agm reports 2012

AGM REPORTS 2012

May 12th, 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF ................................................................................ 1

TWENTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ..................................................... 2

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/REGISTRAR’S REPORT ...................................................... 12

ASSOCIATION OF CANADA LANDS SURVEYORS FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ........ 15

BOARD OF EXAMINERS.............................................................................................. 29

ABORIGINAL LIAISON COMMITTEE ........................................................................... 31

BYLAWS AND LEGISLATION COMMITTEE ................................................................ 33

COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE ......................................................................................... 35

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE ................................. 36

PUBLIC AWARENESS COMMITTEE ........................................................................... 38

OFFSHORE ISSUES COMMITTEE .............................................................................. 40

PRACTICE REVIEW REPORT ..................................................................................... 41

STANDARDS OF PRACTICE COMMITTEE ................................................................. 43

NORTH OF 60° REGIONAL GROUP ............................................................................ 45

YUKON REGIONAL GROUP ........................................................................................ 46

THE NEW ACLS PLAN REVIEW CHECKLIST SYSTEM (MYCLSS) ............................ 48

MANDATORY CPD AND TRACKING SYSTEM ............................................................ 48

Annual Meeting Report 2012

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ASSOCIATION OF CANADA LANDS SURVEYORS

COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF

Council Members

• President: Richard H. Beaumont, ALS (Ret.), CLS, Edmonton, Alberta

• Vice President: Ivan Royan, Queensland Land Surveyor, BCLS, CLS, Kamloops,

British Columbia

• Past President: J. Jeffrey Fee, CLS, NLS, OLS, Toronto, Ontario

• Third Year Councilor: Estelle Moisan, a.-g., CLS, Québec City, Québec

• Second Year Councilor: Bruce Hewlko, CLS, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

• First Year Councilor: Gord Stark, CLS, MLS, Starbuck, Manitoba

• Councilor appointed by the Minister: Geoffrey D. Connolly LLB, EIT, Cornwall, Prince

Edward Island

• Councilor appointed by the Minister: Zakary Hargrove, P. Eng., Clearview, New

Brunswick

• Surveyor General: Peter Sullivan, ALS, CLS, MBA, Edmonton, Alberta

Staff Members

• Jean-Claude Tétreault: Executive Director/Registrar/Secretary Treasurer

• Kevin Jones: Assistant to the Executive Director

• Teri McKay: Administrative Assistant

• Martha Reeve: Communications and Membership Services Administrator


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Twenty-Seventh Annual General Meeting

Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife, June 24th, 2011

MINUTES Note: This is a summary of the presentations and discussions that took place during the 27th Annual General Meeting. Copies of the audio recording are available to the ACLS members.

1. Call to order Call to order by Jeff Fee, ACLS President and appointment of Patrick Ringwood as Parliamentarian.

2. Introductions Jeff Fee introduced the Council members: Past President, George Schlagintweit, British Columbia; Vice President, Rick Beaumont, Alberta; 3rd Year Councillor, Ivan Royan, British Columbia; 2nd Year Councillor, Estelle Moisan, Québec; 1st Year Councillor, Bruce Hewlko, Northwest Territories; Public Councillor, Paul Scott, Alberta and Zakary Hargrove, New Brunswick; Surveyor General, Peter Sullivan, Alberta and President, Jeff Fee, Ontario. The President also introduced ACLS staff: Jean-Claude Tétreault, Executive-Director, Registrar, Secretary-Treasurer, Kevin Jones, Assistant to the Executive Director and Board of Examiners Administrator, Martha Reeve, Administrative Assistant, and Jim Gunn, Practice Review Manager. The President also introduced guests from other associations:

• Peter Mueller, President, Association of British Columbia Land Surveyors • David Thomson, President, Alberta Land Surveyors Association • Gord Lund, President, Association of Manitoba Land Surveyors • David Brubacher, President, Association of Ontario Land Surveyors • Jacques Grondin, President, Association of New Brunswick Land Surveyors • Norm Coté, Chair, Professional Surveyors Canada • George McFarlane, President, Canadian Hydrographic Association (CHA) • Peter Burns, Representing, Canadian Institute of Geomatics (CIG)

3. Recognition and tribute to members who have passed away • Bernard Rachansky, Commission Number 871 from Crossfield, Alberta. Passed away on

May 5th, 2011. • Rick Surette, Commission Number 1192 from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Passed away on

June 15th, 2010.

Observed a moment of silence

4. Approval of Agenda

MOTION AGM 11-01: MOVED by B. Fleece, SECONDED by J. Gunn that the Agenda of the 27th Annual General Meeting be approved. ........................................................................... CARRIED


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5. Approval of Minutes of the 26th Annual General Meeting (2010) The 2010 AGM Minutes have been distributed. J.C. Tétreault provided an oral summary. MOTION AGM 11-02: MOVED by J. Christie, SECONDED by L. Taylor, that the minutes of the 26th Annual General Meeting be approved. ................................................................... CARRIED

6. President’s Annual Report Presented by Jeff Fee:

ACLS Council This has been a very busy year for the ACLS and my term as President seems to have flown by. Last year in St. Johns I indicated that my job would be to help keep our major projects moving forward in 2010-2011. Well I think that we have done that and I am pleased to report on some of our successes. The Plan Review and Checklist initiative – a cooperative project between the ACLS and the SGB. This has been an ambitious initiative, requiring the development of two websites running parallel. There are many benefits to be realized through this project:

• Streamlining the CLS plan examination and approval process. • Shifting control for our members work to our association. • Providing a great tool for quality control to our members to help with their projects. • Providing an improved MyCLSS website for research, instructions, etc. • Providing a better product to our clients.

This project has now been launched and will soon be an integral part of our CLS workflow. Many contributed from both the ACLS and the SGB, but we would like to specifically recognize J.C., Martin Gingras and Brent Taylor for their efforts to bring this to fruition. The On-line On-demand Labour Mobility exam – this project has also been completed over the last year. Along with our sister associations we were obligated, by government, to design this new exam for qualifying licensed professionals from other jurisdictions. J.C. was able to secure funding for the development of the exam and the online delivery system. J.C. and the Board of Examiners did a lot of work to make this happened. We now have a streamlined process for qualifying new CLS’s. We are confident that many will take advantage of the new and improved process and our membership will increase as a result. Well done J.C.! Continuing Education and Distance Learning Our members have now approved a program of Mandatory CPD. J.C., will present our new web based tracking tool later. But this means that the ACLS must deliver regular and quality professional development to our members. Bruce Gudim, J.C., and our CPD committee continue to work on ways to provide this content.


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The new GeoEd portal is being developed for our website – we now have videos available and are working on pilot courses for the web. All of the seminars at this conference were also taped so that all of our members, even those who didn’t attend, will be able to benefit. J.C. will also demo this application later. One of our goals on Council was to improve the long term planning for AGM’s We struck a committee to do this – looking at locations and venues. J.C. was able to negotiate a contract with Fairmount hotels. We have now confirmed venues through to 2015 in hotels like to Algonquin in St Andrews NB and the Crown Plaza in Niagara Falls. We also had member feedback emphasizing the importance of Seminars and Workshops at the AGM. So we have worked hard with our local organizing committee to bring you a strong program. I hope that we have accomplished that here in Yellowknife. We were particularly pleased with the launch of the first CLS Getting it Right seminar. We intend to build on this series in coming conferences. Our thanks to the ABCLS and ALSA and again to Brent Taylor for getting this seminar off the ground. Personally it has been a pleasure being on the ACLS Council. I can assure you that the ACLS is a well-run organization with J.C., at the helm. He makes our job easy – doing so much of the legwork and allowing us to focus on policy and decision making instead of being bogged down in detail. Thank you to J.C., Kevin and Martha. We tend to share the traveling with all members of ACLS Council. My wife and I were pleased to represent the ACLS at the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors (AOLS) AGM in London and the Association of Nova Scotia Land Surveyors (ANSLS) AGM in Truro Nova Scotia. I would like to thank the other members of Council for representing the ACLS at other association meetings over the past year. Your new president Rick Beaumont will serve you well. Over the past few months I have realized that Rick is the one always ready to step up to the plate. So I wish him well. Finally, thank you for allowing me to serve as your president for the last year. It’s been my pleasure!

7. Executive Director’s/Registrar’s Report Jean-Claude Tétreault presented a summary of his report which was included in the AGM report made available to attendees.

8. Treasurer’s Annual Report (including Auditor’s Report) Jean-Claude Tétreault presented financial reports for 2010. Those were made available to the attendees. MOTION AGM 11-03: MOVED by, P. Ringwood and SECONDED by A. Cole that the 2010 financial reports be accepted ......................................................................................... CARRIED


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MOTION AGM 11-04: MOVED by, D. Urso and SECONDED by J. Christie, that Auditor: Phomin Leslie remains as ACLS Auditor for the year 2011. ........................................................ CARRIED

9. Board of Examiners Report J.C. Tétreault presented a summary of the report which is included in the attendee’s handouts. There is a new member to the board; Bronwyn Denton. Chairman Tim Koepke will end his mandate at the end of the year.

