of a full time, resident practising land surveyor, and therefore the remote office is offside with respect to Bylaw 12 and the Association needs to do something about it.

But does Policy 6.5 really suggest that the Association should prevent land surveyors from establishing secondary or part time offices in larger communities with other land surveyors? This takes us to the other interpretation of the phrase concerning “sustainability”. The other interpretation is that the question of “sustainability” is not for the Association to determine. It is for the proponent to decide (or to find out by trying) whether or not it is sustainable for him or her to establish a primary office in a community. Following some challenging questions at the 2018 AGM, I referred the interpretation of Policy 6.5 to Association legal counsel. His advice was that sustainability is a business issue, not necessarily a regulatory one, and the ABCLS refusing to permit a remote office on the basis of sustainability or competition might be seen as an unfair or unreasonable restraint on trade. He interprets Bylaw 12 to mean that so long as a location is supervised, the ABCLS should not deny a BCLS the right to operate a remote office. This may be surprising to some members. I certainly wrestled with Policy 6.5, but looking back at the transcript for the 2015 AGM, this interpretation shouldn’t really surprise anyone. A number of members participated in the debate on Bylaw 12. Some argued against the motion based on business competition concerns, which frankly have nothing to do with the Association’s mandate. But others spoke against it based on a preference for having land surveyors in full time attendance in all offices. This is a legitimate preference in my view, although the former Bylaw 10 may have already provided for something other than full time attendance “… to a

degree satisfactory to the Board”. Other members spoke in favour of the motion, pointing out that it is not the business of the Association to dictate the business model that members choose to operate under, and that the Association exists not to promote land surveyors and “make life good for them”, but to act in the public interest and make sure surveys are done competently. One member noted that it is in the public interest for people in British Columbia, wherever they are, to have some options about what land surveyor they are going to use. One member speaking against the motion indicated that Bylaw 12 supported offices not just in Dease Lake, but in communities like Penticton, Trail, Nelson, Courtenay, Terrace, Nanaimo, and Victoria. The point is that the relevant considerations were heard and debated by the assembly, including the possibility of remote offices in all communities, and then the members voted at least 2/3 in favour of Bylaw 12. Bylaw 12 and Board policy 6.5 are about supervision and ensuring that the public knows when they are, or are not dealing with a land surveyor. They provide a framework for the Association to do what it should be doing, which is acting in the public interest by regulating land surveying; and staying away from what it should not be doing, which is interfering with the right of its members to practice land surveying in British Columbia, and to make a living. Measures serving no purpose other than to limit competition may contravene laws intended to “maintain and encourage competition in Canada in order to promote the efficiency and adaptability of the Canadian economy”.

the LINK | August 2018

Toll Free: 1.888.881.8883 Tel: 604.205.6928 dwtech.ca

#103-2323 Boundary Road Vancouver, B.C. V5M 4V8

SurveySite.ca

Significantly, regulation that does not serve the public interest provides legislators with easy justification to relieve a profession of the right to self-regulate.

To summarize, Policy 6.5 does not give the Secretary the authority to “decide” or “approve” a remote office application. The Board discussed legal counsel’s interpretation of Policy 6.5 and acknowledges the right of a

BCLS to operate a remote office in any community upon submitting the required information to the Association. I will be happy to discuss this further and answer any questions at the fall regional group meetings. ✥

Letter to the Editor

In the last issue of The Link, I had an article along with a number of photos from one of Doug Roy’s photo albums. There were two photos that Doug didn’t have any notation on and I wasn’t sure where they were taken as all other photos in the album were taken near Prince George on a job he was working on that summer. Jay Sherwood got back to me and suggested that maybe they were somewhere in the Fraser Canyon. Just a couple of days later, our president, Roger Galibois, also got back to me and said they were taken at the toll booth on the Cariboo Road at Yale and in looking more closely at the photos, I would have to agree. I have driven the Canyon enough to know the topography near Yale and Roger is spot on but when I was originally trying to figure out where they were taken, I was thinking up near Prince George and never considered they would be taken so far south from the project Doug was working on.

Roger also provided some personal history about that area and he said: “During the Yale Treaty surveys I was reminiscing with one of the members who is about my age about the old road and the construction of the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH). I was 6 or 7 years old when the TCH was open and we travelled from Dawson Creek to Vancouver every summer. My memories are of the China Bar, Ferrabee, and Hell’s Gate tunnel construction. I also clearly remember going over the old Alexandria Bridge and the suspended road between Alexandria and Yale. I do not remember the toll house but the gentleman I was talking to clearly did. The TCH was opened in about 1962 so the Cariboo Road and the Toll booth were certainly still there in the 50’s.” Thank you Jay, and special thanks to Roger, for solving that mystery.

By Robert Allen BCLS (Life Member), CLS (Retired), Sechelt, BC

the LINK | August 2018

18.SergeBeaudryFPAd 2018-06-27 7:55 PM Page 1 O DLU MB R OWN.CO M

May I help? Focused on the Long Term It takes a lifetime to build your wealth for your retirement. Let me help you protect it for the long term. Odlum Brown Limited is an independent, full-service investment firm providing disciplined investment advice and objective, value-based research with a singular focus on clients. For over 95 years, we have guided generations of investors in achieving their investment goals.

Patience and Discipline Pays Off The success of the Odlum Brown Model Portfolio illustrates the value of a long-term, disciplined approach to investing.

Contact

Odlum Brown Model Portfolio vs S&P/TSX Total Return Index $7,000,000

Serge Beaudry, MBA, CFA

$6,000,000

Portfolio Manager

$5,000,000

Direct

$4,000,000

250-861-8189

$3,000,000

Toll Free

$2,000,000

1-800-788-5677

Odlum Brown Model Portfolio 15.1%* S&P/TSX Total Return Index 8.6%

$1,000,000 $250,000 $0

sbeaudry@odlumbrown.com odlumbrown.com/sbeaudry

95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Compound Annual Returns (Including reinvested dividends, as of June 15, 2018)1 YTD

1YEAR

3 YEAR

5YEAR

10YEAR

20 YEAR

Odlum Brown Model Portfolio 3

4.6%

10.4%

10.0%

14.9%

10.9%

13.5%

15.1%

S&P/TSX Total Return Index

2.0%

10.8%

6.5%

9.2%

4.0%

6.8%

8.6%

S&P 500 Total Return Index ($CDN) 10.4%

15.6%

15.0%

19.7%

12.5%

6.3%

9.9%

INCEPTION 2

Except for YTD Period. December 15, 1994. The Odlum Brown Model Portfolio is an all-equity portfolio that was established by the Odlum Brown Equity Research Department on December 15, 1994, with a hypothetical investment of $250,000. It showcases how we believe individual security recommendations may be used within the context of a client portfolio. The Model also provides a basis with which to measure the quality of our advice and the effectiveness of our disciplined investment strategy. Trades are made using the closing price on the day a change is announced. Performance figures do not include any allowance for fees. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. *Compound annual returns are from inception December 15, 1994 to June 15, 2018.

Contact me today at 250-861-8189 so that I may help you achieve your investment goals.

Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund

Geomatics UAS Update By Eric Saczuk, Ph.D. Instructor, Geomatics Engineering/GIS, Chair, School of Construction and the Environment Research Committee BCIT British Columbia Institute of Technology

CIT’s Geomatics Engineering department has been increasingly proactive in expanding the capability of its UAS fleet and the application of this technology to a wide range of industry sectors. With the recent acquisition of a DJI Inspire 2 UAV, Parrot Sequoia and MicaSense RedEdge-M multispectral cameras and a FLIR Vue Pro thermal sensor, the Geomatics department continues to provide students with leading edge, hands-on, career-ready training. Dr. Eric Saczuk has developed several online UAS training manuals as part of a province-wide Open Education initiative. These manuals form a core foundational piece of a proposed UAS Hub at BCIT. The UAS Hub will be

an institute-level Centre of Excellence with a mandate to coordinate all UASrelated teaching, research and industry projects across all Departments, Schools and BCIT campuses.

providing UAS training to members of the Haida First Nation, mapping invasive species in Boundary Bay Regional Park and participating in the BCIT Disaster Day training exercise. ✥

It is highly anticipated that Transport Canada will approve BCIT’s Canadawide Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) by July, 2018. This SFOC will allow qualified BCIT UAS pilots to train students, carry out image, video and data acquisition missions and conduct industrysponsored projects day or night, anywhere within Canada. Recent BCIT UAS projects include acquiring base-line data for daylighting Guichon Creek and the construction of the Centre for Ecological Restoration and Climate Adaptation (CERCA) building,

Photo from UAS of CERCA site.

