1976 - Continuing and Unremitting Pressure

    President Hill told the membership that there is continuing and unremitting pressure on our educational institutions to upgrade the quality of instruction in survey science. The mood across Canada indicated a strong desire to ensure an upgrading of entrance standards to the degree level. Mr. Hill said that the graduate must be highly conversant in one or more of the following: EDM devices, instant positioning, inertial survey systems, Doppler satellite, geometric geodesy, photogrammetry and photo control, subdivision and site planning, environmental impact, computer hardware and software, digitizing, electronic plotting, and coordinate systems.

Mr. Hill challenged the membership to take a more independent progressive stance in advising clients of the most efficient, modern and economical methods of completing a job assignment. He felt that Association members had broken through some barriers in this regard such as wellsite surveys in remote areas, the Urban Integrated Control and Provincial Coordinate System and the Cadastral Mapping Program.

At the 1976 Annual General Meeting, the membership approved a new recommended tariff of fees for legal surveys. For the professional services of an Alberta Land Surveyor, the fee was to be no less than $40 per hour. At the same time, the federal government’s anti-inflation guidelines had to be taken into account when approving the new recommended tariff of fees.

The membership also considered adding a new section to the Land Surveyors Act to allow for survey corporations and partnerships. The Association had received a legal opinion indicating that an argument could be made that survey corporations could not legally incorporate.

A recommendation was brought forth, and approved, by the membership that a full-time secretary/manager be hired to look after the day-to-day affairs of the Association and to carry out the duties of the Secretary-Treasurer and Registrar. At this time, Ontario, British Columbia and the Canadian Institute of Surveying each had full-time staff persons. It was expected that the secretary/manager would carry out the duties formerly carried out by the University of Calgary, conduct research, provide continuity of representation at CCLS and other interprovincial meetings and oversee legislative changes.

President Hill also indicated to the membership that the J.H. Holloway Scholarship Foundation had been registered as a charitable foundation the previous November and that some funds had been received and members were encouraged to make contributions if they had not already done so.

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