• Board of Examiners now have a New Property Rights Book called “Surveys, Parcels and Tenure on Canada Lands”. This book will be located on our website and be available free of charge to candidates. Available in both languages.

• Candidate material needs to be updated, that is why Council has decided to go ahead with distance learning courses.

• On-line and on-demand exams will be web based. There will be a 4 hour Professional exam and a 3 hour Hydrographic exam. It will have 315 questions for the Professional exam and 150 questions for Hydrography exam.

• Marking is also done online. • CBEPS is interested in using the on-line Hydrographic exam.

10. Committee and Regional Group Reports Representatives of each committee were asked to provide a brief overview of their activities with questions welcomed following all of the reports that were included in the handouts:

• Aboriginal Liaison - Marie Robidoux (Rick Beaumont filled in) • Bylaws - Jean-Claude Tétreault • Complaints - Bruce Hewlko • CPD, Bruce Gudim and Jeff Fee • Public Awareness - Akbar Karsan (Jean-Claude Tétreault filled in)

J.C., talked about the APTN commercials, as well as the Surveyor in a Crate; which will be circulated in schools.

- Presented a Surveyor in a Crate to Rachel Simmons; who works at the William McDonald School for the students to work through.

- Winners of the Geo contest: 1st place James Healey for longest distance and most caches, 2nd was Kalman Czotter; the prize was free airfare to this AGM, unfortunately neither could attend.

• Offshore Issues – George Schlagintweit • Practice Review - Doug Dodge • Standards of Practice – Ivan Royan • ACLS Foundation- Patrick Ringwood, he announced the scholarship winners: Francis

Guindon from Laval University, Thomas Dubois-Demers from Ahuntsic College and Tammy Shultis from the College of Geographic Sciences. Patrick also announced that the Auction that took place, earned $2,486.00

• Plan Review Checklist Advisory Committee - Anne Cole • North of 60 Regional Group – Andrew Brebner • Yukon Regional Group – Katie Monroe

11. Surveyor General’s Report Peter Sullivan presented his report. See separate document.


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12. Update on Practice Review Program Presentation given by Jim Gunn

• Report was made available to all members. • Presented a graph of active and non-active members. • Spoke about the Practice Review questionnaire and the members responses. • Spoke about what’s new for 2011; more communication through e-mail. • Plans to be auditing the checklists once it becomes in full use and check it for compliance. • Field checks in general could have shown more detail in the plans; boundaries not

brushed out, fences not shown, bars not put into the ground.

13. Amendments to the ACLS Practice Manual Presented by Jim Gunn.

• An addition has been inserted; an appendix on Quality Management Processes. • Removed part 7 GIT. • In housekeeping took out Section 4.14 that has become redundant over the years.

14. Professional Surveyors Canada (PSC) Report Norm Coté presented the PSW report. He spoke about:

• Labour mobility, and public awareness. • Explained the PSC Logo and what it means to the surveying profession. • Priorities: advocacy, branding, build a community of surveyors with one unified voice and

ongoing professional advancement.

15. Update on the Continuing Professional Development Program PowerPoint presentation by Jean-Claude Tétreault

• Mandatory CPD program started January 1st, 2011. It is for all licence members. First report is due in 2012 at renewal. Licenced members are required to have 45 MCPD hours over the course of 3 years. For courses and seminars, 1 hour of activity equals 1 MCPD credit hour, participation on committees or task forces 2 hours equals 1 MCPD credit hour, and other professional activities 2 hours equal 1 MCPD credit. If a licence member cannot complete the required MCPD hours, the member may apply to the registrar for an exemption.

• The MCPD tracking system will be accessible through the ACLS website. • GeoEd portal has been set up to provide online distance education. Available to our

membership and other sister associations’.

16. Update on the MyCLSS Project Presented by Jean-Claude Tétreault and Martin Gingras

• Began in the summer of 2009, in 2010 the system was completed, had to do a few modifications. In March 2011 it was up and running.

• Held two Webinars, in both French and English to explain the process. • Drafted a user manual and created some PowerPoint presentations. • Webinars are on You Tube. • The MyCLSS project was created to eliminate duplication and reduce time lines • Martin Gingras presented some statistics; spoke about survey instructions and plan

review, and what is the plan for next year. • If Bylaw amendment passes, members have to submit their final plan starting on August

1, 2011.


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• What’s next: get the tools to maintain this application ourselves, SGB has a module to do this, ACLS has to acquire one. Work with the land registries to try to improve different processes, add a few more checklists to the system, and provide training and support on MyCLSS.

• The objective is to eventually get to a fully digital environment.

17. Amendments to the ACLS General Bylaws (mandatory checklist for survey documents) J.C. Tétreault presented a PowerPoint presentation showing proposed Amendments to sections 11.1 a & b

• The checklist is not available for all survey documents but there is a list in the ACLS-SGB MOU that do not have a checklist.

• The system will be up to date with the Survey documents and the MOU. • Note a) monument fee not only applies for surveys for Canada lands, but for all surveys

done under the instructions from the Surveyor General as well. • Note b) amended to have the flexibility to add new survey documents without having to

change the bylaw. • A list of survey documents that are not subject to the checklist are also posted on the

ACLS website. • Section 12.a. and b. - proposing that the Monument fee of $8.00 remains the same and

raising the Plan fee to $75.00 after July 1, 2011. This is to help with the cost that goes with maintaining the system.

• If the amendments are approved by the membership, all projects on August 1st or later will be subject to the new fee. Before August 1st there is a choice to use the hard copy of the plan and monument fee form or MyCLSS.

18. Strategic Plan Jean-Claude Tétreault presented a summary of the Strategic Plan. He presented the ACLS Strategic priorities which consist of the following:

• Labour mobility - On-line and on-demand exam system • New study material - New property rights book and providing distance learning on GeoEd • Promotion of the National Surveyors Conference - Ongoing • Mandatory CPD - Tool to help members track their CPD as well as staff. • Public awareness - Spent the $100,000 on the video, which is complete, the APTN

commercials that aired for two years in a row. Now we have the Surveyor in a crate. Looking into ways to help with PSC.

• Distance learning – JC Tétreault presented a PowerPoint on the features of GeoEd and a demonstration of a distance learning course.

• Building a case to support economic development on First Nation Reserves - Put together a PowerPoint presentation

• Modernization of the CLS process - MyCLSS is in place • Marine Cadastre communications plan - Received an excellent report on how to do this (2

years ago), have not found any funds to go ahead with this. There is an opportunity in France for J.C. and Jean Gagnon to talk about marine cadastre with French authorities.

• Hydrographer certification - Received a letter of support, looking for more support from other associations.


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19. Nominating Committee’s Report and Election of Officers Jean-Claude Tétreault presented the committee’s report and election results for the 2011-2012 Council. The following names were submitted:

• For President: Rick Beaumont, elected by acclamation. • For Vice President: Ivan Royan, elected by acclamation. • For Councillor: Gord Stark, elected by majority membership vote.

20. Swearing in of New President Rick Beaumont was sworn in as the new ACLS President.

21. Appointment of Past President Jeff Fee was appointed as Past-President for the year 2010-2011. He was presented with a gift for his service as president.

22. Presentation to the Outgoing Councillor George Schlagintweit stepped down as Past President. Rick Beaumont expressed Councils appreciation for his contributions as a Council member. He was presented with a certificate.

23. Introduction of New Councillors by New President • Ivan Royan – Vice president • Estelle Moisan – Elected Councillor • Bruce Hewlko – Elected Councillor • Gord Stark - Newly Elected Councillor • Zakary Hargrove – Lay Councillor • Paul J. Scott - Lay Councillor • Peter Sullivan - Surveyor General • Jeff Fee - Past President and • Richard Beaumont - President

24. Remarks by New President Presented by Richard Beaumont: Good afternoon ladies, gentlemen, distinguished guests and visitors. It is a great honor and a privilege to be able to serve and represent you and the ACLS as your new President for the upcoming year – Thank you!!! As with many organizations like ours, we are very dependent on our ACLS staff and volunteers to provide us with continued support and essential resources for our numerous initiatives and committees. These individuals are the life blood of our organizations and deserve our gratitude.

Leading our very professional and capable staff is our Executive Director Jean-Claude Tétreault, supported by Kevin Jones his Assistant, Martha Reeve our Administrative Assistant and Jim Gunn, our Practice Review Manager. We are very fortunate to have these dedicated, hardworking individuals on our team. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge our numerous volunteers who chair and participate in our many committees – these individuals spend countless hours on association work and initiatives that you as members have given us direction on.