3-D photogrammetric model of CERCA site.

the LINK | August 2018

Vancouver: P: 604.214.9453 F: 604.214.9455 TF: 1.877.252.0070

Calgary: P: 403.252.0070 F: 403.259.3992 TF: 1.877.252.0070

Edmonton: P: 780.486.2111 F: 780.486.2155 TF: 1.877.252.0070

www.spatialtechnologies.ca

The Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fastest GNSS RTK Rover Introducing the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fastest and easiest-to-use GNSS RTK rover, the Leica GS18 T

Now you can measure any point faster and easier without the need to hold the pole vertical. This latest innovation combines GNSS and inertial measurement unit (IMU) being the first true tilt compensation solution that is immune to magnetic disturbances and is calibration-free. The GS18 T works directly out of the box. Save up to 20% over conventional surveying practices due to the fact that no time is wasted by levelling the bubble. Focus on your surroundings and not the bubble to measure points that previously could not be measured. Avoid time consuming auxiliary methods with true tilt compensated surveying. You will stake out more efficiently and conveniently than ever before with increased speed, safety and comfort. Watching the bubble is simply no longer needed.

Captivate field software and Leica Infinity office software, continuing the powerful and immersive Leica Captivate Experience.

Women in Geomatics By Robert Allen BCLS (Life Member), CLS (Retired) Sechelt, BC

s readers of this article know, the British Columbia Land Surveyors Foundation collects and administers funds to help students achieve their goals and dreams through scholarships and bursaries. These scholarships and bursaries are given to students at BCIT, U of C, and UNB. For more information about these scholarships and bursaries, please visit: http://www.abcls.ca/ becoming-a-land-surveyor-in-bc/ scholarships/ This year, the Foundation has decided to focus on a new award for women

entering the profession through BCIT and it will be called Women in Geomatics. The scholarship is planned to start in the Fall of 2018 and will be given to a student going into the second year in the Geomatics program. One of our Trustees, Bronwyn Denton, made the comment that she was “wonderfully supportive of the idea” and the rest of the Trustees agreed unanimously. The first two women to become British Columbia Land Surveyors were Teresa Myrfield, BCLS #773, and Julia MacRory, BCLS #775, both in 1999. Since then we have had 22 other women become British Columbia Land Surveyors making up 24 out

of the last 215 Land Surveyors or 11%. Traditionally, the profession has been male oriented but that trend is changing and the Foundation sees that as a change for the good! One of the recent ABCLS vignettes on YouTube is titled Women in the Land Surveying Profession and it can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=A0PQzvDyLas. We encourage all of our readers to view this video and consider supporting this new award. For further information on the Foundation and to make a financial contribution supporting this cause, please visit: http://www.abcls.ca/aboutabcls/about-foundation/ ✥

the LINK | August 2018

harrington industries ltd.

QUALITY SURVEY MARKERS and MONUMENTATION CELEBRATING OF DEDICATED SERVICE 60 YEARS

& SUPPORT TO THE LAND SURVEYORS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

IF YOU NEED TO MAKE A MARK WE HAVE THE MARKER VIEW OUR PRODUCTS ONLINE www.harringtonindustries.com

Phone : 604-823-0073 Phone 604-702-0071

Toll Free 1- 877- 888- 0071 harringtons604@gmail.com Fax 604-702-0079 7531 Cannor Rd. Chilliwack BC V2R 0B6

Complaint Inquiry Committee Public Member By Gord Griffiths, CPA, CA, A.C.C.

n late 2017, I was appointed by the ABCLS Board of Management as a public member on the Complaint Inquiry Committee. The Committee, and to a lesser extent my appointment, contribute to the concept of objectivity of the ABCLS as a self-regulating professional body. In order to operate in the best interests of the public, there must be the appearance as well as the fact that the public interest is paramount. Off the top, this may sound pretty milquetoast boringly dry, but it is an important aspect/ cornerstone of your profession and livelihood. And in complaints and disciplinary matters, as in government, boring is good (I pirated that thought from a politician). In my short time on the Committee, it appears to me that one of the strengths of the Association is that it is fairly tight knit and supportive of its members. This is a great asset for the profession in BC. However, as recognized by the Board of Management it also means that the Association must be diligent and firm in areas of professional discipline. Lose the appearance of objectivity, and you risk losing the public confidence and the privilege of self-regulation (ok, this may be a cheap shot, but the word ‘realtor’ was in the back of your mind if you’ve managed to read this far). Hence the public position on the Committee. (This is in addition to the public appointee on the Board of Management, and speaks to the efforts to maintain and continue evolution of good governance practices).

Coming from a non-geomatics/land survey background, the learning curve for me has been steep; the massive body of available knowledge daunting. Yet there are some common threads from my background. As a Chartered Accountant/CPA for 30 years, I also am from a self-regulated profession. Often, issues come down to communication breakdown. ➤➤

The accounting client used the financial statements for investment purposes and obviously did not read the ‘Notice-to-Reader’ report which is a crucial element of the engagement. The building contractor used the topographic plan to define where they thought the property line should be and did not read the engagement letter.

➤➤

Professional judgement often trumps in-depth knowledge of technical matters although some pretty straight-forward rules can be overlooked with serious consequences (get those posting plans filed).

➤➤

Frank discussion with the client around objectivity can solve much – and avoid the phenomena of clients ‘opinion-shopping’ between firms, as used to allegedly occur in accounting/auditing.

All in all, if you desire to have a fair but effective and reasonably efficient complaints regime, I have seen nothing that indicates that this is not the case. I see my role as more of an

independent bystander (innocent or otherwise, but of course entirely objective) than to provide direction in the process; however that does not mean that I do not often contribute to the discussion, that my questions (no matter how ridiculous or technicalsurveyor-grade-school level) go unanswered or my opinions are not weighed seriously. As I mentioned previously, I think that one of the strengths of the ABCLS is that it is tight knit. Although a relatively small organization, members are highly engaged, as I witnessed at the AGM in Whistler. I hazard a guess that the CPAs, with approximately 30,000 members in BC, would look on a little jealously (well I do anyways, there’s one). There is also much evidence of high engagement in The Link. The quality and utility of this publication belies the size of the ABCLS. This only bolsters the profession and contributes to quiet time on the disciplinary front. An engaged membership reduces the likelihood of issues/complaints. I self-servingly suggest reviewing the previous issue of The Link, specifically Kelly Stofer’s message on Professional Regulatory Bodies and Professional Associations, and Nigel Hemingway’s article, Complaint Inquiry Committee – It Isn’t All Statutory. The more all members know about these things, the less busy we’ll be on the Committee. Thanks. ✥

the LINK | August 2018

Continuing Professional Development Committee

You Must Be Joking!

overnment surveyors came to Ole’s farm in the fall and asked if they could do some surveying. Ole agreed and Lena even served them a nice meal at noontime. The next spring, the two surveyors stopped by and told Ole, “Because you were so kind to us, we wanted to give you this bad news in person instead of by letter.” Ole replied, “What’s the bad news?” The surveyors stated, “Well, after our work we discovered your farm is not in Iowa, but is actually in South Dakota!” Ole looked at Lena and said,” That’s the best news I have heard in a long time, why I just told Lena this morning, I don’t think I can take another winter in Iowa.” ✥

August 2018 | the LINK

s our Association approaches the end of its first 3 year CPD cycle, the CPD Committee would like to remind the membership of the many accessible and diverse CPD opportunities available. GeoEd (www.GeoEd.ca) is a surveying specific online learning platform that offers dozens of webinars- many for no cost. Some popular webinars include “How to avoid being disciplined or sued”, and “Centimeter accuracy with your smartphone”. GeoEd is working with the CPD committee to offer Dr. Brian Ballantyne’s 2018 AGM presentation on Natural Boundaries -if you missed Dr. Ballantyne’s in-person presentation, then this webinar is highly recommended.

