AOLS In Sight: By-law 2021-01; Provincial Survey Record Index; Reminder: Survey Monkey re Fair Fees for Field Notes; Construction Guidelines; CPD Update

AOLS In Sight

Issue 18

September 3, 2021

In This Issue

By-Law 2021-01

Provincial Survey Records Index

Reminder: Survey Monkey re Fair Fees for Field Notes

Construction Guidelines

CPD Update

News from our Suppliers

By-Law 2021-01

The voting for by-law 2021-01 has closed and the by-law has passed. 261 votes were cast with 233 in favour of the by-law, 21 opposed and 7 abstentions. As a result, your plan submission log will now have to be maintained in accordance with the by-law. Please log into the members' website and see: https://members.aols.org/splash/member-tools/policies/by-laws or click here to see the by-law.

Provincial Survey Records Index

Please be reminded that Ontario Regulation 216/10 has been updated and it is now necessary to enter a record of each of your cadastral surveys into the Provincial Survey Records Index (PSRI) or another system approved by Council (e.g. LSR, Pimarc) within one month of completion of the project or of signing the plan. A recent report demonstrated that many firms are not yet loading records. Should you require assistance, the PSRI data custodian, iLookabout, would be pleased to help you get going. Please contact mike.power@ilookabout.com for assistance.

Reminder: Survey Monkey re: Fair Fees for Field Notes

The issues associated with surveyors doing proper research and the amounts charged for survey records are always a concern for surveyors, firms and the association. The last survey monkey questionnaire and final report completed in 2017 aimed to gauge the extent of the problem and determine fair fees. This report from the task force also recommended to review a price structure for field notes on a regular basis. The results led to the passing of Bulletin 2020-01, which dealt with the pricing of field notes. The fee issue was raised again at the 2021 AGM open forum. Council has asked the task force to once again review how survey records are shared and return recommendations. The attached questionnaire attempts to measure whether any changes occurred in the interim and whether there are other challenges that need further consideration.

You are kindly reminded that any existing Acts, Regulations, By-Laws and Bulletins dealing with the distribution of records are still in effect.

Construction Guidelines

From: Brian Maloney, Executive Director

The Professional Standards Committee has created the first version of Construction Guidelines (please see attached). If you have any comments you can respond to the Post on the Members' Website or you can email brian@aols.org. The Committee will consider comments for future releases.

CPD Update

As a reminder, this is the final year of the 3-year cycle for CPD requirements most surveyors. Please be reminded that you require 66 hours of Professional Development and 36 hours of Formal Education Courses in the 3-year cycle. Members practicing less than 100 days per year require an additional 30 hours of Formal Activities or Professional Activities or a combination thereof. Please do not leave it until the end to meet these requirements or enter your data into GeoEd.

Please log into GeoEd to view or edit your profile, submit and edit CPD activities, and view your CPD cycle report as well as your past CPD submissions by year. The process of CPD entry is similar to the one that our members are used to, with a few minor changes. Should you encounter any issues or "bugs" with GeoEd, please notify Colleen Gambier at cgambier@aols.org.

Also, please note that some useful CPD information from various AOLS presentations and AGM's are noted on the AOLS website at https://members.aols.org/splash/my-membership/my-cpd/aols-cpd-activities-2019-21.

Of course, AOLS-provided activities are not the only way to earn CPD time! Please feel free to submit your hours gained by attending courses provided by other organizers, participating in relevant meetings, and so on. If you choose a professional activity not sanctioned by the AOLS, be sure to add the appropriate details with your input.

As always, with any CPD-related questions or concerns, please contact Colleen Gambier at cgambier@aols.org.

News from our Suppliers

Brandt

Workflow Warrior

Trade in your current total station (any brand, any condition) and receive $5,000 off the purchase of an all-new model from Topcon or Sokkia. This special offer includes the following models:

Topcon GT-1200/600 robotic total station
Topcon GTL-1000 scanning robotic total station
Sokkia iX Series robotic total station

These durable robotic total stations are 30% smaller and lighter and deliver 180° of turning speed for fast, accurate layout and surveying tasks. Plus, get three years of warranty on the instrument and a five-year motor warranty on select models. Offer expires October 31, 2021. Please see attached for more information.

Do you have suggestions for the AOLS In Sight content?

If you have come across some information that you think will be of interest to other members, please let us know by emailing cgambier@aols.org. Your suggestions are always welcome!