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Last but not least, I want to acknowledge those who sit on council, including the Surveyor General and two public members. I believe we have an excellent slate of individuals who are working hard for you the members. This year we will be losing Paul Scott as a Lay Councilor; Paul has served as one of your Lay Council members for 3 years and has brought clarity and insight to council on many issues. He has always acted professionally and we will miss his input and thank him for his many years on council and wish him all the best on his future endeavors. As a reminder, should you want to work on a committee or be more involved as a councilor, I urge you to put your name on the sign-up sheets or let J.C. know, you will find it most gratifying. As we look to the upcoming year, our association has many interesting initiatives and challenges to focus on and deal with. To name a few:

• In collaboration with the Surveyor General Branch, ensuring the success of MyCLSS – this is an excellent new tool for us to use;

• Making changes to our Bylaws that will support MyCLSS; • Supporting Professional Surveyors Canada as it continues to evolve and mature. As

individuals, I encourage you support and join the PSC and help to make it a success – it is there to support you;

• Working in cooperation with representatives from our sister associations on the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) in support of Labour Mobility – we are hopefully close to this milestone;

• Proceeding with Mandatory Continuing Professional Development – this can only make us stronger as a self-regulating association;

• Launching and refinement of the on-line-exam project - to make it easier for CLS candidates with provincial commissions to complete their exams and become a CLS;

• Revamping the CLS Candidates Handbook, and • Numerous other 5 year plan and Committee Project Charter Objectives.

This is shaping up to be a busy and exciting year. So on behalf of your council, thank you for your support and we look forward to serving you in the upcoming year. We look forward to seeing you next year at our joint meeting with our friends from the Saskatchewan Land Surveyors Association in Regina on June 7, 8, & 9, 2012.

25. Presentation and Approval of the 2012 Budget Jean-Claude Tétreault presented the 2012 budget.

Key points brought up regarding the budget were

• Increase in regular members, licences and permits. • Seminar and workshops budget reflected this year’s AGM- Yellowknife AGM will be a

precedent for other AGM’S to follow. • Survey document fee increase from $50.00 to $75.00. • Admission of candidates, anticipate more because of the on-line exam system. • On-line exam fee set at $350.00. • Sale of study material should increase. • In the year 2012, distance learning courses should be available to candidates and

members.


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• Regarding investment income, we should receive the remaining amount from NRCAN for the MyCLSS project; also we should receive the remaining amount owing to us from a discipline case.

• We will have a lot of savings because we use a Go to Meeting system (web based). • Examiner Fee will be more costly $300.00 per on-line exam marked. • Council has decided to pay an honorarium to Board of Examiners members for the

increase of workload, $2000.00 a year. • PSC dues, estimating $25,000 for 2012. • Balance budget without touching the Reserve Funds, because we cut presentation

expenses like Blueprint for the future, APTN Commercials and Manager and Support staff for Practice Review.

MOTION AGM 11-05: MOVED by, J. Grondin and SECONDED by N. Kearnan, to approve the Year 2012 Budget ........................................................................................................... CARRIED

26. New Business

MOTION AGM 11-06: MOVED by, J. Grondin and SECONDED by P. Mueller, that Council consider the removal of the Hydrographic Surveying examination to allow the sister associations to continue to work at a solution to resolve the issue. Jacques Grondin suggested that the Associations should get together and talk about it Questions/Concerns from the floor

• Norm Coté, gave some background information. Not all schools teach a hydrography course.

• Patrick Ringwood, commented saying only students who do not have a hydrography background would have to write this exam. People performing cadastral surveys need to have some hydrographic background.

• Jim Gunn, asked why the 4 hour exam does not contain some hydrographic content. • Peter Burns commented saying hydrographic surveying is very important and we need to

have something to make sure surveyors know what to do. • Brent Taylor commented saying we should get hydrography into the core syllabus and it

should be put into the 4 hour exam. • Duncan Milne asked what kind of information the 3 hour on-line hydrographic exam would

cover. Patrick Ringwood replied saying the exam has the exact same questions that would be asked on an elective examination for CBEPS.

• George McFarlane commented saying surveyors have to comply to their Code of Ethics.

MOTION 11-06 was then Carried Brent Taylor suggested that there might be an opportunity to use discussion boards to allow some time for debate then vote. MOTION AGM 11-07: MOVED by, B. Taylor and SECONDED by P. Mueller, that Council consider modernizing the process used to present, debate and vote on motions to amend the bylaws of the ACLS ........................................................................................................ CARRIED


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27. Date and Place of Next AGM

Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina, Saskatchewan, from June 6th to 8th, 2012, in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Land Surveyors Association’s AGM. Then Following AGMS:

• Crown Plaza Hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario on June 19th to 21st, 2013. • Algonquin Hotel in St. Andrews, New Brunswick on June 18th to 20th, 2014. • The Fairmont Winnipeg in Winnipeg, Manitoba on June 10th to 12th, 2015.

28. Final Comments and Announcements Rick Beaumont thanked all visiting delegates for attending the AGM. Gord Lund, of the Association of Manitoba Land Surveyors, expressed his appreciation to the ACLS for inviting everyone to the Conference Rick Beaumont, thanked all the sponsors and exhibitors for their participation and the Conference Committee for their hard work-impressive seminars and social events.

29. Adjournment MOTION AGM 11-08: MOVED by P. Ringwood and SECONDED by J. Christie that it be resolved that the 27th Annual General Meeting of Association of Canada Lands Surveyors is adjourned .................................................................................................................................... CARRIED September 28th, 2011 Jean-Claude Tétreault Secretary Treasurer


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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/REGISTRAR’S REPORT

Registrar’s Report On April 17th the statistics were as follows: Membership: 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008

Regular: 528 532 530 522 516 Retired: 74 61 54 49 47 Associate: 8 7 7 4 4 Student 31 25 27 5 1 Honorary Life: 7 7 7 7 7 Honorary: 1 1 1 1 1 Licences and Permits Licences: 408 398 398 389 391 Permits: 188 185 179 178 166 In 2011, the ACLS received no formal complaint. There are no active complaints or discipline cases at this time. Executive Director’s Report Committees The ACLS has 15 active committees. I act as both the Chairman of the Insurance Committee and the Council Liaison for the Bylaws and Legislation Committee. I attended all committee meetings except for those of the Nominating Committee but starting in 2012, Martha Reeve will take over the administrative support role for some committees. In addition, I was a member of the following task forces and committees:

• PSC Labour Mobility Monitoring Group which in past met once a year to monitor issues related to the 2001 Mutual Recognition Agreement. Since the advent of TILMA and the signing of a Labour Mobility Agreement by the provincial and territorial Premiers, the Group has been actively trying to iron out difficulties in the implementation of Labour Mobility across the board.

• National Distance Learning Committee which is an initiative of the ACLS CPD Committee to engage our sister association in building a distance learning portal and providing learning opportunities for all surveyors in Canada.

I did participate in a Professional Surveyors Canada strategic Planning session in October. The Association of Canada Lands Surveyors Foundation is now in its eighth year of operation and I still sit as Secretary Treasurer on its Board of Directors.

Labour Mobility and the ACLS The ACLS has implemented it’s an on-line, on-demand exam system on August 1st, 2011 allowing surveyors from other Canadian jurisdictions to write a 4 hour professional exam to meet the requirements for a CLS Commission. In 2011, 3 on-line exams were written resulting in the awarding of 2 CLS Commissions.


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Last year the ACLS had announced that since the subject Hydrographic Surveying was removed from the list of core subjects in the National Syllabus, we had imposed that surveyors from other jurisdictions and CBEPS candidates provide evidence that they have academic training in that subject. Without that, they would have to pass the on-line on demand Hydrographic Surveying examination. Good news! Hydrographic Surveying has been moved back to the list of core subjects, so that requirements is lifted for commissioned surveyors from all jurisdictions except for Ontario since the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors have not adopted the National Syllabus and do not have that subject in their requirements. The ACLS is presently working with Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) for an legitimate exception to Labour Mobility for Ontario. Plan Review on-line Checklist (MyCLSS) The joint ACLS-Surveyor General Branch (NRCan) Web portal entitled MyCLSS has been launched for voluntary use my ACLS licence holders March 16th, 2011. Following the membership approval by mail in vote of the ACLS General Bylaws amendments making the use of the electronic plan review checklist mandatory, the mandatory use was implemented on August 1, 2011. I’m glad to report that the MyCLSS system is working very well. Last fall we implemented a series of enhancements which seem to have been well received by the ACLS Licence holders. New enhancements will be implemented in 2012. The ACLS would like to thank the SGB staff for their hard work to make this project a success. The individuals that are most responsible for MyCLSS have been awarded an Earth Science Sector Team Recognition Award for outstanding teamwork between the Surveyor General Branch and ACLS. ACLS Staff There were significant staff changes in 2011. In the 2011 budget, we had planned for hiring a 4th staff person at the beginning of the year. But since the cost of electronic checklist project was higher than expected and the fact that we wanted to keep Martha Reeve on staff, we decided to time the addition of the fourth person with the return of Teri McKay from maternity at end of September 2011. The Canadian Board of Examiners for Professional Surveyors (CBEPS) The ACLS provides the administration and registrar services since May 8, 2006. I continue to act as Registrar with the help of Kevin Jones who is the Board Administrator. CBEPS performed it first accreditation of a university program in 2011. Both University of New Brunswick Geomatics Programs received full accreditation. It is now working on the University of Calgary accreditation which expired in September of 2011. Executive Directors meetings Last summer, most sister association executive directors met face-to-face at the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors office to begin an initiative of closer cooperation between surveying associations. This first meeting was very productive and I would like to thank the AOLS for its hospitality. Since then, we held two Go to Meeting sessions and are planning another face-to-face meeting this summer. In these meetings we exchange on best practices which is very positive for all.