The Getting it Right BC- Boundary Resolution workshop has been popular with members, and the Committee intends to offer it in Prince George and in the Lower Mainland in the Fall of 2018. Don’t forget that participation on Association committees and working groups, and engaging in other professional activities (such as presentations, authoring papers, conducting research related to your professional practice, and participating in the ABCLS mentoring program) are also valid ways to obtain CPD credits. As always, if you have suggestions for a CPD event, contact your Regional Group CPD representative, as listed below:

The Engineers and Geoscientists of BC offer webinars and live seminarsincluding such relevant offerings as “The Builders Lien Act” and “Creating Healthy Conflict in the Workplace”- visit www.egbc.ca for more information.

➤➤

Lower mainland Regional GroupDan Machon

➤➤

Vancouver Island Regional GroupLloyd Eakins

➤➤

Kootenay Regional Group- Milos Hinterberger

Participation at the ABCLS Regional Group meetings is a great way to both achieve CPD hours and keep up to date with current Association initiatives and news.

➤➤

Okanagan Mainline Regional Group- Nigel Hemingway

➤➤

Northern Regional GroupGina Hidber ✥

PROVINCIAL ADOPTION OF CGVD2013

he Province of British Columbia is adopting a new vertical datum / height system on August 31, 2018. The vertical datum (and associated elevations) will now be different and it is critical that this be identified on existing and new business data /plans. The Surveyor General Division will be publishing updated Integrated Survey Area (ISA) listings showing both old and new datum elevations. A circular letter will be distributed providing further information concerning the new ISA listings. Land surveyors and engineers will play a substantial role in mitigating the impact of issues related to the new vertical datum by providing appropriate advice and expertise to their clients and stakeholders. Professionals will be responsible for obtaining information from the appropriate authority (i.e. LTSA, local governments, clients, etc) on the vertical datum to be referenced for all projects that require vertical control. In an effort to remind all local governments of this change, GeoBC will be submitting one final notice that will be posted on the Integrated Cadastral Information Society (ICI Society) newsletter. ✥

REFRESHER NOTES: ➤➤

The Canadian Geodetic Vertical Datum of 2013 (CGVD2013) is realized through the CGG2013 geoid model.

➤➤

Accuracy of GNSS-derived elevations will be improved by comparison to the HTv2.0/ CGVD28 system.

➤➤

Errors related to projects being far from the geodetic monument infrastructure will be reduced by comparison with the HTv2.0/ CGVD28 system.

➤➤

CGVD28 will continue to co-exist during an indeterminate transition period. Both CGVD28 and CGVD2013 elevations will be available to users of the MASCOT website. By default, CGVD2013 elevations will be displayed; there will be a link provided on long forms to access CGVD28 elevations.

➤➤

Shifts between the two datums will vary significantly throughout the province. Magnitudes range from a few centimetres, up to ~50cm.

➤➤

In all cases it will be important to clearly indicate the reference datum on all data, plans and documentation to avoid datum usage errors.

REFERENCE WEBSITES: GeoBC’s Vertical Reference Webpage ➤➤

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/data/geographic-data-services/ georeferencing/vertical-reference-system

NRCan’s Height Modernization Website ➤➤

https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/geomatics/geodetic-referencesystems/9054

NRCan Geoid Models Webpage ➤➤

https://webapp.geod.nrcan.gc.ca/geod/data-donnees/geoid.php?locale=en

LTSA ISA Listings ➤➤

https://ltsa.ca/practice-information/integrated-survey-area-program

the LINK | August 2018

Biography

James Gordon Cameron British Columbia Land Surveyor #489

By Robert Allen BCLS (Life Member), CLS (Retired), Sechelt, BC

ames Gordon “Gordie” Cameron was born in Quesnel on December 20, 1940 to Donald and Gladys Cameron. Sadly, shortly after Gordie was born, his father passed away in World War II. His mother later married Fred Drezet who raised Gordie and his older brother Gus along with two step brothers, Rick and Dan Drezet. Gordie came by his profession through a long line of surveyors/engineers. The information in the following paragraph was provided by my friend and author, Jay Sherwood. Gordie’s grandfather, Angus Johnstone Cameron, was a Civil Engineer with an office in North Vancouver on 16th Street, west of Bewicke Avenue and he was born in Exeter, England, in 1880 and moved to Canada in 1907. He had his engineering firm in North Vancouver until World War I when he enlisted in 1915 and went overseas until 1919. His last two years of service were with the Railway Troops, no doubt using his engineering skills. He received a Military Cross (MC) decoration for bravery. The 1921 census shows him living in Vernon working for an Irrigation District as a Civil Engineer. The last 20 years of his career was with Highways Department (likely in engineering). He is listed on the 1931 British Columbia registered

August 2018 | the LINK

Civil Engineers roll. Angus’, father, Gordie’s great grandfather, was Donald Cameron who is listed in the 1881 census as deputy surveyor for Exeter, England and also in the 1891 and 1901 census as a City Surveyor. He was one of the leading authorities on public health through his sanitation work (practical application of engineering and surveying). Donald is generally credited as the first person to develop and coin the term septic tank, although it was built on previous prototypes. There are several articles about his work on the internet, and he was highly regarded. He and his family moved to Vancouver in 1907 and in the 1911 census Donald is listed as a civil engineer in Vancouver. Gordie’s older brother, Gus, was named after their grandfather. Gordie went to school in Quesnel but decided to take some time off after Grade 10 and tried his hand at logging, construction, and the like. After three or four years, he decided he had better go back to High School and continue his education if he wanted to do better for himself. After High School graduation, he went to UBC for a couple of years but then switched to BCIT where he entered the Surveying Technology Program in September 1966 and from there he never looked back. By this time, Gordie had married Donna Dutz and they made their home in Greater Vancouver. After graduation from BCIT in June 1968, Gordie went to work for the

James Gordon Cameron, BCLS #489.

firm of Underhill and Underhill, Land Surveyors, and on July 3, 1968, he entered into articles with Terry Jones, BCLS #376, and on January 12, 1970, he switched his articles to Jack Parnell, BCLS #394. He was discharged from articles on September 21, 1971 and was commissioned as British Columbia Land Surveyors #489 on May 24, 1972. At one point he went to work for McElhanney Land Surveying and in 1974 opened his own office in Surrey, BC. Gordie, Norm Dedeluk, BCLS #485, and I, amongst others, became British Columbia Land Surveyors the same year and the three of us had known each other from BCIT although I had started a year earlier than them. We remained friends after opening our own individual offices, Gordie in Surrey, Norm in White Rock, and me in Sechelt. We often got together to discuss the latest technology (although I’m not sure that word had even been invented then!). We each had our own ideas on theodolites and those brand new programmable calculators that changed everything we ever learned about surveying. We were all pretty stubborn and none of us could convince the others to switch

from what we thought were the best instruments and calculators. Gordie ran a very successful practice in Surrey until he retired in the Fall of 2005 and moved to Kelowna and Ken Schuurman, BCLS #800, subsequently took over the practice on January 1, 2006. Even though Gordie had retired and Ken had taken over the business, for the next five months Gordie made weekly trips from Kelowna and stayed for two or three days to give Ken a hand where needed. Ken attested that Gordie had a great work ethic, was honest as the day is long, was a fun person to be around, was a great mentor, and always provided the best of advice. A Celebration of Life was held for Gordie on March 17, 2018 and many stories of Gordie’s past were mentioned. There was a large crowd in attendance, made up of family and friends from the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Kelowna, Quesnel, and all places in between. There were also numerous of Gordie’s curling friends and about twenty Land Surveyors and past employees. Gordie

touched a lot of people in a lot of ways and was well thought of. He liked fishing, hunting, camping, and was a great story teller and I can attest to all of those from what he told me over the years we were friends. When Gordie was in High School, he always envied the school’s basketball team going on road trips in the party school bus to places like Prince George, Williams Lake, and beyond and he had to find a way to get on that bus. The girl cheerleaders always went with the teams and so Gordie devised a scheme that he and his buddy, Scottie, should apply to become cheerleaders. If the local College had male cheerleaders, why couldn’t the school? Their argument was accepted and they became cheerleaders but their tenure was short lived as Gordie came up with a comical (to them at least) scheme to mess up the routine and they were soon dumped from the cheerleading squad. His entrepreneurial skills were first honed while going to BCIT. His father had provided him with a truck load of

Gordie Cameron holding onto the tripod BCLS Field Exam – April 1972 Norm Dedeluk acting (up) as the chainman. - Robert Allen photo.

