Corner Post Spring 2009 SLSA Volume XXX - Number 1 Quarterly Newsletter of the Saskatchewan Land Surveyors’ Association Your partner in the Field Best Values on the Market SRX Robotic Total Station 2700ISX RTK GPS SRX…fully robotic, fully tracking, auto pointing, GSR2700ISX…an advanced GNSS (Global total station with on-demand target reacquisition. Navigation Satellite System) receiver, triple frequency GPS & GLONASS tracking capability. SALES SERVICE RENTALS TRAINING FOCUS 10 Robotic EPOCH 35 Leica FlexLine Total Station RTK GPS Total Station The Focus 10 The Epoch 35 The FlexLine, comes with long- RTK GPS/GLONASS Leica’s newest range refl ectorless System provides robust Total Station technology, allowing fi eld performance for … as fl exible you to measure rugged surveying as you are. remote objects conditions. without a prism. Contact us for demonstration and pricing! Calgary Edmonton Regina Richmond Prince George 1-800-661-1129 1-800-661-8816www.butlersurvey.com(306) 525-6422 1-800-667-5944 1-866-399-8940 Corner Post Spring 2009 SLSA Volume XXX, Number 1 In this Issue In This Issue SLSA Corner Post is published by the A National Home for Land Information Professionals - Jim Statham ..7 Saskatchewan Land Surveyors’ Association for circulation to its members. Agreement on Internal Trade - Brian Munday ....................................10 Labour Mobility in Saskatchewan - Carl Shiels ..................................11 Deadlines for articles are the last Friday in Due Dilligence - Jennifer Beaulieu .....................................................12 December, March, June and September. The Centennial of the IBC ..................................................................14 The opinions of the contributing writers BCIT Geomatics Update - Ian Lloyd...................................................16 may not be consistent with those of Creating a Safe Workplace ................................................................21 the Council of the Saskatchewan Land The Value of Professional Services - Bryan Bates ............................24 Surveyors’ Association. Articles may be U.S. Standard Railroad Gauge - (author unknown) ...........................28 reprinted with appropriate credit given to Geodetic Survey Division Celebrates Centenary ..............................29 the authors, unless it is under copyright. Level Bubbles - Robert Reese ...........................................................30 Address all correspondence to: Controlling a Photogrammetric Model From the Sky - Jas Arnold.....32 A Funny Thing Happened On My Way Out ... - Jeffery N. Lucas ......34 Doug Bouck, SLS (Ret.) - Editor Are You the Lowest Paid Professional in the Room? - .....................36 408 Broad Street #230 Regina, Saskatchewan S4R 1X3 Phone: 306-352-8999 Fax: 306-352-8366 Regular Features e-mail: [email protected] President’s Message - Ravi Shrivastava ..............................................2 web site: www.slsa.sk.ca Council Highlights - A. Carl Shiels .......................................................4 Councillor’s Corner - Lee Andersen .....................................................6 Biography of Ralph William Clark #086 - Jack Webb ..........................8 2008/2009 Council Cover Story President Ravi B. Shrivastava Vice President Dave L. Gurnsey So exactly what is the best way to preserve survey monuments? This is one approach, taken by surveyors with NRCan, to Past President R. Dale Rosnes protect important monuments that have a history of destruction Public Member Terry Alm or are likely to be at risk due to construction or farm activity. Councillors Jade W. McLeod These three, 7 ft long, large-diameter steel pipes extend 3 ft Conrad B. Swenson into the ground and are filled with gravel or concrete. Bright Lee A. Andersen red paint was used to improve noticeablility and reflective tape has since been added to improve night-time visibility for snow Jack S. Redding mobile operators. Administration This particular monument is on the west boundary of the Assiniboine Indian Reserve #76 east of Regina. The number Executive Director A. Carl Shiels of the reserve is indicated on the marker post (not visible in the photo). Office Hours Office hours are: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on all regular business days. SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 1 My term as president of the association’s am confident that the over-riding sense of 99th year is c oming to end in June and I want professionalism that I’ve witnessed across to start off my last communication from the country will continue to minimize such President’s this forum by thanking all of my colleagues problems. Perhaps a greater issue is the for the opportunity to serve. One cannot need for associations to develop new and Message overstate the extent of the learning and innovative ways to impart the unique local leadership development opportunity the survey knowledge to those who need and position of president provides. seek it. The fellow surveyors must feel welcomed in their new home generating a Namrata and I have had the good fortune sense of