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Communications Only one issue of the “Communique” newsletter was posted on the Web site in 2011. We will have two issues in 2012. All past issues are available from the ACLS Web site. ACLS published 4 reports in “Geomatica” in 2011. In 2011, we developed a plan to have a presence on the social networks. The plan was implemented recently. Professional Surveyors Magazine In November 2007, the ACLS struck a deal with Reed Business Geo Inc. to have copies of Professional Surveyor Magazine sent to all ACLS members who subscribe. This very professional looking publication is circulated all over North America. The ACLS pays for the cost of mailing the copies. At last count, 299 members are on the subscriber list. Before closing my report, I would like to thank the ACLS staff for their commitment and hard work. I would also like to thank Council for its support, especially to Rick for his availability and wise direction. I’m looking forward to working with the new President and Council for the 2012-2013 year. April 18th, 2012 Jean-Claude Tétreault Executive Director and Registrar

Printed on: May 9, 2012 3:25 PM

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Financial Statements

Year Ended December 31, 2011



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Index to Financial Statements


Page

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT

17 – 18

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Statement of Financial Position

19

Statement of Revenues and Expenditures

20

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

21

Statement of Cash Flows

22

Notes to Financial Statements

23 - 28


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INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT

To the Members of Association of Canada Lands Surveyors

We have audited the accompanying financial statements of Association of Canada Lands Surveyors, which comprise the statement of financial position as at December 31, 2011, and the statements of revenues and expenditures, changes in net assets and cash flows for the year then ended, and a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information.

Management's Responsibility for the Financial Statements

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these financial statements in accordance with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles, and for such internal control as management determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Auditor's Responsibility

Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards. Those standards require that we comply with ethical requirements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor's judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity's preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity's internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our qualified audit opinion.

Independent Auditor's Report to the Members of Association of Canada Lands Surveyors (continued)


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Basis for Qualified Opinion

In common with many not-for-profit organizations, the Association derives revenue from various activities, the completeness of which is not susceptible of satisfactory audit verification. Accordingly, our verification of these revenues was limited to the amounts recorded in the records of the Association and we were not able to determine whether any adjustments might be necessary to contributions, excess of revenues over expenses, current assets and net assets.

Qualified Opinion

In our opinion, except for the effect of adjustments, if any, which we might have determined to be necessary had we been able to satisfy ourselves concerning the completeness of the contributions referred to in the preceding paragraph, these financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Association of Canada Lands Surveyors as at December 31, 2011 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles.

Ottawa, Ontario Phomin Leslie, Chartered Accountants (A Professional Corporation) Authorized to practice public accounting by

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario



19

Statement of Financial Position

December 31, 2011

2011 2010

ASSETS

CURRENT Cash (Note 3) $ 31,995 $ 62,696 Accounts receivable 64,853 167,764 Inventory 28,084 26,431 Prepaid expenses 13,985 7,443

138,917 264,334

PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT (Note 4) 6,624 10,861

LONG TERM INVESTMENTS (Note 5) 358,186 383,221

$ 503,727 $ 658,416

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

CURRENT Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 17,438 $ 19,647 Deferred revenue (Note 6) 96,389 124,005 Deferred grant - 22,057

113,827 165,709

NET ASSETS General Fund 218,598 342,029 Discipline and Illegal Practice Reserve Fund 171,302 150,678

389,900 492,707

$ 503,727 $ 658,416

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

_____________________________ Director

_____________________________ Director Printed on: May 9, 2012 3:25 PM

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements



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Statement of Revenues and Expenditures


2011 2010

REVENUE Candidate income $ 13,935 $ 22,756 Investment income 1,219 11,224 Membership dues 283,993 277,388 Other 153,521 339,507 Survey 165,788 161,730

618,456 812,605

EXPENSES

$ - $ -

Administration 339,152 314,178 Annual general meeting 71,299 82,126 Board of examiners 108 1,839 Candidate expenses 28,554 18,994 Committees 3,297 7,936 Council meetings 20,276 22,872 Discipline 302 1,120 Member mailings 11,938 15,241 Online exam program 12,258 65,848 Outside services 11,901 17,871 Practice review 116,389 220,648 Publicity and promotion 44,351 86,328 Seminars 29,059 8,612

688,884 863,613

DEFICIENCY OF REVENUE OVER EXPENSES FROM

OPERATIONS (70,428) (51,008)

OTHER INCOME Unrealized gains/(losses) on investments (32,379) (6,194)

DEFICIENCY OF REVENUE OVER EXPENSES $ (102,807) $ (57,202)



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Statement of Changes in Net Assets


General

Discipline and Illegal Practice

Reserve

Fund Fund 2011 2010

NET ASSETS - BEGINNING OF YEAR $ 342,029 $ 150,678 $ 492,707 $ 549,908

Deficiency of revenue over expenses (93,431) (9,376) (102,807) (57,202)

Transfer between funds (30,000) 30,000 - -

NET ASSETS - END OF YEAR $ 218,598 $ 171,302 $ 389,900 $ 492,706



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Statement of Cash Flows


2011 2010

OPERATING ACTIVITIES Deficiency of revenue over expenses $ (102,807) $ (57,202) Items not affecting cash:

Amortization of property and equipment 7,026 7,018

Unrealized gains/(losses) on investments 32,379 6,194

(63,402) (43,990)

Changes in non-cash working capital:

Accounts receivable 102,911 (93,849)

Inventory (1,653) 3,490

Prepaid expenses (6,542) 18,241

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (2,209) (41,695)

Deferred revenue (27,616) 70,465

Deferred grant (22,057) 22,057

42,834 (21,291)

Cash flow used by operating activities (20,568) (65,281)

INVESTING ACTIVITIES

Purchase of property and equipment (2,789) (2,982)

Net change in long term investments (7,344) 49,465

Net change in long term receivable - 24,700

Cash flow from (used by) investing activities (10,133) 71,183

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH FLOW (30,701) 5,902

Cash - beginning of year 62,696 56,794

CASH - END OF YEAR $ 31,995 $ 62,696



23



1. PURPOSE OF ORGANIZATION

The Association of Canada Lands Surveyors (the "Association") is a national self-regulated professional association that governs the activities of the Canada Land Surveyors, whose mission is to promote and enhance the practice of professional land surveying and the use of the Canada Lands Surveyors Commission in the surveying of Canada Lands.

The Association is incorporated under the Canada Companies Act and is registered as a non-profit organization without share capital and as such is exempt from income taxes.

2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The financial statements of the Association have been prepared by management in accordance with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles. The financial statements have, in management’s opinion, been properly prepared within reasonable limits of materiality and within the framework of the accounting policies outlined below.

Inventory

Inventory consists of publications and other merchandise and is valued at the lower of cost and net realizable value with cost being determined on an average cost basis. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less any applicable variable selling costs.

Property and equipment

Property & equipment are stated at cost less accumulated amortization. Property & equipment are amortized over their estimated useful lives at the following rates and methods:

Computer equipment 5 years straight-line method Furniture and equipment 5 years straight-line method Website 5 years straight-line method

Capital management

The Association defines capital as invested in property and equipment, and unrestricted and restricted net assets. The Association’s objectives when managing capital are to fund capital additions, continue as a going

concern, and to protect its ability to meet its on-going liabilities.

The Association is not subject to externally imposed capital requirements and its overall strategy with respect to capital remains unchanged from the year ended December 31, 2010.




2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)


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Long term investments

Long term investments consist of Provincial government fixed, strip coupon bonds with a maturity date greater than one year at date of purchase and mutual funds. They are classified as held for trading and are therefore carried at fair value. Unrealized gains or losses are reported as part of net income.

Fund accounting

The General Fund accounts for the Association's program delivery and administrative activities. This fund reports unrestricted resources and restricted grants.

The Property and Equipment Fund reports the assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses related to Association's property and equipment.

The Discipline and Illegal Practice Fund is an internally board restricted fund which will be used to cover legal fees, investigation costs and court fees for discipline cases and for cases of illegal practice by individuals whom do not hold an ACLS licence and entities that do not hold an ACLS permit. It reports resources contributed and investment income earned on those resources.

Revenue recognition

The Association follows the deferral method of accounting for contributions.

Unrestricted revenue is recognized as revenue when received or receivable if the amount to be received can be reasonably estimated and collection is reasonably assured.

Revenue from the sale of products is recognized when the product is shipped and collection is reasonably assured.

Unrestricted and board restricted investment income is recognized as revenue when earned.