Christmas trees from somewhere north of Quesnel and Gordie and a friend found a vacant lot in greater Vancouver where they could sell them. Sales didn’t go well for the first while because all their trees looked like the typical ‘Charlie Brown’ Christmas tree. But as the other lots sold out their trees, Gordie’s became the only option left and soon they were making bags full of money - and not the small plastic ones that are used today - but the big brown paper ones. They also had a different price structure for each customer. If someone came in driving a Cadillac, they paid $20 and if someone came in driving a beat up old car with a few kids in tow, they paid $5. Gordie was also very involved in curling and he served as president of the Pacific Coast Curling Association in 1991. He went to The Brier as a spectator one year and took a British Columbia flag and whenever the British Columbia team was on the ice, Gordie would run around the rink, shouting: “BC, BC, BC ….” and they claim in Quesnel that Gordie, because of those antics, was the only Quesnel native to ever make it on national television. To Gordie’s credit though, he did score an eight-ender in curling once. That’s much like getting a 29 in a crib hand. Not only was he passionate about curling but he also closely followed the BC Lions, Vancouver Canucks, and the Montreal Canadiens. On his way to one of the Lions games, he met up with his pals at a crosswalk and said: “I just got a field goal”. They, of course, didn’t know what he was talking about until he explained that he got caught speeding and got three points. Gordie had a great sense of humour as was pointed out by numerous speakers who paid tribute to him and he was just as happy playing with the kids as he was with the adults. the LINK | August 2018

One of the things that he thought was funny was to do a cannonball into the hot tub in Prince George at one of the BCLS annual meetings not long before the President’s Ball and not long after a lot of the women in the hot tub had had their hair done at the hair dresser. They might not have seen the humour in Gordie’s antics but he thought it was funny. Gordie played a different trick on one of his friends that bears repeating and that was concerning those wretched little moles that dig up your front lawn and leave piles of dirt behind. This friend had asked Gordie about how to get rid of the moles and Gordie had provided a simple enough solution that worked, or at least it appeared to have worked for a few days, because one morning his friend looked out the window and there were these piles of dirt all over the lawn again. When he went out to inspect the damage the moles had done, there were no mole holes, just piles of dirt. Gordie had gone over after dark with a good supply of dirt and dumped in little piles all over the lawn. Gordie was a big supporter of the Association of British Columbia Land Surveyors and the Lower Mainland BCLS Group. He served on the executive of the Group and also served as its president. He also served on numerous BCLS Committees and he and Donna attended most, if not all, BCLS annual meetings – well maybe he wasn’t invited back after the cannon ball episode (of course he was!). There were a number of Land Surveyors and employees of Gordie who either spoke at the Celebration of Life or sent me some comments about him. Jim Foulkes, a long time employee, said to me ”I am saddened 26

August 2018 | the LINK

to receive notice of the death of Gordie Cameron back in December. Gordie was the Land Surveyor that I articled to back in 1973 and employed me for the next 8 years. He encouraged me and assisted me in so many ways to become a Land Surveyor, and taught me how to be a good one. He employed many rookie Land Surveyors and it was always interesting to see his positive influence on their professional outlook. Gordie was a very practical and honest surveyor with a stellar reputation

“

Gordie’s generosity had a profound impact on the course of my life. He encouraged me to continue my education, he employed me in the summers while I was in school, and he paid my tuition and expenses. amongst the surveying community. I always felt honoured to be trusted with his total confidence in my surveying skills and workmanship. Just thought I could share my loss with you all especially since he had such an effect on our family story”. While Jim finished his articles, for family and other personal reasons, he did not go on to become a BCLS. He and a number of others, including one of my employees, were in the same situation in the early 1980’s but those like Jim turned into excellent field and office personnel and it would have been very difficult to find trained people to replace them. Jim went on to say: “I enjoy reading the bios in The Link, especially as I have been researching a lot of BC history since I retired, and the Land Surveyors

are a major part of it (especially the ACCURATE part of it.)” On behalf of us all, thank you, Jim, for those kind words. Another fellow that Gordie worked with was Colin at McElhanney Land Surveying and he said: “I had the privilege of working with Gordie for years at the McElhanney Surrey Office on 88th Avenue. He was the first Land Surveyor I ever worked for who insisted we keep our trucks clean. I would be honored to attend on Saturday.” Another important aspect of work – keeping the vehicle and equipment clean and in good working order. Another Land Surveyor that worked for Gordie was Allen Titley, BCLS #572, who is now retired and lives in Courtenay, and he spoke most passionately about Gordie. Allen had opened an office in Port Moody about a year earlier when the financial meltdown of the 1980’s had hit and he wasn’t sure how he was going to make ends meet. He says that his mother, of all people, had read an advertisement where a Land Surveyor in Surrey was looking to hire on another Land Surveyor. Allen went for an interview and was hired immediately but when it came time to discuss salary, Gordie said to him that because the real estate market was down, he could only afford to pay a certain amount of money per month. Allen’s reply was “that’s fine” but what he really wanted to say was “Are you kidding? I’ve never seen that much money!”. That’s another side of the person that Gordie was; kind and generous. Allen also noted that Gordie started a retirement savings plan for his employees, something that was unheard of in the Land Surveying business. Allen worked for Gordie from 1980 to 1990 and he said “I still have fond memories of Gordie - employment with him was one of the most

memorable (and financially helpful!) times in my career.” There were numerous other stories told about Gordie, including trying to take a big piece of cork home from Portugal on the airplane. His entrepreneurial spirit was kicking in again. He thought he could cut into corks for wine bottles back home. That idea didn’t fly because the cork didn’t fly. When Gordie was working on Savary Island one summer, he had to have numerous things flown in and out on a regular basis and he insisted that one of his friends do the flying to help him build up his flying hours. There was another story about trying to make an exposed aggregates wall or walkway and the experiment almost failed but they made it work, even if it was almost midnight by the time they finished. One other story (told more than once) was about Gordie rationing and cooking his mother-in-law’s pierogis over an open fire - they came out a little crisp more times than not. One little known fact is that one of Gordie’s article pupils was Julia MacRory. Julia was one of the first two women to get her British Columbia Land Surveyor commission (#775) on November 9, 1999 and the first woman to win the Gold Medal for obtaining the highest marks on her professional exams in 1999. Julia started her articles with Gordie on April 8, 1998 and was released from them on September 13, 1999. She was caught in the provincial economic meltdown of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s and she soon moved to San Jose, California. Julia is now the Survey and Mapping Manager with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, a public agency that provides transportation for Santa Clara County. Julia is also a California Professional Land Surveyor, a

Professional Project Manager, and has a Masters of Science in Transportation Management. Julia is a smart person but I’m sure some of the credit for her advancement must be due to Gordie helping her along the way.

Rapid Transit (BART) to San Jose. This 16-mile long corridor includes a five-mile tunnel and is, by far, the most significant project I’ve ever had the pleasure to work on. I’m enjoying every minute of it and, I owe it all to Gordie.”

In Julia’s own words she said: “Gordie’s generosity had a profound impact on the course of my life. He encouraged me to continue my education, he employed me in the summers while I was in school, and he paid my tuition and expenses. The sum of my degree, my commission as a Land Surveyor, and the work experience he provided, allowed me to take a job with an engineering company in San Jose, California, in 2001 and to continue my career there. Today, I’m the Survey Manager for a transportation agency that’s bringing the Bay Area

Right to the end, Gordie was very busy with family, friends and the community. When he wasn’t spending time with his family and friends, he could be found helping with Rotary, curling or BCLS events. Gordie suffered in his last few years with dementia and he left us too early. He is survived by his wife, Donna Cameron; his only son, Chad Cameron; his two grandchildren, Alex and Ava Cameron; and his brothers, Gus Cameron, Rick Drezet, and Dan Drezet. Gordie, until we meet again … ✥

SURVEY PRACTICE FOR SALE VAN GURP & COMPANY BC and Canada Lands Surveyors 201-1470 St Paul Street, Kelowna, BC Tel: 250-763-5711 Fax: 250-763-9512 Please respond by e-mail or fax to: vangurp @shaw.ca – 250-763-9512 Turnkey operation.

