Kurt Popadynetz, ALS
Director of Practice Review

At the end of last year, in early December, I had the pleasure of being invited to attend the ALSA Council meeting, along with other committee chairs, as part of my role as chair of the Professional Development Committee. Possibly (read undoubtedly) swayed by the promise of lunch, I was eager to attend in person and see some colleagues and fellow surveyors. The premise of the meeting was to allow committee chairs an opportunity to provide the Council with a status update regarding their respective terms of reference – a ‘this is what we’ve been up to’ type of update. Drawing on this as an inspiration, I figured I’d take a retrospective look at 2024 as DPR.
 
In December, I also attended my children’s school holiday concert. To our ear’s delight, we were serenaded with holiday classics, re-written with lyrics promoting and highlighting the kids' school activities. For a brief pause, this also inspired me to look into crafting a Twelve Days of Christmas-styled update full of CCR statistics. Although I’m far from a credited songwriter, I figured this would be easy for the vast suite of AI available. Perfect.
 
But then I remembered a lesson I had been taught a while ago: Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. It's not that profound of a message, but it's certainly something good to ask occasionally. Along the same vein of ‘keep it simple’ and ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.’  And really… who of us, perhaps besides a former colleague who has since paddled his canoe to Ontario, would honestly want to read along and struggle to keep a tune in our heads?
 
So, to keep it simple, I’d like to share that in 2024, the PRB held nine (9) regular meetings in which eighty-nine (89) CCR files were reviewed. Of these 89 files:

• Twenty-two (22) files were conducted on non-authoring ALSs (no products).
• Eleven (11) reviews were completed on ALSs who have been licensed for less than five (5) years
• Eleven (11) comprehensive reviews were completed, two (2) being second comprehensive reviews.
• The sixty-seven (67) reviewed products consisted of:
  • Nineteen (19) Subdivision plans
  • Eighteen (18) Real Property Reports
  • Twelve (12) Disposition/Crown Plans (including Hybrid)
  • Ten (10) Right-of-Way Plans
  • Five (5) Wellsite (traditional survey)
  • One (1) Road Plan
  • One (1) Bareland Condominium Plan
  • One (1) Establishment of Monument Plan
• Six (6) resulted in requests for ALSs to be reviewed early in Phase 5.
• Five (5) resulted in requests for subsequent comprehensive reviews.
• Twelve (12) files required plan corrections.
• Zero (0) complaints were sent to the Registrar.

 
The majority of found drafting errors continue to be ‘simple’ items (spelling mistakes, overlapping text, draw order issues).
 
The most recurring recommendation to ALSs from the PRB was to “continue to improve your plan checking process.”
 
The point above may seem generic, but it is worthy of our attention. I have found most ‘errors’ on plans while completing simple closures on the final product. Use the final version of the plan to check and complete closures.  I distinctly recall three files where I found Details or Inset Details (viewports) overlooked/missed on the plan – all by completing (or trying to complete) a closure using the drafted plan. This has been mentioned in well-written articles, particularly noteworthy within the previous DPR’s (Scott Westlund, ALS) September 2022 closing article (to continue the pun), “Staying on message – Closures, closures, closures!”  I implore you to revisit this article and Westlund’s tips for completing closures.
 
Additionally, to provide a bit more… high-level closure…we are still undergoing Phase 4 of the CCR program, which commenced on March 1, 2022; two hundred and fifty-five (255) files have been opened, with approximately one-hundred and fifty-five (155) files remaining to be open. Phase 3, which commenced June 6, 2018, and consisted of four hundred and fifty-six (456) files, is still technically open, as one reviewed file has not been closed, as an outstanding plan correction requiring a court order is required. I am eager to see this closed in 2025.
 
Lastly, I’d like to draw from/build upon a comment I overheard at December’s Council meeting—a message of a positive and reassuring nature regarding humility and understanding. The CCR process is, at its core, designed to be educational, a purpose I strive to keep at the forefront of my approach. However, as the complexities of work and everyday life seem never to stop evolving, presenting new challenges and uncertainties, I have also been finding it increasingly necessary to extend and afford grace – to others and, perhaps most importantly, myself. Mistakes. Blunders. Oopsies. Whatever you want to call them, we all make them. Just remember, the important thing is to own the mistakes, learn from them, and afford grace to others who make the same.
 
Looking forward to a fantastic 2025!
 
For further reading of the previous article:
ALS News – From the DPR: Staying on message – Closures, closures, closures! - Scott Westlund, ALS
https://www.alsa.ab.ca/Governance/Weekly-News/View/ArticleId/2236/ALS-News-From-the-DPR-Staying-on-message-Closures-closures-closures-1