Contributed services

Board members and other volunteers volunteer their time to assist in the Association's activities. While these services benefit the Association considerably, a reasonable estimate of their fair value cannot be made and, accordingly, these contributed services are not recognized in the financial statements.




2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)


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Measurement uncertainty

When preparing financial statements according to GAAP, management makes estimates and assumptions relating to:

� reported amounts of revenues and expenses

� reported amounts of assets and liabilities

� disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities.

Estimates are based on a number of factors including historical experience, current events and actions that the Association may undertake in the future, and other assumptions that management believes are reasonable under the circumstances. By their nature, these estimates are subject to measurement uncertainty and actual results could differ. In particular, estimates are used in accounting for certain items such as revenues, allowance for doubtful accounts, useful lives of capital assets, asset impairments, legal and tax contingencies, and employee compensation plans.

Future changes in significant accounting policies

The following accounting standard has been issued by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) but is not yet effective for the Association. The Association is currently evaluating the effect of adopting this standard, which it will do in fiscal year 2012 .

The Accounting Standards Board will be implementing Part III of the CICA Handbook Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profit Organizations effective for years beginning on or after January 1, 2012.

3. CASH

2011 2010

General Fund $ 31,994 $ 61,404 Discipline and Illegal Practice Fund 1 1,292

$ 31,995 $ 62,696





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4. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT 2011 2010

Cost Accumulated Net book Net book

amortization value value

Computer equipment $ 17,641 $ 13,920 $ 3,721 $ 2,804 Furniture and equipment 5,209 3,473 1,736 2,894 Website 19,980 18,813 1,167 5,163

$ 42,830 $ 36,206 $ 6,624 $ 10,861

5. LONG TERM INVESTMENTS

2011 2010

General Fund $ 186,885 $ 233,835 Discipline and Illegal Practice Fund 171,301 149,386

$ 358,186 $ 383,221

Market value $ 358,186 $ 383,221

6. DEFERRED REVENUE

Deferred revenue consists of 2012 members fees, licences, and permits paid in advance.





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7. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The following is a summary of the accounting model the Association has elected to apply to each of its significant categories of financial instruments:

Cash Held for trading Accounts receivable Loans and receivables Long-term investments Held for trading Accounts payable and accrued liabilities Other financial liabilities

Subsequent measurement and treatment of any gain or loss on the financial instruments is recorded as follows:

a) Held for trading financial assets are measured at fair value at the balance sheet date with any gain or loss recognized immediately in net income. Interest and dividends earned from held for trading assets are also included in income for the period. b) Loans and receivables are measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method. Any gain or loss is recognized in net income. c) Other financial liabilities are measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method. d) Transaction costs that are directly attributable to the issuance of financial assets or liabilities are accounted for as part of the carrying value at inception, and are recognized over the term of the assets or liabilities using the effective interest method. Any gains or losses are recognized in net income.

Fair Value

The Association's carrying value of cash, accounts receivable, and accounts payable approximates its fair value due to the immediate or short term maturity of these instruments.

Credit Risk

Credit risk arises from the potential that a counter party will fail to perform its obligations. The Association is exposed to credit risk from customers. The Association's credit and collection policies and its significant number of customers help minimize the concentration of credit risk.

Currency Risk

Currency risk is the risk to the Association's earnings that arise from fluctuations of foreign exchange rates and the degree of volatility of these rates. The Association is not exposed to foreign currency exchange risk as it has no financial assets or liabilities in foreign currencies.

Interest Rate Risk

Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of a financial instrument might be adversely affected by a change in the interest rates. The Association is exposed to interest rate risk on its investments. Since the investments have relatively low interest rates, management believes fluctuations in interest rates would not have a material impact on the Association's results.





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8. COMMITMENTS

The Association has a long-term lease with respect to its office premises. The minimum annual rent payments are approximately as follows:

2012 $ 7,596 2013 6,963

$ 14,559

9. COMPARATIVE FIGURES

Some of the comparative figures have been reclassified to conform to the current year's presentation.


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BOARD OF EXAMINERS

Composition The ACLS Board of Examiners until December 4, 2011 consisted of ACLS members Tim Koepke, Patrick Ringwood, Jean-Noël Lechasseur, Julian Goodyear and Marie Robidoux. Bronwyn Denton served as a Board observer pending Tim Koepke's scheduled resignation as Chair on the noted date. Concurrently, ACLS Council appointed Bronwyn Denton to the Board and Patrick Ringwood was named as Chair. Board Administrator Kevin Jones provided administrative support to the Board and coordinated the bi-annual national examination cycles in March and October. He was also responsible for liaison with candidates as well as with the Canadian Board of Examiners for Professional Surveyors (CBEPS). The Board members thank Kevin for the excellent support he provides for their work. Responsibility for Examinations Since January 2008 Kevin Jones has acted as Board of Examiners Administrator to both the ACLS and CBEPS Boards and managed all examinations included in the Common Core Syllabus. The ACLS Board itself is responsible for the review, approval and administration of the professional examination. CLS Candidates The Board has the responsibility to approve the acceptance of those applying as candidates to receive a CLS commission. Twenty persons were admitted as new candidates between April 30th, 2011 and April 4th, 2012. There are 107 active candidates registered with the Board. Commissions Recommended In accordance with the Act and Regulations, the Board informs Council of those candidates who have completed the requirements for a CLS Commission and recommends the granting of a Commission. The Council then may offer a successful candidate a Commission. Since April 30th, 2011, the following persons were recommended for a Commission: Ryan Lee Baete, Calgary, AB; Jeremy D. Howden, Calgary, AB; Benson Agi, Ottawa, ON; Lee David Chaulk, St. John’s NL; Rory O’Connell, Victoria, BC; Michael Thompson, Lethbridge ON; Roger Luard, Edmonton AB; Jason Shortt, Vernon BC; Zeng Zhiqiang, Toronto ON; Sara Spence, Calgary AB; Henry Reiter, Sherwood Park AB; David Batten, Fort St. John BC; Vincent Villeneuve, Ste-Rose QC; Adam Barvir, Calgary AB; Gavin Lawrence, Toronto ON Other Activities In addition to meeting its obligations for examining candidates and recommending successful candidates for a Commission, the Board monitors the examination syllabus and availability of study material. A revised Candidate Handbook was issued effective December 1, 2011 that contained numerous updates of topics covered and reference materials available. Keeping abreast of federal legislative changes affecting the Syllabus and Examination Item 1 - "Acts and Regulations Relating to Surveys of Canada Lands" as well as those of the three northern territories is an ongoing challenge for the Board. In addition, updates are being made on a regular basis by the Surveyor General Branch to its "General


30

Instructions for Surveys - e-Edition". It is equally challenging to keep affected candidates informed of these changes as they may affect the examinable topics. The Board has taken measures to ensure this is done in an orderly fashion with prescribed cut-off times for examinable changes in advance of scheduled examination dates. A significant milestone was reached this year with the release by Natural Resources Canada's Surveyor General Branch of the new online publication "Surveys, Parcels and Tenure on Canada Lands". This comprehensive manual will provide the main study material for the "Onshore Property Rights" portion of ACLS Examination Item 2 - "Property Rights Systems on Canada Lands". It was edited by Dr. Brian Ballantyne and written by contributing authors Gord Olsson CLS, ALS (Retired) and Steve Rogers CLS, who also was the illustrator. ACLS congratulates NRCan, our Surveyor General Peter J. Sullivan CLS, ALS, MBA and the authors for their dedication to producing this long-needed manual. The Board of Examiners reached a second significant milestone in 2011 with the launch of the new Online/On-Demand Professional Examination available to surveyors holding a licence to practice in a province of Canada. In addition, an Online/On-Demand examination in Hydrographic Surveying is required for Candidates who do not meet the hydrographic requirements of the ACLS Examination Syllabus. These two examinations meet ACLS's statutory requirements under Labour Mobility legislation. Three candidates holding provincial Commissions and licences to practice wrote the new Professional Examination in 2011. The Board is grateful for the excellent guidance and support provided by ACLS Executive Director/Registrar Jean-Claude Tétreault, CLS, a.-g., P. Eng., MBA. His leadership in the Labour Mobility examination software development with the contractor and other Associations is exemplary. Respectfully submitted, Tim Koepke, CLS Past Chair


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ABORIGINAL LIAISON COMMITTEE

Membership Marie Robidoux, Calgary, AB, Chairperson Rick Beaumont, Edmonton, AB (Council representative) Stan Hutchinson, Paris, ON Gord Stark, Starbuck, MB Peter Murray, St. Andrews, NL Robert Fligg, Toronto, ON Jacques D’Auteuil, Iqaluit, NU Barry Fleece, Calgary, AB Julia Meldrum-Smith, Cornwall, ON – left in fall 2011 S. Goertzen Fort St. John, BC - joined in April 2012 Wilson Phillips, Winnipeg, MB – joined in April 2012 Jean-Claude Tétreault, Ottawa, ON (Executive Director) Activities

