1972 - Errors & Omissions Insurance

    President Ross Tate reported to the membership at the 1972 Annual General Meeting that the long hoped for university course in higher survey education has been dropped as a result of all budgets at the University of Alberta being severely cut. President Tate said that the Association would regroup its forces and set a new plan of action.

In 1972, the Alberta Society of Survey Technicians and Technologists held their first meeting and a committee was established to study the feasibility of setting up a national council of survey associations. This national council became the Canadian Council of Land Surveyors in 1975.

President Tate reported that, in his visit to the BCLS Annual General Meeting, a commerce student had undertaken a socio-economic study of the surveying profession in British Columbia. The student intimated that he would be reluctant to take the responsibilities of a land surveyor unless the monetary rewards were in excess of $20,000 per year. With that in mind, the ALSA membership debated amendments to the recommended Tariff of Fees.

Information was presented to Council on the progress made thus far with regard to errors and omissions insurance for survey firms and later Council gave approval to circulate a letter and questionnaire on coverage to the membership but the number of responses was quite poor. However, by the end of the year, 30 plus firms had indicated that they would be interested in the E&O insurance program that would be initiated by a Calgary-based firm. It was then suggested that the other western provinces may be interested in obtaining insurance coverage through the same group plan.

At the same time, Council reviewed draft regulations to govern all surveys in unsurveyed territory, as well as Ontario's proposal for an expanded profession, the Code of Ethics and the Association's by-laws.

There was considerable concern that consideration should be given to define branch and field offices and whether they should be manned by qualified personnel, with the possibility of having new by-laws introduced. It was also mentioned that some consideration be given to bringing limited companies under the scope of the Association. This situation must have prompted Council to adopt policy statements that survey firms listing their name in the telephone directory yellow pages under the ALS block be required to show the names of the Alberta Land Surveyor resident at those locations.

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