the LINK | August 2018

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE BC LAND SURVEYORS FOUNDATION The two primary objectives of the BC Land Surveyors Foundation are to create and maintain a library that houses historical and current reference material related to the surveying industry in British Columbia and financially assist students who wish to pursue careers in surveying by providing scholarships and bursaries. The Foundation has a number of books for sale - consider purchasing them for members of your staff, local schools, or libraries. They will make a wonderful gift and at the same time, your contributions will help support the Foundation. The following books are available from the ABCLS office: Surveying Central Canada $42.00 (taxes included, shipping extra) Author: Jay Sherwood Surveying Northern British Columbia $30.00 (taxes included, shipping extra) Author: Jay Sherwood Return to Northern British Columbia $42.00 (taxes included, shipping extra) Author: Jay Sherwood Made to Measure $32.00 (taxes included, shipping extra) Author: Katherine Gordon

Furrows in the Sky The Adventures of Gerry Andrews $21.00 (taxes included, shipping extra) Author: Jay Sherwood Surveying Southern British Columbia $42.00 (taxes included, shipping extra) Author: Jay Sherwood Surveying the Great Divide $30.00 (taxes included, shipping extra) Author: Jay Sherwood. Additional information on these books can be found on the Foundation/Books for Sale page of the ABCLS website. The BCLS Foundation Trustees would like to invite all land surveyors to help support these worthy causes through financial contributions. If you are interested and willing to donate, you may contribute by cheque or credit card. You might also like to consider leaving a Legacy Donation through your will to contribute to existing scholarships - or to establish a new scholarship in your name. You can do this by stating in your will that the bequest should be made to: The BC Land Surveyors Foundation, Suite 301-2400 Bevan Avenue, Sidney, BC V8L 1W1. Donations by credit card can be given by calling our Association office: 250-655-7222. All cheques should be made payable to the BC Land Surveyors Foundation and mailed to the Association office. Please provide your name(s) and mailing address so a receipt can be forwarded to you.

Our thanks to you for helping to ensure the future of the land surveying profession.

Accuracy Standards By Peter Goodier, BCLS, Assistant Practice Advisory Manager

The newly proposed Survey and Plan Rules (Rules) will introduce new accuracy standards for surveys. The new standards are as follows:

I-1 Definitions “absolute accuracy” means the horizontal accuracy of coordinates for a point with respect to the datum required by the Surveyor General at a 95% confidence level and is the degree of conformity of a measured or calculated position to its true (actual) position. “relative accuracy” means the horizontal accuracy between any two points on the survey where those points define or control the position of a boundary included as part of the survey and is the degree of conformity of a measured or calculated position of a point relative to other points.

2-1 Relative and Absolute Survey Accuracy Standards (1) The minimum relative accuracy for surveys conducted by a land surveyor, including ties to control monuments and points used for bearing derivations, must be ± 0.02 metres plus 80 parts per million (ppm) at a 95% confidence level. (2) The absolute accuracy of all georeferenced points within the survey must be 0.20 metres or better at a 95% confidence level. The method of deriving the absolute accuracy for the georeferenced points must be rigorous and verifiable. These accuracy standards differ in substantial ways from those in the (old) General Survey Instruction Rules (GSIR). This article discusses some of these differences ahead of the adoption of the new Survey and Plan Rules.

The difference between fractional and parts per million methods for expressing accuracy. The GSIR expressed the maximum limit of error as a fraction, and made the requirement of 1:5000 ± 0.02 metres. The new Rules specify a minimum relative accuracy as ± 0.02 metres plus 80 parts per million (ppm) at a 95% confidence level. Most surveyors will be more familiar with the fractional method of expressing accuracy. However, the parts per million method of expressing accuracy can be readily converted to the fractional method; 1 PPM= 1/1,000,000 80 PPM= 80/1,000,000= 1/ 12,500, or 1 : 12,500. the LINK | August 2018

BCIT Geomacs Part-me Studies Courses: 2018-2019 The BCIT Geomacs department oﬀers a number of part-me studies courses ranging from introductory level through to specialized topics designed to sasfy the Canadian Board of Examiners for Professional Surveyors (CBEPS) exam exempons. Course

Course Name

Format

Weeks

Fall 2018*

Winter 2019*

Spring 2019*

GEOM 2110

Pre-Entry Field Surveying

Mon-Fri

Jul-Aug

GEOM 2120

Pre-Entry Survey Computaons Pre-Entry CAD and Geospaal Soware Applicaons

Mon-Fri

Jul-Aug

Mon-Fri

Jul-Aug

GEOM 7362

Geodec Posioning 1

Online

GEOM 8162

Geodec Posioning 2

Online

Jan-Apr

GEOM 8310

Hydrographic Surveying

Online

Jan-Apr

GEOM 8353

Special Topics in Adjustments

Online

GEOM 8363

GEOM 2130

Sep-Dec

Jan-Apr Jan-Apr

Apr-Jul

Jan-Mar

Apr-Jun

Advanced Topics in Precision Survey

Online

GIST 8118

GIS Remote Sensing

Online

Sep-Nov

SURV 0120

The Night Sky – Astronomy Basics

Tue & Thu

Oct-Nov

SURV 1101

Survey Instrument Operaons: Levels

Sat

SURV 1104

Basic Surveying with Total Staons

Sat

Sep-Oct

SURV 1125

Unmanned Aircra Systems (UAS) Applicaons for Geomacs

Sat

Sep-Nov

SURV 2205

Civil 3D: Introducon

Tue

Sep-Dec

SURV 3363

Mathemacal Cartography

Online

Sep-Dec

SURV 4663

Adjustment of Surveying Measurements

Online

SURV 5108

Fundamentals of Surveying

Sat

Mar-Apr Mar-Apr Apr-Jun Jan-Mar Jan-Apr Sep-Oct

Jan-Feb

Apr-Jun

* Note - dates idenﬁed above are subject to change. Addional Informaon For more details on course updates, fees, prerequisites, and speciﬁc program informaon visit the following websites: BCIT Part-Time Studies: hps://www.bcit.ca/pts/ (search by keyword, e.g. SURV or GEOM). BCIT Classroom locaons: hps://www.bcit.ca/rooms/ BCIT Geomacs Engineering Technology program: hps://www.bcit.ca/study/programs/7530dipma BCIT Geomacs Bachelor of Science program: hps://www.bcit.ca/study/programs/8640bsc CBEPS exempons: hps://www.cbeps-cceag.ca/exempons Advanced Placement Courses – Summer 2019 (July & August) Students with related post-secondary experience can take GEOM 2110, GEOM 2120 and GEOM 2130 during July and August 2019 to enroll directly in the second year of the Diploma starng in September and graduate in May 2020. Registraon To register for these and other courses, please call BCIT Registraon at 604-434-1610 or contact the Geomacs Program Assistant, Dee Morita at geomacs@bcit.ca or 604-451-7001.

Example What is the minimum relative accuracy as prescribed by the new Rules for two points which are 112.531 m apart?

While this approach provides some utility, it has some limitations; ➤➤

Minimum Relative accuracy = 0.02 m +/- 80 PPM

➤➤

= 0.02 m +/- 80 / 1,000,000 X 112.531 m = 0.029 m or 0.03 m. The February 2004 issue of Professional Surveyor Magazine describes the PPM approach, and can be found here: http://archives.profsurv.com/magazine/ article.aspx?i=1196 This article explains that one of the advantages to the PPM method is that it allows individual errors to be considered and applied directly to the survey error, and the article offers a good example as to how this can play out in evaluating the error in a field survey.

Definition of relative accuracy in the proposed Rules In reading the new definition for relative accuracy, and from the previous example, we see that the relative accuracy standard applies to “any two points on the survey where those points define or control the position of a boundary”. This means that any two points on the survey need to meet the accuracy standard. This is a departure from the accuracy standard in the GSIR, which required the maximum limit of error as 1:5000 ± 2 cm. In accordance with this old standard, surveyors would typically conduct a closed traverse, calculate the misclosure ratio, and ensure that this misclosure conformed to the standard.

The allowable error on large traverses can be unrealistically large, and in some cases, this may conceal a blunder. This approach does not ensure that traverse stations or courses between points on a plan are within a desired relative accuracy.