1. Aboriginal Liaison Committee held 7 teleconference meetings between June 2011 and April 2012;

2. New terms of reference were approved by Council in October 2011; 3. Members of the committee are monitoring news items of interests with regards to

First Nations information across the country and disseminating as appropriate; 4. Members of the committee continue to investigate any post-secondary programs

in Geomatics for information on special arrangements for aboriginal students with the intent of disseminating the information through posting on association(s) website(s);

5. Brochures English and French are available on the ACLS website; 6. Surveyor in a Crate program implemented and turned over to the Public

Awareness Committee 7. “Property Rights” presentations – English and French that can be used to build

upon for presentations to First Nations are available to ACLS members on website;

8. Continually amending/maintaining the Committee Action Plan to ensure that the committees tasks and objectives are identified and completed in a timely manner;

9. Committee is searching for success stories to enhance the presentations; 10. Preparing FAQ for ACLS website directed towards Aboriginal peoples answering

their most frequent questions. Issues The issues that face the Aboriginal Liaison Committee and the ACLS members remain directly related to the Objectives for the Committee and how well we can communicate the information regarding the ACLS to First Nations and Aboriginal Communities. Recommendations

• That funding continues to be provided for attendance at Aboriginal conferences, • That the committee stay involved in and support of NALMA’s Aboriginal Land

Managers Certification Program. • That the committee continue to work with an action plan to meet the committee

objectives, • Review the ACLS Strategic Plan and Operational Plan and make modifications to

the committee Terms of Reference if necessary.


32

Conclusions The committee chair wishes to thank all of the committee members for their hard work and commitment to the committee. April 18th, 2012 Marie Robidoux, CLS, LL.M. Committee Chair


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BYLAWS AND LEGISLATION COMMITTEE

Membership • Harold E. Jones, CLS, P.Eng., (Chair), retired, Ottawa • Jean-Claude Tétreault, CLS, QLS, P.Eng., MBA, Executive Director, Council

Liaison, Ottawa • James S. Simpson, CLS, OLS(Ret.), retired, Ottawa • David S. Urso, CLS, OLS, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. • Lorne E. McNeice, CLS, ALS (Ret.), retired, Morden, Man. • Stewart E. MacPhee, CLS, NSLS, Antigonish, N.S. • Alistair M. MacLeod, CLS, OLS(Ret.), as of April 2011, retired, Ottawa,

In 2011 the Committee met by teleconference on six occasions. There were a further three meetings in the first four months of 2012. 1) Regulation Amendments Required by the Government Standing Joint Committee on

the Scrutiny of Regulations: We were very pleased and relieved that after four years of bureaucratic delay since the required revisions, which were first drafted and sent to NRCan for review in 2007, were finally proclaimed and were published in the Canada Gazette Part II on December 21: http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2011/2011-12-21/pdf/g2-14526.pdf (pages 77-83)

2) Use of CLS title restricted to Members: Council requested the Committee to draft a

revised Regulation 25(1) requiring that a person holding a Commission may not use the title CLS, or equivalent, unless that person is a Member of ACLS. This will make the ACLS similar to the Provincial surveyor’s Associations which require their commissioned surveyors to be Members. The required revision was drafted and added to the revisions required by the standing Committee and came into force at the same time in December 2011.

3) Discussions or investigations leading to drafting Regulations, Bylaws or Policy:

• Revisions to Regulations and Bylaws to accommodate Labour Mobility issues and examination requirements for provincial surveyors to receive CLS commissions in view of our multidisciplinary concept;

• At the request of Council, revisions of the Regulations and Bylaws to remove Council from the day-to-day operations of the Complaints-Discipline process.

• Formation of a Task Force with members from the Bylaws, Complaints, and Discipline Committees to consider the whole Complaints-Discipline process and assist the Bylaws Committee in preparing amendments relating to the complaints-discipline process.

• Investigating procedures in other survey associations and obtaining legal advice for Council in dealing with requests to open Discipline Hearings to the public.

• Transferring some requirements by Regulation to Bylaws to facilitate revisions was found to be not feasible.

• Policy re discarding records of examinations of candidates. • Regulations relating to a commission obtained by fraud. • Revision of bylaws to accommodate electronic voting.

4) Required Amendments to the Act Ever since the Standing Joint Committee showed

that the Act does not give the Association the power to compel witnesses at a Discipline Committee hearing it has been recognized that amendments the Act to give us that power are essential. From experience we have found that the Complaints-


34

Discipline process set out in the Act needs significant revisions, in particular the removal of Council from the day-to-day operations of the process. In an exhaustive critical review of the Act several other clarifying amendments, less critical but important, were identified.

Plan for 2012-2013 1) Proceed with the process of amending the Act without delay 2) Proceed with making amendments to the Regulations and Bylaws as appropriate 3) Respond to requests from Council Harold E. Jones, CLS, P.Eng. (Chair)


35

COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE

Mandate: The Canada Lands Surveyors Act requires that a Complaints Committee shall consider all complaints in writing that have been received by the Association regarding the conduct or actions of any Member or Permit Holder of the Association. The Complaints Committee’s role is to investigate each written complaint for the possibility of incompetence or professional misconduct, and make a recommendation to Council.

Members: For the year 2011, the members of the Complaints Committee were:

• William Edgerton, CLS, Chairperson, Grande Prairie, AB • Michael Tulloch, CLS, Sault Ste. Marie, ON • Zakary Hargrove, P.Eng, Clearview, N.B. (Lay Council Member) • Bruce Hewlko, CLS, Yellowknife, NT (Council member) • David McArthur, CLS, Edmonton, AB • Alain Sansoucy, CLS, Saint- Eustache, QC • Wesley Jamieson, CLS, Saskatoon, SK • Ian Lloyd, CLS, Vancouver, BC • Carl Friesen, CLS, Whitehorse, YT

Recording Secretary – Jean-Claude Tétreault, CLS, P.Eng, MBA, Ottawa, ON

Activities:

In 2011 the committee was inactive as no complaints were received.

Submitted by,

William L. Edgerton, CLS, ALS,

Chairperson, ACLS Complaints Committee


36

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Terms of Reference The committee assist the members with Continuing Professional Development (CPD) through development of seminars and promotion of learning opportunities including a direct role in planning seminars for the National Surveyors Conference in 2013. The committee also oversees the Mandatory CPD program, and reports statistics and findings back to Council. Committee Membership: Bruce Gudim, CLS, Chair, Calgary, AB Gordon Stark, CLS, Council Liaison, Winnipeg, MB J.C. Tétreault, CLS, Executive Director, Ottawa, ON Martha Reeve, ACLS staff, Ottawa, ON Dave Dediluke, CLS, Past Chair, Nanaimo, BC James Banks, CLS, Amherst, NS Fred Cheng, CLS, Edmonton, AB Reid Egger, CLS, Edmonton, AB Mike Fretwell, CLS, Calgary, AB Murray LeGris, CLS, Toronto, ON Richard MacDougall, CLS, Bedford, NS Nathan Sikkes, CLS, Calgary, AB The Committee welcomes Nathan Sikkes, CLS, AB who is joining the Committee in March 2012; and thanks departing member Colin Atkinson for his long and valued commitment to the committee. 2011-2012 Prime Objectives: Development of online distance learning courses and initiatives, through promoting and publishing of the geoed.ca’s collaborative website. Oversee development and implementation of the MCPD digital tracking system. Activities: The committee held regular monthly meetings, and hosted two Canada Wide Distance Learning Collaborative meetings. Continuing professional development representatives from most of the Provincial Associations attended the National cross Canada online meetings. The joint collaborative effort continues to challenge the ACLS CPD committee, as each of the Provinces doesn’t have the same executive support and defined distance learning goals as the Council of the Association of Canada Lands Surveyors. The CPD committee finalized the Registered Provider’s Guide, which is a written guide for administration of GeoEd Canada’s collaborative efforts. The first online course, How to do Business with the Federal Government, was informative, but only a moderate success because of the lower number of participants than anticipated. It did, however give the committee additional confidence in the presentation method. An online GNSS Course presented in December 2011 was much more successful, with its eighty participants enjoying an informative one hour introduction to GNSS. An online Expert Witness course and an online Course on Field Notes are under development for delivery in 2012. A great deal of excitement and anticipation surround these courses because of their material and the unique characteristics the online delivery courses are taking


