Brian Munday, Executive Director

It’s summertime so now might be a good time to catch up on some things that you might have missed.
  
The CPD Fall Forum
Director of Practice Review Kurt Popadynetz and ALSA staff member Kerry Barrett are hard at work creating the inaugural CPD Fall Forum.
 
Set aside October 23 and 24 for two days of continuing professional development.
 
Since the 2025 AGM was in Edmonton, the Fall Forum will be in Calgary.
 
Details to be confirmed but the intent is to offer a variety of continuing professional development sessions for Alberta Land Surveyors, get a mid-year update from the president, and the chance to mingle and socialize with your fellow professionals.
  
Evidence Assessment Field Manual
The Evidence Assessment Field Manual is now available on the ALSA website.
 
The purpose of this document is to aid surveyors and their staff in assessing evidence in the field.  It compiles three separate documents into one comprehensive resource for examining township evidence and dating survey monuments.  The three originating documents are:

• Bulletin 38
• Pits and Mound Calculations derived from Bulletin 38
• Monument Report

 
There is also a submission form for practitioners to submit information and pictures about new types of monuments.
  
Artificial Intelligence, Fraud, and the Land Surveyor
I recently came across a CBC Fifth Estate article with the headline, “Ontario architect's seal forged by remote worker believed to be North Korean fraudster.” According to the article, “the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has in recent years engaged thousands of remote workers whose purpose is to generate revenue for the regime, according to an international advisory issued by the U.S. government.”
 
“They also masquerade as licensed professionals on freelance websites offering to do things like reviewing and approving engineering or architectural plans with forged stamps.”
 
What can be do with AI seems limitless. However, I believe that, if the ALSA is going to do something in the realm of artificial intelligence, one of the first places we should look at is how to prevent the unauthorized use of a land surveyor’s signature and permit stamp.
 
What do you do to protect your signature and permit stamp?
  
PRB Interpretations
Just a quick reminder that the ten PRB Interpretations can be found in the Essential Resources for Alberta Land Surveyors document. ERD, as it is affectionately called within the ALSA office, is publicly available on the ALSA website.
  
Code of Ethics/ Entry onto Property
At the end of the day when I get a chance to take a deep breath, I am always impressed how few phone calls we get about a land surveyor entering onto a property or damaging a property.
 
But when we do get those phone calls, it is always so frustrating because they could almost always be avoided.
 
Another quick reminder to review Part C, Section 3 of the Rules of Professional Conduct regarding the protocol for entry onto property. A reasonable effort needs to be made and an Alberta Land Surveyor has a duty to train their field staff.
 
Part B, Section 5 (Property Damage Mitigation) of the Essential Resources for Alberta Land Surveyors document provides the text for the “while you were out” cards for both urban and rural properties. Whenever I get a trespass or property damage phone call, the first thing I ask is whether a “while you were out” card was left in the mailbox or at the front door.
 
 Permit Responsibility
Each year, the ALSA requires every surveyor’s corporation and partnership to submit a corporate renewal form to us. On the form, “the corporation must indicate the names of one or more Alberta Land Surveyors who are full-time permanent employees… who are supervising the practice of the corporation or partnership and who are assuming professional responsibility for it.”
 
If you are taking responsibility for the head office or branch office of the business entity, what actually does that mean? Do you understand what your obligations and liabilities are by signing off that you will take on that role?
  
Wetland Authentication
Almost ten years ago now, Alberta Environment and Parks (as it was known at the time) was tasked with developing a new Alberta wetland policy and to provide assurance to Albertans that wetlands are being managed to a high professional standard.

Ten professional regulatory organizations worked together with government to implement a practice standard for professional practice and provide authenticating professionals within those professional regulatory organizations with a competency guideline for wetland science.
 
If an Alberta Land Surveyor wishes to authenticate regulatory documents submitted as part of a Water Act application, the practitioner must have a declaration signed by the Registrar of the Alberta Land Surveyors' Association in accordance with the Professional Responsibilities in Completion and Assurance of Wetland Science, Design and Engineering Work in Alberta document.
 
In order to receive the declaration, the practitioner must complete the application and provide the required documents. The material will be reviewed by the registrar and, if acceptable, it will be approved by the registrar.
 
More information is available on the ALSA website.
  
Land Titles’ Title Talk
Alberta Land Titles now produces a monthly newsletter called Title Talk. If you don’t already subscribe to it, it’s something you should consider. The June issue, for example, contained an article on “tips for successful registrations” and another one on their registries modernization initiative.
  
Communication
Poor communication continues to be the most common reason why a person files a discipline complaint against a land surveyor.
 
Communication will be one of the new competency-based courses that applicants will need to pass to become an Alberta Land Surveyor.
 
More specifically, they will need to be able to demonstrate…
 

• Communicates in a clear, respectful manner.
  • Displays the ability to communicate in a clear, respectful manner to clients.
  • Displays the ability to communicate in a clear, respectful manner to the public.
  • Displays the ability to communicate in a clear, respectful manner to staff.

 

• Maintains communication with the Alberta Land Surveyors’ Association (ALSA) and other registrants.
  • Can adequately explain when to notify the ALSA.
  • Displays the ability to establish collaborative professional relationships with other land surveyors.

 
There is no reason why anyone needs to wait to improve their skills in this area. Take the time to speak with your articling students now about the importance of communication in these areas. Do your own internal audit to see how well you are communicating in your practice.
  
Plan Corrections
If you need to make a correction to a plan under Section 91 or Section 92 of the Land Titles Act, you must first apply to Council. On the ALSA website, you will find a template for the letter you can send to Council.
 
If the plan was originally done under a different corporate permit stamp and that permit stamp is still in use, Council expects that the land surveyor making the application under Section 91 or Section 92 will have spoken with the original surveyor’s corporation to inform them of the proposed correction and find out if they have any information in their files.
 
Have a great rest of your summer!

PS: One of the privileges of being editor of this online magazine is the freedom to share some personal milestones. I am thrilled to introduce my first grandchild, Emersyn Munday, born July 28^th.