belonging, affiliation and pride. to attend several of our sister association’s annual meetings, and to make many new The transformation of the CCLS from an friends. As I know all presidents have association of associations to an association discovered, the friendships that were of individuals, drawn from the broadest formed will probably extend well beyond possible spectrum of survey professionals, the whirlwind of the presidential year. is expected to be complete within the year. No doubt there will be some bumps along I also know that I am not unique in the way but, in the end, it will expand the my amazement at how, in spite of our profession and enhance its profile locally, geographic, personal, and cultural nationally, and internationally. One of differences, the values, interests and Ravi B. Shrivastava the more intriguing aspects of the new SLS, P. Surv., CLS, P. Eng. concerns for surveyors across this association will be its governance structure President sprawling land are essentially the same. and how it will relate to and coordinate Most associations are facing challenges with, the regulatory survey bodies as they with the very real prospect of declining Upcoming Events will continue to exist in each jurisdiction. membership numbers as Baby Boomers Greater detail on this aspect will become Apr. 23 - 25 ALSA AGM wind down toward retirement. There is available over the next few months. Banff, AB a growing urgency to attract new, young May 27 - 29 ACLS AGM members at a time when competition is The rapid implosion of the world’s Canmore, AB keen from all of the other professions. As economies, stemming from the US banking an integral part of the recruitment process, fiasco, is being felt in Saskatchewan but, at May 28 - 30 ANLS AGM survey associations are now working, in least so far, it appears that we continue to The Wilds, NF various ways, to raise the profile of the be a tiny oasis of opportunities as more and Jun. 11 - 13 SLSA AGM profession. The single greatest over- more people discover or re-discover the Waskesiu, SK riding sentiment within all associations is advantages we have in this province. the need to maintain the highest possible Sep. 25 - 27 OAGQ AGM As of May, I will have completed my fourth Mont-Tremblant, PQ standards for our profession in order to assure protection of the public’s right to year of participation on Council. What a Oct. 21 - 22 CIG AGM property ownership. In that regard, we marvellous opportunity and experience! I Montreal, PQ can all be extremely proud of what our urge all of our younger members to take full Oct. 22 - 24 ANSLS AGM profession is and stands for in Canada. advantage of the opportunities that active Digby, NS participation in your profession has to offer. This past year can be characterized as one New ideas and energy are essential for the of major and rapid changes in our business ongoing renewal required by the Standing philosophy. Although the concept of labour Committees and Council. This is the only mobility has been around for a number of way in which your association will continue years and spawned the Mutual Recognition to evolve and remain vibrant as we look Agreement (MRA), the April 1 deadline for forward to the next century of professional the elimination of all material barriers to service in Saskatchewan. labour mobility, by the professions, forced the survey community to take a hard It has been a long winter and I hope the look at exactly what is really required to spring is here to stay - finally. This is the assess the ability of a fellow professional time for recreation and rejuvenation – work to practice in another jurisdiction. In the safe, work hard, work smart and maintain a end, the decision to go with a single, on- decent work-life balance. demand, half day exam on local knowledge Cheers! became the de facto standard. While there is concern that such a move could lead to Ravi increases in problems of quality control, I Corner Post 2 SLSA SSpringpring 22009009 lewis instruments ltd. 1438 ERIN STREET, WINNIPEG, MB R3E 2S8 PH. (204) 772-0366 FAX. (204) 783-2049 1-800-883-9984 For over 50 years, proudly serving surveying & engineering communities GPS SOLUTIONS FOR ALL ACCURACIES REFLECTORLESS TOTAL STATIONS LEICA GPS z OCE COPIERS z HEWLETT PACKARD PLOTTERS SCANNERS z FILING SOLUTIONS z FIELD SUPPLIES z DRAFTING REPRESENTING z Océ z Schonstedt z Leica z Garmin z Sokkia z Rolatape z CST z Lufkin z Aervoe Pacific z Planhold z Mayline z Eslon z Staedtler Mars z Kohinoor z Hewlett Packard Your complete survey repair facility SURVEYING zzGPS ENGINEERING zLASERS zREPAIRS zRENTALS SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 3 2008/2009 - Meeting #6 • The CCLS president was expected to provide confirmation of the plans at the Council ANBLS AGM AOLS AGM. ¾ In response to the new requirements of ¾ Career Awareness Highlights Labour Mobility Chapter of the Agreement • The web-based career awareness facility on Internal Trade (AIT), most associations is in the final stages of testing and have been moving toward the TILMA is expected to ‘go live’ some time in model for reviewing applications for March.