The Alberta Land Surveyors' Association (ALSA) is the regulatory body for the land surveying profession in Alberta. The ALSA oversees the knowledge, skills, and proficiency of surveyors in Alberta and has a mandate to protect the public. Through its Registration Committee, the ALSA is responsible for the examination, licensing, and registration of land surveyors in Alberta.
An applicant is entitled to be registered as an Alberta Land Surveyor if they have the combination of education, practice requirements, examinations, and other qualifications that demonstrate the competence required for registration to the satisfaction of the Registration Committee.
You may be exempted from some of the ALSA’s regular examination and training requirements, if you currently hold a license to outside of Canada, and
a) you have a certificate of completion from the Canadian Board of Examiners for Professional Surveyors,
b) you are a member in good standing in a licensing body that regulates land surveying.
c) you have no outstanding complaints or discipline proceedings that relate to your competence or conduct.
d) you have no restrictions of conditions of practice imposed on you.
The exemption does not apply if you were educated outside of Canada but do not hold a license to practice land surveying. You are required to go through the ALSA’s articling process.
The Process
Review of Applicant’s Home Licensing
The Registration Committee of the ALSA will review the licensing requirements and regulatory regime of the licensing body in the country where you currently hold your license. This review will consider the following questions:
- Does the applicant’s licensing body regulate land surveying in that country?
- Does the licensing body require mandatory membership to practice land surveying in that country?
- Does the applicant’s licensing body have a discipline process?
- Does the applicant’s licensing body have continuing competency requirements?
- Does the applicant’s licensing body have a Code of Ethics?
Based on this review, the Registration Committee will determine which exemptions from the regular examination and training requirements you qualify for.
Exemptions
If the review of the licensing body in your country determines that the licensing body…
- Regulates land surveying
- Requires mandatory membership to practice land surveying
- Has a discipline process
- Has continuing competency requirements
- Has a Code of Ethics
…you may be exempt from all examination and training requirements, except for the oral qualifying exam.
If the review of the licensing body in your country determines that some of these requirements are missing, you will be required to do the oral qualifying exam and any additional examination and training requirements as outlined in the table below:
Requirement
|
Regulatory Regime
|
Additional examination and training
|
| Regulate Land Surveying |
No |
Required to go through articling process (see Pupil Handbook) |
| Mandatory Membership |
No |
Required to go through articling process (see Pupil Handbook) |
| Discipline Process and/or Code of Ethics |
No |
PPLS #1 and PPLS # 2 |
| Continuing Competency |
No |
PPLS #1 and PPLS # 2 |
How to Apply for an Exemption
To apply for an exemption from all of the regular examination and training requirements, you must first provide the following information to the ALSA Registration Committee:
- A certificate of completion from the Canadian Board of Examiners for Professional Surveyors (CBEPS). For more information, visit the CBEPS website.
- Proof that the licensing body where you currently hold your license does the following:
- Regulates land surveying
- Has mandatory registration
- Has a discipline process
- Has continuing competency requirements (if applicable)
- Has a Code of Ethics (if applicable)
- A CV that demonstrates your career in land surveying.
- A letter of good standing from your licensing body stating that:
- You have no outstanding complaints or discipline proceedings relating to your competence or conduct.
- You have no restrictions or conditions of practice imposed on you.
- You are deemed to be of good character.
If you have all of the above information except the CBEPS certificate of completion, you may submit all of the required information as long as you have already made an application to CBEPS.
Once everything has been submitted, your application will be reviewed by a panel of at least three members of the ALSA Registration Committee.
Cost
There is a fee of $250.00 plus GST and it must be submitted with your application. Any documents that are not provided in English will be subject to translation costs. Payment can be done through the ALSA website. Payment must be received before your application is forwarded to the Registration Committee.
There will be additional fees for any written exams, project reports, and oral qualifying exams.
More details on these fees can be found here.
Appeal Process
If your application for exemptions is denied by the Registration Committee, you can appeal the decision in writing within 30 days of receiving the written decision of the Registration Committee. Your written appeal must include the reasons for the appeal and can be emailed to the
ALSA.
Your appeal will be reviewed by a panel of at least three members of the Registration Committee who were not involved in the original decision. This panel will review your documentation and your written reasons for the appeal. An interview may also be requested.
The panel will complete its appeal review within 30 days after the appeal period expires and the documented reasons are received.
Examinations
Qualifying Examinations
The oral examination is an in-depth review of the core competencies that are required to be registered as an Alberta land surveyor. The interview also tests your ability to communicate with others. This exam ensures you are proficient in land surveying prior to your registration as a land surveyor.
For more information, please see the
Pupil Handbook.
The ALSA has procedures in place if the applicant is sick or impacted by unforeseen circumstances while attending an examination.
If you are required to complete any other examinations, please see the
Pupil Handbook.
Registration as an Alberta Land Surveyor
If you have passed the qualifying exam, and if you are at least 18 years of age and you are deemed to be of good character, congratulations, you are eligible to be registered as an Alberta Land Surveyor.
Click here for the steps the applicant now needs to take to become registered as an Alberta Land Surveyor.