1960 - A Professional Outlook

    In 1959–1960, much of Council’s time was taken up with complaints concerning the professional ethics of some of the members. As a professional association, President Buck Olsen told the membership that he felt Alberta Land Surveyors had three main problems facing them – all of which stemmed from the “lack of a professional outlook.” First, there was a good deal of unprofessional, out-and-out soliciting taking place by members by or their representatives. “We hear our members express concern over the fact that they feel they do not receive proper recognition as a professional person and, at the same time, they will try to justify the necessity to solicit…”

The second difficulty, according to President Olsen, was one of keeping the profession of land surveying restricted to members of the profession. “We cannot retain our identity and remain as a proper professional body with our privileges as professionals if we allow ourselves to become associated with, in partnership, or employees or agents of, persons outside of our profession.”

The third problem facing the Association in 1960, according to President Olsen, was one of mass production. He asked the members to consider very closely and re-examine the Code of Ethics if they felt they could turn out survey products on a mass production basis.

Aside from these problems, President Olsen felt that Association members were in a good position as he made some fearless predictions as to what the years ahead would hold for our profession. He said that he believed the bulk of Alberta Land Surveyor’s work for the next two decades would stem from the following:

1. The production and export of natural gas;
2. The production and marketing of crude oil;
3. The explosion of our metropolitan centres;
4. The development of the resources in Canada’s northwest.

In other business at the Annual General Meeting, the membership enjoyed presentations on “The Land Surveyor and the Planner,” “The Foothills Control Survey,” “Proposal for Surveying Wellsites in Foothills” and a report on water boundaries.

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