Least Square Adjustments How will you know if your survey meets the relative accuracy requirements? Surveyors who process all their measurements using a least squares adjustment package can review the adjustment report to assure themselves that the relative accuracy standard is being met. Surveyors who do not use a least squares adjustment package are encouraged to do so, because; ➤➤

➤➤

A properly weighted least squares adjustment provides a statistical analysis of the error ellipses of points in the survey, which will ensure compliance with the new survey standards Least squares adjustments allow for blunder identification. Blunder elimination is a requirement under the new Survey and Plan Rule 2-6(2) Least squares adjustments are rigorous and they allow for the utilization of redundant measurements

Dr. Charles Ghilani has written a series of articles on the topic of survey statistics and least squares adjustments in the journal xyHt. His articles are recommended reading. His article

“I Don’t need No Stinkin’ Statistics” is a good place to start for surveyors unfamiliar with this topic, and can be found here; https://www.xyht.com/gnsslocationtech/i-dont-need-no-stinkin-statistics/

95% Confidence levels Our new Survey and Plan Rules specify the 95% confidence level when considering accuracy standards. Dr. Ghilani explains the theoretical basis for the 95% confidence level in his article “Surveying Statistics Part 2: The Normal Distribution”; https://www.xyht.com/surveying/ surveying-statistics/ Surveyors will need to pay special attention to this figure in the following instances: ➤➤

When calculating absolute accuracy for georeferenced points (the GSIR used the term horizontal positional accuracy rather than absolute accuracy)

➤➤

When entering expected errors into a least squares adjustment program

To this end, surveyors need to be aware that; ➤➤

Precise Point Positioning (PPP) reports list errors at the 95% confidence level

➤➤

MASCOT geodetic monument reports will list errors at 1 standard deviation (68%). To achieve the 95% confidence level, apply the multiplier of 1.96 to the expected error

➤➤

Most equipment manufacturers will list EDM accuracy at 95% confidence

the LINK | August 2018

Vancouver: P: 604.214.9453 F: 604.214.9455 TF: 1.877.252.0070

Calgary: P: 403.252.0070 F: 403.259.3992 TF: 1.877.252.0070

Edmonton: P: 780.486.2111 F: 780.486.2155 TF: 1.877.252.0070

www.spatialtechnologies.ca

A fast, agile and precise 3D reality capture solution Introducing the Leica RTC360 3D laser scanner

Fast at 2 million points/second captures scan with HDR Imagery in under 2 minutes… Reduces time in the field and further maximises productivity. Automatically record your moves from station to station to pre-register your scans… Changing the Face of Documentation in the Built Environment. Leica Cyclone FIELD 360 mobile app together with Leica Cyclone REGISTER 360 office providing fast, seamless real time integration of registering scans into your 3D model workflow… Enhanced productivity and workflow with

automated software tools.

FAST

AGILE

PRECISE

Call for a demonstration!

➤➤

Conversely, manufacturers will commonly list GNSS accuracies 1 standard deviation (68%). Often, the Root Mean Square statistical measure is used by manufacturersthis is essentially the 68% confidence level

Final Thoughts ➤➤

➤➤

The best way for surveyors to ensure compliance with the new relative accuracy standards is to regularly utilize a least squares adjustment program Least squares adjustments work best when redundancy is incorporated into the field survey. Of course, redundant measurements also reduce the likelihood of a blunder in your survey which might require a return visit to the site. Ways to introduce redundant field measurements are;

•

Carrying out “cross ties” in conventional traverses

•

Incorporating GNSS and terrestrial measurements in surveys

•

Measuring the distance to the backsight in conventional traverses (and incorporating these distances into the adjustment)

➤➤

It is important that equipment is regularly checked for adjustment, in accordance with our bylaws and Rules. It is unlikely that the relative accuracy standard can be met with equipment out of adjustment.

➤➤

Its is more difficult to achieve the prescribed relative accuracy on short lines than it is on longer lines, because on shorter line measurement the PPM component of the minimum relative accuracy standard approaches zero.

➤➤

Conclusion The accuracy standards in the old GSIR were conceived in an era before the existence of GNSS, electronic data collection, radial survey techniques, and easy-to-use least squares adjustment software packages. The development of these procedures and technologies has made it much easier to collect redundant measurements and then incorporate these measurements into the survey. It follows that the new accuracy standards better reflect the realities of modern surveying. ✥

Donating to the BCLS Foundation ( What I mean is “The PRICE of Donating to the BCLS Foundation” )

The BCLS Foundation financially assists students pursuing a career in Land Surveying. A fun way to raise money is by Table Auctioning during the President’s Dinner at the ABCLS AGM.

Given the previous point, care should be used when measuring short lines with RTK, given that a manufacturer cites that their RTK unit has a horizontal accuracy of 16 mm + 2 ppm (95% confidence level) in normal to favorable conditions.

In addition to getting this awesome t-shirt we also have the benefit of knowing we are Paying it Forward in support of our future colleagues.

Table #17 This year Mark Mason was determined to outbid Joe Johnson. A friendly competition between Joe and Bobbie Johnson’s table and Table #17 ensued. Mark, there is a price for trying to outbid your own business partner and mentor…..

(left to right)

Minda Riley, BCLS #810 Jordan Litke, BCLS #905 Mark Mason, BCLS #929 Nicole Bird, BCLS #928 Spencer Hagen, BCLS #915

the LINK | August 2018

Left to Right: Clare Hobbs, Don Black, Dave Dyck, Ralph Turner and Dick Mak

OIP Luncheon The OIP Group met at the Creekside Grill on Monday, May 7, 2018. This was our second visit to this eating establishment. The weather cooperated and there was a good turn out with 19 surveyors in attendance. For the historical record, those present were Don Black, Chris James, George Fenning, Ron Scobbie, Larry Achtemichuk, John Nash, Bill Chapman, George Robertson, Dai Yates, Neil Bennett, Dick Mak, Ralph Turner, Stan Nickel, Clare Hobbs,

Martin Schulze, Dave Liddle, Dave Dyck, Allen Olsen and Wayne Griffith. There were a few surveyors who wanted to attend the luncheon but missed due to other commitments or late schedule changes. Brian Brown had a late schedule change but sent the group his greetings. Don Watson was away enjoying a spring holiday in Europe. Keith Errington had to cancel as he was having a tree taken down and this required his attention. Mike Thomson, our Surveyor General, was

on a flight returning from Athens, Greece at the time of the luncheon. Rick Clendenning was camping with his two youngest grandsons and George Henderson was a last minute cancellation. At 7:30 am Robert Allen found the 8:40 am Langdale ferry service overloaded and decided to get out of the lineup and return home. I am sure that we will see these gentlemen again along with some of our more senior members like Doug Meredith, Henry Aldridge and Barry Cotton who were unable to attend. The OIP Group wishes these gentlemen well and we hope to see them at a future luncheon.

the LINK | August 2018

Our only order of business was to have a moment of silence to remember George Robertson but since George was sitting across the table from me that idea was scratched. There was a recent obituary notice for a Richard George Robertson BCLS 407 and I confused him for George who is BCLS 544. George had been having some health issues when we last talked and I feared the worst. We had a laugh over this and now George has some ancestry research on his agenda to see if there is a family connection between the two Robertsons. The luncheon passed quickly and there was no time taken for telling jokes and tall tales. Renewing acquaintances and table chatter seemed to be the order of the day (sorry about that Ralph, but there is always the next John Nash (Left rear) and Stan Nickel chatting with Neil Bennett (Back to camera)

THE WORK THAT MAKES OUR CITY WORK The City of Vancouver is looking for BC Land Surveyors who want to make a real difference in their community. Benefits of working for the City: • Competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits packages • Opportunities for career development and professional advancement • A diverse, inclusive, and supportive workplace • Meaningful and interesting projects Apply online – Requisition ID 11357

jobs.vancouver.ca 36

August 2018 | the LINK

luncheon!). Speaking of the next luncheon, it is tentatively scheduled for Monday, September 10, 2018 at the same location, The Creekside Grill. Remember that new members are always welcome and if you would like to join the OIP Group contact Wayne Griffith at wmgriffith@shaw.ca. ✥

Left to right: Wayne Griffith, Ron Scobbie and Don Black with Alan Olsen sitting. Wayne, Ron and Don all worked at Burnett’s in the sixties with Gustav Gnadeberg for whom this photo was posed. Gus was at Burnett’s from 1957 to 73 and spent the latter part of his survey career working in Saudi Arabia and the Philippines. Gus is now retired and has a rice farm in the Philippines to occupy his time.

Ecological Gifts:

Dons écologiques :

Do you own a cottage, farm, woodlot, ranch, or other property, with ecologically sensitive features—such as forests, prairies, wetlands, or shorelines—that remain in their natural state? Would you like to see your land protected from development, for future generations?

