Each of the professional regulatory organizations for land surveyors in Canada have signed a
mutual recognition agreement (MRA) to promote labour mobility for land surveyors across the country.
The professional regulatory organizations in Canada recognize that there is a high level of commonality with regards to threshold levels of competence, requirements for initial licensing and professional standards and ethics. However, it is also recognized that there is unique knowledge that is specific to each regulator’s jurisdiction.
In Alberta, if a person holds a license in good standing to practice land surveying in another Canadian jurisdiction, the Alberta Land Surveyors' Association (ALSA) requires that person to pass a jurisdictional examination in order to be eligible to be registered as an Alberta Land Surveyor.
Please click here, for more information.
Applicants may choose to become an affiliate member of the Alberta Land Surveyors' Association (ALSA), but this is not a requirement to write the jurisdictional examination.
The advantage of becoming an affiliate member is that it ensures that the applicant receives current information from the ALSA.
To become an affiliate member, the applicant must submit the following to the ALSA:
- The application for affiliate membership available online here.
- A Certificate of Conduct from all of the Canadian associations in which the candidate is currently licensed as a land surveyor. The certificate of conduct is to be emailed directly to the ALSA.
- The fees required by the bylaws. Currently, the fee is $200 plus GST. (Annual fees are $200 plus GST and are due by April 30th each year. An invoice will be emailed no later than March 15th.)
The application will be reviewed by the Registration Committee who will then confer membership in the ALSA as an affiliate member on behalf of Council.
An application for affiliate membership may be refused if the applicant’s license to practice land surveying in any other Canadian jurisdiction is encumbered or restricted in any way.
If the application is refused, an applicant may appeal the Registration Committee decision to Council within 30 days.
An applicant wishing to write the jurisdictional exam must submit the following to the Alberta Land Surveyors' Association (ALSA):
- The jurisdiction exam application form available online here.
- A Certificate of Conduct from all of the Canadian associations in which the candidate is currently licensed as a land surveyor. The certificate of conduct is to be emailed directly to the ALSA.
- The examination fee required by the bylaws. Currently, the examination fee is $500 plus GST.
Once the ALSA has received a completed application (form, certificate of conduct and fee), the applicant is eligible to write the jurisdictional examination.
The ALSA will confirm the date, time and location to write the jurisdictional exam. The examination does not necessarily need to be written in Alberta.
For the first attempt at the jurisdictional examination by an applicant, the examination will be available within a maximum 30 calendar days of receiving the completed application.
To be eligible to write the jurisdictional examination, the applicant must currently hold a license to practice land surveying in at least one other Canadian jurisdiction. None of the applicant’s licenses may be encumbered or restricted in any way.
Applicants will be examined on their knowledge and ability to apply pertinent acts and regulations as it relates to land surveying in Alberta. The ALSA has established the following core competencies for jurisdictional candidates:
This examination will include questions on evaluating evidence, measurement science, the Alberta Land Surveyors’ Association and a variety of real world problems. Typical survey question that may be included: rights of way, subdivisions, condominiums, real property reports, survey control networks, the DLS township system, unsurveyed territory, wellsites, hybrid cadastre, natural boundaries, traverse problems, and so on.
Emphasis will be placed on situations requiring some degree of discretion and professional judgement.
Applicants will have a maximum of four hours to complete the jurisdictional examination. A pass mark is 75%.
The Association shall attempt to provide the results of the jurisdictional examination within ten business days of the exam being written.
Written examinations will not be returned to individual applicants, posted online or available in hardcopy format.
Click here to review past professional examinations for articling pupils.
Click here for examination procedures and conduct requirements.
Illness
If you are not feeling well, stay home. If you have any of the following symptoms: fever (greater than 38°C) cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose or are not generally feeling well DO NOT ATTEND.
If you get sick or are impacted by an unforeseen circumstance while attending a exam:
- Speak immediately to the chairperson/exam invigilator and return all exam papers before leaving the exam room.
- The pupil/candidate will need to submit a letter to the Registration Committee signed by both the pupil/candidate and principal (if applicable) explaining the circumstance as to why they had to leave. This should include any supporting documentation and a request that the exam not be marked and fees be deferred to the next exam sitting. The letter should be received by the ALSA office within one week of the scheduled exam date.
- The letter will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Registration Committee and a written response will be provided within 30 days of the receipt of the letter.
- The pupil/candidate may appeal the decision of the Registration Committee within 30 days of receipt of the written response. The appeal shall be heard by a panel with a minimum of three members of the Registration Committee who were not involved with the original decision. The appeal is based on the material the Registration Committee had at the time of the original decision.
Final marks are sent out to the applicant, who have 30 days of receiving the results to appeal . Each appeal is sent to two markers from the Registration Committee who independently mark the exams using the provided answer key. Once the appeal is marked, the results are provided to a lead marker who is responsible for compiling the marks into a spreadsheet. The final mark of the exam will be determined as follows:
- If both markers grade the exam less than 75%, the final mark is the average from the two markers.
- If both markers grade the exam at 75% or greater, the final mark is the average from the two markers.
- If one marker passes the exam and one fails the exam, the lead marker will independently mark the exam. The exam passes if two out of three markers pass the exam and the average mark of the three markers is 75% or greater.
The fee for an appeal is $150 plus GST.
The appeal results will be provided to the candidate within 30 days of the appeal being received.
If an applicant needs to re-write the jurisdictional examination, there will be a waiting period before they are able to attempt the examination again.
For the second attempt at the jurisdictional examination, the examination will be available within a maximum 30 calendar days after the appeal period for the first attempt expires, or if the right to appeal is waived, within a maximum 30 calendar days of receiving the notice of waiving the right to appeal.
For the third attempt at the jurisdictional examination, there will be a waiting period of 90 days after the appeal period for the previous attempt expires, or if the right to appeal is waived, 90 calendar days after receiving the notice of waiving the right to appeal.
For subsequent attempts, there will be a waiting period of one year after the appeal period for the previous attempt expires, or if the right to appeal is waived, 365 calendar days after receiving the notice of waiving the right to appeal.
If the Registration Committee of the Alberta Land Surveyors' Association (ALSA) determines that an applicant does not have the required level of jurisdictional knowledge to successfully complete the requirements, then experience may be the way to gain that knowledge. The onus is on the applicant to gain the required knowledge by whatever means he or she chooses. The onus is not on the ALSA to define a period or type of training although the ALSA may make recommendations.
The waiting period was agreed to by all land surveying professional regulatory organizations in Canada.