37

advantage of. A Business Practices online course is also being investigated for delivery in the fall of 2012. The CPD Committee is proud of the GeoEd Canada’s recently revamped website www.geoed.ca, and encourages all members to use it. Members can read and comment on continuing professional development within the site’s forum. Success of the forum depends largely on participation of the members of the ACLS. The How to do Business with the Federal Government course is available on the site. The CPD Committee anticipates an active year, with the Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Program (MCPD), the Registered Providers Guide, development of a Collaborative Continuing Professional Development Website, and working with presenters in developing several exciting online continuing professional development courses. The CPD committee looks forward to meeting this year’s challenges of continued development and provision of meaningful and accessible continuing professional development for ACLS-AATC members. The committee is also very appreciative of the support given to it by the Council and staff. The CPD Committee is happy to report that the MCPD online reporting system is a success, with many members stating that the system is easy to use. A number of licensed members were surprised and expressed concern that community volunteer activities do not count towards professional development credit under the current bylaw. While this type of activity was discussed by the committee prior to drafting the bylaw - the merits of this type of activity are beyond question - it was agreed that the primary intent of the ACLS professional development initiative is to bolster individual members professional knowledge and commitment, and it was determined that the requirement of 45 hours over 3 years is neither onerous nor difficult for any practicing licensed member to achieve, therefore community volunteer activities do not count towards PD credit under the current bylaw. Some members expressed concern about the online tracking system and a desire to continue to submit their PD records using the previous paper system. Given that ACLS has moved to mandatory professional development, far more data will be returned than with the voluntary system, there are limited resources available to compile this data, and the intent of continuing professional development is to help ensure all licensed members remain reasonably current, paper professional development tracking forms will not be accepted. The online tracking system is relatively simple to use, widely available, and enables rapid and effective compilation of returns. All members of our association are invited to share their ideas or suggestions with us. Respectfully submitted, Bruce Gudim, ALS, CLS Chair, Professional Development Committee


38

PUBLIC AWARENESS COMMITTEE

Mission The committee is accountable to make recommendations to Council on public awareness initiatives and implement them. The ACLS will perform public awareness activities in order to:

• Make the public aware of the value of CLS’s in society by promoting the socio-economic value of the land tenure system as a whole;

• Enhance the public image of the profession; • Attract new people to the CLS profession; • Promote the CLS profession to schools and young people, in particular aboriginal

people. Membership

• Akbar Karsan, NRCan, Saskatchewan CLU (Chair)-Regina

• Bruce Hewlko (Council Liaison)-Yellowknife

• Benson Agi, NRCan, NCRO-Ottawa

• Brian Ball, Focus Corporation-Victoria • Cameron Twa, Ollerhead and Associates-Yellowknife • Yanick Morneau, from Caouette, Thériault & associés • Cindy Kliaman, NRCan Ontario CLU-Toronto

• Jean-Claude Tétreault, ACLS-Ottawa • Martha Reeve, ACLS-Ottawa

Cameron Twa and Benson Agi were welcomed as new members to the Committee. The Committee wishes to thank George Schlagintweit (Past President and Council Liaison) his enthusiasm and contribution to the Committee and welcomes Bruce Hewlko to the Committee as the incoming Council Liaison. The Committee also wishes to thank Martin Gingras for his years of dedicated effort as a member and Chair of the Committee. Activities Meetings The committee held 8 meetings in the current period. Work accomplished � Geocoin

Geocoins are still traveling and will continue to travel across the world for many years.

� Surveyor in a Crate campaign This campaign was inherited from the aboriginal Liaison Committee. 4 Crates have been ordered from SLSA. 2 Crates have been received. These Crates are to be circulated in High schools to create awareness of the Profession. One crate is being circulated in schools in Yellowknife. One Crate will be sent to Whitehorse. 2 Crates are planned to be circulated in high schools on Aboriginal Lands south of 60.

� Collaboration with PSC Working together with PSC to promote membership in Canadian Land Surveying Profession in foreign educational institutions using literature, video and the Web was addressed. This proposal needs further exploration. PSC is not quite ready at this time to promote the profession overseas.


39

� Social Networking A strategy is being prepared to take advantage of Social networking (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) to promote public awareness of the profession to young people.

� Wikipedia page A page has been prepared for posting on Wikipedia.

� Promotional Video (3 minutes) The video was completed last year and has been posted on the ACLS Web site. The ACLS Aboriginal Liaison Committee will use this video in our booth while at career fairs or other events. The production of this video was done in collaboration with the Association of Ontario Lands Surveyors (AOLS). The AOLS shared the cost of production as well. All the footage belongs to the ACLS and the AOLS and can be used for any other projects.

� Television Advertisement on APTN (30 seconds) From the three (3) minute video, the ACLS produced an advertisement to be used on television. This 30 second clip has been seen on APTN promoting the Canada Lands Surveyor’s profession.

� ACLS Booth The ACLS Booth campaign has been turned over to the Aboriginal Liaison Committee.

� Informational “Tool Kit” A “tool kit” is available for all members. It is composed of brochures, and power point presentations on different topics all related to the Survey profession. This “tool kit” is available in both official languages on the ACLS web site. The main purpose of the “tool kit” is to assist members at presentations on the surveying profession and to provide information to the public. In 2009, the ACLS added a post card type of brochure to our “tool kit”. This post card is intended to be used at different events. It is a very simple way to attract people’s attention. The information that is shown on this post card are short key messages along with the ACLS Web address.

Focus this year � Communication plan initiatives

A number of initiatives were put forward in the PAC communication plan, but the committee will focus on those approved by Council.

• Surveyor in a crate: We have received 2 Crates from SLSA and the third one will be shipped shortly. The ACLS has ordered four crates in total. In 2012, the Public Awareness Committee will be tasked with finding ways to promote and circulate these crates to potential users with a special focus on aboriginal high schools.

• Continue TV ads with APTN • Post a Wikipedia page • Prepare a social networking strategy

I would like to thank the members for their continued dedicated service on this committee. Respectfully submitted, Akbar Karsan Chair, Public Awareness Committee


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OFFSHORE ISSUES COMMITTEE

Mandate: The Offshore Issues Committee is to monitor and advise Council of the ACLS and its membership regarding issues relating to surveying Offshore Canada Lands. Members: Christy Thompson (Chairman) Estelle Moisan (Council Liaison) Andrew Leyzack Harold Jones John Brigden Kirsten Greenfield Mark McGladrey Tim Janzen We welcomed Kirsten Geenfield to the Committee this year. The Committee members were sorry to receive resignations from Barry Lusk and Alex Hittel during the year. We want to express our appreciation to Barry and Alex for their services on the Committee. Activities: Teleconference meetings were held throughout the past year with the help of Executive Director and his support staff. The two primary areas that were concentrated on were the Certification of Hydrographers and creation of a Marine Cadastre. J.C. Tétreault, M. McGladrey and A. Leyzack met as a sub-committee and updated the certification model from the 2004 version. Presently it will use a two-tiered approach where candidates can apply for either CLS Commission and Hydrographic Surveyors Certification or only Hydrographic Surveyors Certification. The Committee is working on gathering support for the model in order to apply for accreditation by the FIG-IHO International Board. The ACLS President made a presentation at the sister association Presidents’ Forum in BC; it was very well received. ACLS did receive a letter of support from the Canadian Hydrographic Service. There are ongoing discussions on other areas of concern such as the requirement to be a license holder in order to conduct surveys on Canada Lands. Two papers have been prepared for presentation at the CHC 2012, one regarding an Arctic Marine Cadastre and the other on ACLS and Hydrography. Also a Power Point presentation is being prepared that will be presented at the Marine Cadastre seminar in France on April 16. Christy Thompson Chairman


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PRACTICE REVIEW REPORT

Membership Estelle Moisan, Council Liaison Doug Dodge, Chairman Caroline Anderson Rob Pinkerton Sylvain Lelièvre Gordon Gamble J.C. Tétreault, Registrar Jim Gunn, PR Manager Martha Reeve, Secretary Activities: Cycle update The Practice Review Department is on track to complete the current three year cycle by the end of 2012. Processes have been streamlined with the use of email for Preliminary and Final Reports and by using Survey Monkey for the feedback questionnaires. Field Checks The first round of field checks in late 2010 proved to be very worthwhile. It was a positive experience for the members and a good public relations exercise for the association. The committee is contemplating the idea of seeking one or more members from the western provinces/territories to assist the department with field inspections this year. Feedback Questionnaires The responses from the feedback questionnaires continue to indicate very strong support for the operation of the practice review department. MYCLSS/Electronic Plan Checklist With the introduction of this new collaborative web site, the SG’s department is now restricting its plan reviews to critical errors only. It is the sole responsibility of the surveyor to ensure that the plan complies with the General Instructions in all other respects. It also falls to the association to ensure that these standards are met. The PR department is now mandated to conduct random audits of the new electronic plan checklist. Assess to an administration module within MYCLSS has been provided to PR for the purpose of selecting checklists for review. The PR department downloads a copy of the checklist together with a PDF copy of the plan. Adobe Acrobat software is used to annotate the PDF documents which are then returned by email to the member for future consideration. The goal is to perform one audit per member per year. New Model Despite the success of the current practice review model, it has been around for almost 10 years now and is time to rethink the process before it starts to loose traction. J.C., Rob and Jim are working on a new model to present to council before the end of the year. Manager’s Position Jim Gunn will be retiring as Practice Review Manager at the end of December 2012. The committee is conducting a search for a new manager.