Vous êtes propriétaire d’un chalet, d’une ferme, d’une terre à bois, d’un ranch ou d’une autre propriété où se trouvent des milieux écosensibles (p. ex. des forêts, des prairies, des terres humides ou des zones littorales) qui sont encore à leur état naturel? Vous voulez que votre terre soit protégée contre d’éventuels développements afin de laisser un héritage pour les générations futures?

A Legacy for Tomorrow, a Tax Break Today

The Government of Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program enables landowners to donate land or an interest in land, such as a conservation covenant, to qualified recipients: land trusts and other nature conservation organizations that will care for it forever. In addition to peace of mind, donors receive significant income tax benefits.

For more information, visit the Ecological Gifts Program website at www.canada.ca/ecological-gifts or call 1-800-668-6767.

Un héritage pour demain, un allégement fiscal aujourd’hui

Le Programme des dons écologiques du gouvernement du Canada permet aux propriétaires fonciers de faire don d’une terre ou d’un intérêt foncier, comme dans le cadre d’un engagement de conservation, à des bénéficiaires admissibles (p. ex. une fiducie foncière ou tout autre organisme de conservation de la nature) qui en prendront soin pour l’éternité. En plus d’avoir l’esprit tranquille, les donateurs obtiennent d’importants avantages fiscaux.

Pour plus d’information, visitez le site du Programme des dons écologiques à www.canada.ca/dons-ecologiques ou appelez au 1-800-668-6767.

the LINK | August 2018

KEEP YOUR BASES COVERED. Brandt has the complete range of integrated survey solutions to meet all of your open- or closedarchitecture hardware and software needs. Carlson software solutions take land development from concept to completion â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the full cycle of a project. Carlson SurvCE is the first choice in open-architecture data collection software for Sokkia RTK GPS and Sokkia Total Stations with in-field coordinate geometry. SurvCE integrates seamlessly with the iX Series robotic total stations from Sokkia; trimmed down, high-performance units with the efficiency of a single-operator robotic system, the power of long-range reflectorless measurements, and the versatility of a hybrid positioning solution. And you can get it all from Brandt, because when all is said and done, nobody works harder than Brandt to keep you productive and profitable. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Powerful Value. Delivered.

brandt.ca 1-888-227-2638

New Commissions Corey Michael Doherty, BCLS #990 Corey was commissioned on June 1st, 2018 in Kelowna by Roger Galibois. Corey was born in Invermere and grew up in Canal Flats, BC. Growing up in Canal Flats, at the headwaters of the Columbia River, Corey feels that unknowingly, he was influenced by the rich British Columbian Land Surveying history of the Columbia Valley. Obtaining his BCLS was a very proud moment for him. Corey describes his chosen career as the opportunity to face unique challenges that are solved by the combination of history, rules, legislation, legal precedent, technology, professional ethics and collaboration. He thrives on problem solving and critical thinking. Roger Galibois and Corey Doherty

Corey would like to thank Roger Galibois and Geoff Hobbs for sharing their wealth of BC knowledge; Jen Ashton, Alex Gorelik and Christina Muller for their assistance with the towers of study material; and, Rocky Annett, ALS for his mentorship and lasting lessons as his principal when he articled for his ALS commission and beyond. Most importantly, Corey would like to thank his wife Kim and sons Cason and Nolan for their unwavering and continuous commitment and support of his land surveying career. Weekends on Columbia Lake, golfing, fishing and time spent with family and friends are ways Corey enjoys himself when heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not surveying.

Peter Muralt, BCLS # 991 Peter Muralt was commissioned on June 4th, 2018 in Burnaby by Chris Cryderman.

From L-R Mike Thomson, Peter Muralt, Chris Cryderman, Chris El-Araj, Jon Cormier and David Rutherford

Peter was born in Calgary, Alberta and raised in Victoria. He is a graduate of the BCIT Geomatics degree program and chose surveying because he likes math and working outdoors. Peter would like to thank his wife, parents and family for all their encouragement and support. Thanks also to Chris Cryderman, Chris El-Araj and Jon Cormier, and the BC Land Surveyors in his Burnaby office for their consistent help and mentorship. Finally, a thank you to all the senior level staff at the Burnaby office who generously shared their wealth of knowledge and experience. Peter is a new dad, is actively involved in his church and has taken dance lessons for the last nine years. For the last ten years he has pursued becoming a BCLS and he hopes the future will provide great friends, colleagues and experiences.

Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wedding 2016

the LINK | August 2018

New Commissions Rafael Rebolone, BCLS #992 Rafael was commissioned on June 5th, 2018 in Whistler by Brian Brown. Rafael was born in San Salvador, El Salvador; his family immigrated to Canada during the height of the civil unrest. Landing in Alberta in the mid 80’s Rafael soon became a hockey lover and an Oilers fan! He originally started as a Fine Arts major at university, but chose land surveying as a profession because it’s the perfect combination of art, research, math, history, the outdoors and soft skills. Brian Brown, Rafael Rebolone and Seamus Pop.

He is very thankful to his wife for her help and support; professionally he would like to thank Adam Thompson, Seamus Pope and Bert Hol, Jason Walker and all the other mentors and colleagues from McElhanney and Focus (WSP) who have shared their knowledge. Rafael enjoys mountain biking, hiking, travel and art.

Sam Arsenault, BCLS #993 Sam Arsenault was commissioned on June 5th, 2018 in Victoria BC by Kelly Stofer. Sam was born in Charlottetown and grew up in Stratford PEI. His love of the great outdoors and math made land surveying an obvious professional choice. He has both a Diploma in Geomatics Engineering Technology and a degree in Geomatics Engineering. Arsenault-Phillips swearing in. From L-R Glen Quarmby, Rob Riecken, Sam Arsenault, Kelly Stofer, Brody Philips, Brian Wardrop and Mike Taylor.

Sam would like to give a special thanks to Rob Riecken and Glen Quarmby as well as all other colleagues along the way who have been helpful. Also, thanks to Sam’s partner Logan Duguid and family for all their support over the years. When he is not surveying, Sam enjoys camping, fishing and playing sports.

Survey for a transmission line to the Forest Kerr Generation Station, the location is southwest of Bob Quinn Lake.

August 2018 | the LINK

New Commissions Brody Phillips, BCLS #994 Brody was commissioned on June 5th, 2018 in Victoria by Kelly Stofer. Brody was born in Burnaby and grew up in Surrey and Nanaimo. The challenge of learning the art of a technical career, the variety of work and the daily challenge are what cemented surveying as the career he wanted to pursue.

Arsenault-Phillips swearing in. From L-R Glen Quarmby, Rob Riecken, Sam Arsenault, Kelly Stofer, Brody Philips, Brian Wardrop and Mike Taylor.

Brody would like to thank his wife for all of her support as well as Brian Wardrop, Tyson Quocksister and Mike Taylor. Outside of surveying, soccer and running are Brodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hobbies.

Finny Philip, BCLS #995 Finny Philip was commissioned on June 7th, 2018 in Surrey by David Rutherford. Finny was born in India and raised in Surrey. The chance to have a good mix of outside work and office work is why he chose land surveying as a profession.

From L-R David Rutherford, Finny Philip, Shannon Aldridge and Adam Fulkerson

Finny would like to extend his thanks to his parents for their guidance, his wife for all of her support and Adam and Shannon for guiding his career. Outside of surveying, Finny enjoys spending time with his family which includes his 20 month old daughter. He is a huge sports fan and plays basketball, football and hockey.

Tyson Altenhoff, BCLS #998 Tyson Altenhoff was commissioned on July 12th, 2018 in Victoria by Mike Thomson. Tyson was born in Nelson and grew up in Genelle, BC. As a child Tyson spent a fair amount of time staring at atlases and globes and enjoyed math classes. When it was time to choose a career he yearned for something that combined these interests. From L-R Kelly Stofer, Kathryn Hannah, Peter Haas, Mike Thomson, Peter Stringer, Tyson Altenhoff, Cristin Schlossberger, Dave Swaile

Tyson would like to thank Milos Hinterberger, Vincent Boothe, Peter Stringer and all the land surveyors at Vector. Thanks also to the dozen or so other members he cold-called or emailed for random advice and information. This section would not be complete without thanking his wife for her support during his professional journey. Although he no longer lives within close proximity to a hill, he spent a great deal of time snowboarding when he was growing up and works snowboarding into the conversation whenever possible. Tysonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s free time now is devoted to his daughter Aemilia.

the LINK | August 2018

When you go aloft, be sure you’re carrying the right insurance.

Aviation Insurance designed exclusively for Land Surveyors Surveyors’Plan provides coverage customized for drones, hull and aviation liability, nonowned aircraft liability and digital cameras used for surveying. Surveyors’Plan, part of Arthur J. Gallagher Canada Limited, provides cost effective insurance products designed exclusively for PSC members.

For information about Surveyors’Plan aviation and other programs contact: Mark Sampson BBA, FCIP Senior Vice President, Commercial Insurance 800.267.6670 ext. 2631 mark_sampson@ajg.com

Professional Liability • Insurance Protection for Retirement U AV I n s u r a n c e • B u s i n e s s C o v e r a g e

New Commissions Justin Petras, BCLS #996 Justin Petras was commissioned on June 19th, 2018 in Nanaimo by David Swaile. Justin was born in Dawson Creek and grew up in Terrace, BC.

From L-R Dave Bazett, Justin Petras and David Swaile.

Justin holds both a Bachelor of Technology in Geomatics and a Diploma of Geomatics Engineering Technology from BCIT. He chose land surveying as a profession because he enjoys the combination of new technology and historic survey records and the opportunity and challenges of working in both the field and the office. His favourite part of land surveying is researching old field notes and then retracing the original surveys in remote coastal locations. Justin would like to thank Dave Bazett, Sandy Grant, Dave Swaile, Harry Pfrimmer and Ian Zaharko for their guidance, great stories and always answering his questions both past and future. Thanks also to his friends and family for their support and encouragement. You will no longer need to ask him if he has his ticket! Mountain biking, snowboarding, volleyball and travelling are all ways Justin likes to spend his time off. When he was growing up in Terrace he spent 3 years playing soccer on a team sponsored by Don Highe called “The Surveyors”.

Wade Roulette, BCLS #997 Wade Roulette was commissioned on June 25th, 2018 in Cranbrook by Roger Galibois. Wade grew up in Stave Falls and Vancouver. He has wanted to survey since childhood as it matches well with his adventurous nature, love of the outdoors and problem solving.

L-R Roger Galibois, Wade Roulette and Garrett Winkel

Wade would like to thank Garrett Winkel for giving him such a great opportunity to learn and succeed under his mentorship. He also thanks his girlfriend Kristine for supporting him every step of the way, and their daughter Skye for reminding him every day about what’s really important in life. Fly fishing, golfing, biking and hiking in the mountains with his family are all the ways Wade enjoys his spare time.

Wade at the north end of Premier Lake in the East Kootenay’s posting part of District Lot 271 the LINK | August 2018

Book Review My Short Story - from a Collection of Short Novels by John Steinbeck By Robert Allen BCLS (Life Member), CLS (Retired), Sechelt, BC

lot of the books I seem to read are about Land Surveying or have some historical connection to Land Surveying or deal with non-fiction adventure, particularly around British Columbia. Once in a while, though, I read something different and in those cases it is usually fiction. In mid-May, I met an acquaintance, Jimmy, who told me he had just finished reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. He had also read Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, which I remember was required reading for our Surveying class at BCIT many years ago. A few years ago I had read another book by Steinbeck called Travels With Charlie, so Jimmy and I talked a bit about Steinbeck. And then I thought I should look for Of Mice and Men, given Jimmy’s recommendation that it was a good read. I was ready for a new book and in my collection of unread books at home I found a hard-covered book called The Short Novels of John Steinbeck. There were six short stories including Of Mice and Men so I read it first (80 pages). Then I went on to read The Red Pony (60 pages), The Moon is Down (90 pages) and now I am reading Tortilla Flat (145

August 2018 | the LINK

pages). The other stories left to read are: Cannery Row (130 pages) and The Pearl (60 pages). According to Wikipedia, Tortilla Flat was written in 1935 and was Steinbeck’s “first clear, critical and commercial success”. It takes place shortly after World War I, and describes a group of friends who find themselves jobless but manage to eke out a small living to purchase enough wine for the day, enjoy life and for the most part, each other’s company. The main character is Danny, who inherits two houses from his late grandfather in the Tortilla Flat area of Monterey, California. Danny lets one friend stay in one of the houses while Danny takes over the other one. In short order, there are four friends and five dogs staying in the other house but it catches on fire and burns to the ground. What can Danny do but invite them all to stay in his own house? The characters seem to survive on each other’s money, what very little there is, and it seems they use it to purchase wine. Meals seem to be secondary to them as they often wait “for the daily miracle of food”. One late November, when Saint Andrew’s Eve arrived, one of the friends gets the idea that he and one of the

other friends should go out and look for treasure buried in the forest years ago by various pirates, as it is only on Saint Andrew’s Eve that all buried treasure supposedly sends up a phosphorescent glow through the ground. Sneaking away from their friends without alarming the five dogs is a challenge but they manage to do it. After wandering aimlessly through the forest in the dark for many hours, they finally spot a “soft pillar of blue light”. They then spend the rest of the night guarding the location and discreetly mark it at daylight so they can return after dark that next night to dig up their treasure uninterrupted. Out they go the next night and in the dark it takes them a while to find their secret location. Then they start digging a large circle around the spot because

“Members of ASTTBC play a vital role in senior management in our firm. They are ‘hands-on’ people responsible for managing staff and projects. The AScT or CTech designation is important to our firm and one that we look for when conducting interviews for new hires.”

they thought if the treasure was buried in sacks, the sacks would have rotted and they didn’t want to miss any of it. They dug all night and just before daylight, the “shovel struck something hard”. “The find was large and square” but it was still too dark to see what they had found. One of the two felt some metal and leaned further into the hole and found the metal was set in “a good-sized square concrete”. At that point he was just able to make out the words on it and it said: UNITED STATES GEODETIC SURVEY + 1915 + ELEVATION 600 FEET At this point, and to their extreme disappointment, they realized that

ASTTBC

and survey technology, and regulates standards of practice in

accordance with a Code of Ethics. Certification as an Applied Science Technologist (AScT) or Certified Technician (CTech) is granted to individuals who meet stringent national standards, are job ready with education and experience. We encourage all BC Land Surveyors to actively support the technologists and technicians on your team, to achieve certification.

…adding value to the Surveying Team For more information…

ASTTBC

FOCUS INTEC

STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE

It appears that back then, even more so than now, removal of those bench marks was a very serious matter. Two thousand dollars would have been a lot of money in the early 1920’s! So, where does that leave me? I can’t even read a fictional story without a surveying connection. All of Steinbeck’s stories are a good read and if you want to read some good human interest stories about fictional life around one hundred years ago, don’t hesitate to read any of his works. ✥

certifies technologists and technicians with expertise in geomatics

R.D. WRIGHT, BCLS, CLS

AScT CTech

there was no treasure. But one of them suggested that maybe they could take the good piece of metal and sell it. The other looked at his partner and said “Johnny Pom-pom found one … (and) took the metal piece and tried to sell it. It is a year in jail and two thousand dollars’ fine.”

10767 – 148th Street Surrey, BC CANADA V3R 0S4 TEL: (604) 585-2788 FAX: (604) 585-2790 EM: techinfo@asttbc.org

T H E A S S O C I AT I O N

FOR

T E C H N O LO G Y P RO F E S S I O N A L S

www.asttbc.org IN

BRITISH COLUMBIA

the LINK | August 2018

RULE THE AIR. INTRODUCING THE TOPCON FALCON 8.

Achieve total air superiority with the versatile Falcon 8 from Topcon; an exciting new rotarywing UAS designed for survey and mapping or inspection and monitoring applications. The VTOL Falcon 8 excels where take-off and landing flexibility or an oblique perspective is required, allowing you to maneuver within the tight confines often encountered on the jobsite. With its best-in-class sensors, active vibration damping and actively compensating video- or still-camera mount, the Falcon 8 is the perfect airborne solution for your high-resolution imaging projects. Look to the industry-leaders at Brandt for the successful integration of new technologies like the Falcon 8, because when all is said and done, nobody works harder than Brandt to keep you productive and profitable. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Powerful Value. Delivered.

brandt.ca 1-888-227-2638