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Committee membership changes Rob Pinkerton has agreed to chair the committee. Doug Dodge will remain on as a member. Martha Burchat will join the committee. She is with NRCan in Ottawa David Higgins will also join the committee. He is in private practice in Edmonton. Martha Reeve (ACLS staff) has taken over as secretary

Doug Dodge

Chairman


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STANDARDS OF PRACTICE COMMITTEE

Membership: Tom Bunker, Chair, Ivan Royan (Council Liaison), Stephen Howard (until Nov 16, 2011), Martha Burchat (until Dec 14, 2011), Julia Meldrum Smith, Varick Ollerhead (until Nov 16, 2011), Patrick Boudreau (until January 2012), Calvin Bourassa (initial Dec 14, 2011), Katie Munroe, Kyle Harrington (initial February 8, 2012) Jean-Claude Tétreault, Executive Director; Martha Reeve, ACLS staff Jim Gunn, Practice Review Manager Activities: The Committee held six meetings using GoToMeeting Web service since the last report. Prepared and recommended to Council the following changes/additions to the Practice Manual:

• Add section 1.28A dealing with distribution of digital data. • Ongoing and various house-keeping changes to up-date name changes and

other miscellaneous items, including examples of E-checklists • Suggested placing the digital Manual on an “easy to find” link on ACLS website

We commented on proposed requirements concerning Mineral Claim surveys. We updated our Terms of Reference and currently rely on the ACLS staff for administrative assistance. We requested that Surveyor General Branch consider changes to plans to remove reference to “field notes” where detailed notes are not shown, that a procedure be considered to ensure safe keeping of actual field records and consider a standardization of procedures around Survey Reports. We continue to liaison with the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors who is preparing peer review and standards related to Geographic Information Technology. We continue analysis of documentation concerning digital signatures and data disclaimers to be used with release of data. Recommendations/Next Tasks:

• Continue to work with the Surveyor General Branch in maintaining the standards in both the Practice Manual and the General Instructions. Need to produce structured format of Practice Manual to allow hyperlinks to relevant sections and to the electronic checklists being developed by the plan review project.

• Continue with work to address certification and control of digital files • To update Manual sections on GPS technology and to ensure consistency

across similar Associations. • Deal with new issues that are raised throughout the year. • Recruit additional interested members.


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Conclusions: I would like to thank the members for their ongoing work on this committee. I would also like to thank Jim Gunn for his work on the Manual and preparing the meeting minutes, and J.C. Tétreault for his direction, and coordination of the meetings and work between the various ACLS committees and Martha Reeve for recent assistance with scheduling and minutes. The Committee thanks Steve Howard and Martha Burchat for their dedicated involvement as members over the past several years and to Patrick Boudreau for his recent contribution. I have stepped down as Chair and Julia Meldrum Smith has agreed to continue with the Committee in that position. Respectfully submitted, Tom Bunker, Chair, February 28, 2012


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NORTH OF 60° REGIONAL GROUP

Northwest Territories & Nunavut

The 2011/12 executive for our regional group: • Chairperson – Andrew Brebner • Vice Chairperson – Kyle Harrington • Treasurer – Cameron Twa • Secretary – Leslie Smith

As a regional group we’ve dad a fairly quiet year with wrap-up meeting and BBQ for local members/volunteers from the 2011 Yellowknife AGM. Thanks to Cameron Twa and Erin O’Rourke for hosting the BBQ. The Surveyor-in-a-Crate was delivered to the principal of the William MacDonald School in Yellowknife and it was utilized by one or more teachers in classes in the Grade 7/8 range. We will be looking into more activity for this promotional tool in the coming months. Our currently group membership includes 16 CLSs and several CLS candidates within the Northwest Territories & Nunavut. Overall numbers have been somewhat stable over the past few years but have and will continue to take place. Dave Urso joined us from Sault St. Marie last summer. Kyle Harrington will be leaving Yellowknife in the May/June timeframe and moving to Nova Scotia to practice there. We are looking forward to what the upcoming season will bring. Respectfully, Andrew Brebner Chairperson, ACLS North of 60 Group (Northwest Territories & Nunavut)


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YUKON REGIONAL GROUP

We are pleased to report on the activities of the Yukon Regional Group for this past year. The present Yukon Group Executive consists of the following individuals:

• Chair Bruce Underhill • Vice Chair Brian Thompson • Treasurer Gabe Aucoin/Val Wiseman • Secretary Brian Thompson • Director Paul Lewis • Past-Chairperson Katie Munroe

There are currently 16 members of the Yukon Regional Group. Updates and Issues facing the RG:

• Land Titles Office Relations and Yukon Government Act Reviews In the past year, the Land Titles Office has initiated a review of its office and procedures. This is a welcomed review from the perspective of the Regional Group. As part of this review, Lora Bansely from the Information Services Corporation of Saskatchewan was appointed to act as Land Titles Inspector. As part of her review, she interviewed private sector CLS members as well as CLS staff from Surveyors General Branch. Also interviewed were representatives from the lawyers in town, Yukon government departments, and the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce. She will be compiling a report outlining recommendations for change. To date this report has not been released to the public, but is eagerly anticipated. The Yukon Government has committed to a modernization of the Land Titles Office, to be completed within three years. It is hoped that part of this modernization will allow for access to title documents via a digital format. Along with improving the functionality of the Land Titles Office itself, reviews of the Land Titles Act and the Condominium Act are beginning. Both of these Acts are out of date in many ways, and have led to difficulties and confusion stemming from the high amount of land development currently taking place in the Yukon. The Yukon Regional Group is very pleased that these Acts are being reviewed, and that we will be invited to participate in the review. We already participated in discussions which has led to some interim legislation being introduced to deal with some “Quick Fixes” in the current Acts.

• Restructuring of the Whitehorse Surveyor General Office It was recently announced following the federal budget that changes would be occurring with the Whitehorse Surveyor General Office. At this point, it is understood that the Whitehorse office will be reduced in size. Part of this is due to the end of land claim surveys within the Yukon, some staff will be moving to other southern offices and some will potentially be laid off. Several services currently performed in Whitehorse will be provided by the southern offices in the future. These changes are being closely watched in particular by the private sector members of the Regional Group. With strong economic growth in the Yukon, changes that could affect project timelines in particular are of concern. Also of concern is that without a strong local presence, resolution of more local survey issues with be complicated.


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• Creation of Yukon Government-Yukon Canada Lands Surveyors – NRCan Liaison Committee

In the fall of 2011, a new committee was formed to bring together the private sector CLS members, Surveyor General Branch staff and Yukon Government staff from the Lands and Land Planning departments. The goals for the group were to establish a working relationship for:

• Information sharing recognizing the varying jurisdictional and complex nature of land management and property rights in Yukon;

• Identifying ways to enhance service delivery to mutual public clients; • Consideration of efficiencies between agencies and streamlining of

processes on behalf of clients; • Identifying options to add value to existing processes and encourage

ways to work effectively between agencies/private sector; • Implementing a common understanding of government and private sector

roles and responsibilities (so public receives consistent advice). • Fostering common understanding of current legislative requirements and

pending YG land management initiatives. To date, two meetings have been held. It is hoped that this initiative will continue into the next year.

• $1000 Scholarship The Yukon Regional Group has an annual scholarship for a Yukon student attending a post-secondary institution in the field of Geomatics. This past year we received 4 applications and were pleased to make the award to Robin Cunningham. Robin entered his final year of the Geomatics Engineering Program at BCIT this past fall. This was the twelfth year for the scholarship.

• Peter Gzowski Invitational (PGI) Golf Tournament Our ACLS Yukon Group once again measured the longest drive competition at the 18th hole of the Peter Gzowski Invitational (PGI) golf tournament for literacy. This is a yearly event that the group takes part in. Our ACLS banner was prominently displayed, and we were able to raise money to improve literacy in the Yukon. Katie Munroe, CLS 2011 Chairperson, Yukon Regional Group


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THE NEW ACLS PLAN REVIEW CHECKLIST SYSTEM (MYCLSS)

The use of MyCLSS became mandatory for relevant plans on August 1, 2011. Since then the system has been widely used among CLSs and has been upgraded to suit the needs of those who use it. Some of the things that have been changed are:

• Members are able to retrieve their password without contacting the ACLS office

• When a checklist is submitted, the system will stay in checklist window as opposed to going to the My Projects page

• Members working for entities with branch offices are able to select the invoicing address and the correct tax will be added.

• The system will display up to 10 projects per page in the My Projects panel

• Internet Explorer 9 and Fire Fox 7.0.1 browsers are now supported

• Members are able to upload up to 10 MB of supporting documents when requesting survey instructions and when uploading pdf copies of plans after submitting checklists.

Because MyCLSS is an evolving system, upgrades will continue to be made in order to be sure that all CLSs are able to use the system to the best of its potential.

MANDATORY CPD AND TRACKING SYSTEM

Since announcing that Continuing Professional Development had become mandatory for all ACLS license holders starting January 1, 2011, ACLS has been working to make keeping track of hours easier. ACLS has launched a CPD Tracking System that allows members to easily keep a record of all CPD hours that they have accumulated through the ACLS website.

agm reports 2012

Documents