Annual Report 2022 to 2023

For information regarding reproduction rights, contact Natural Resources Canada at copyright-droitdauteur@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.
Cat. No. M120-2E-PDF (Online) / ISSN 2564-1174
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Natural Resources, 2024

Table of contents

Message from the Surveyor General
The Surveyor General Branch – Who we are
Our programs
Program evaluation
Special projects
Strategic priorities and highlights 2022 to 2023
Responding to current and future challenges
Annex 1 – Contact us
Annex 2 – Program metrics
Annex 3 – SGB Dashboard projects
Annex 4 – Summary of Land Survey Capacity Development Training
Annex 5 – Publications
Annex 6 – Marine Spatial Governance in Canada workshops
Annex 7 – Human Resources Data

Message from the Surveyor General

I am pleased to present you the Surveyor General Branch’s (SGB) annual report for the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year, the thirteenth in a series that details our achievements, projects, and publications. This report will be the last one reporting against the Surveyor General Branch Integrated Business Plan 2020-2023. We are currently developing a new Integrated Business Plan (IBP) for the branch, which will define our new strategic priorities for the next three years.

This year’s annual report will showcase the great work of our branch in 2022 to 2023, highlighting the achievements made against our three current strategic priorities:

• Indigenous Peoples’ control of their lands and Northern Land Management
• Spatially enabling Canada to ensure the future well-being of our economy
• Protection of Canada’s oceans.

The report will also discuss how the SGB will respond to current and future challenges, including the gradual return to the workplace.

The SGB continued to grow its importance within Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) Lands and Minerals Sector (LMS). It contributed to several sector-wide project collaborations with other branches within NRCan, as well as with other federal departments. The SGB continued to ensure that Canadians had access to secure and reliable land survey systems, clearly defined boundaries, and accurate positioning information to meet Canada’s economic, social, and environmental needs.

As always, I invite you to review and provide comments on the report, and I look forward to your continued engagement.

Jean Gagnon
Surveyor General of Canada Lands
Canadian Commissioner, International Boundary Commission
Director General, Surveyor General Branch

The Surveyor General Branch – Who we are

Our mission has continuously been to ensure that Canadians have access to secure and reliable land survey systems, clearly defined boundaries, and accurate positioning information to meet Canada’s economic, social, and environmental needs. The SGB also contributes to the science and infrastructure that Canada needs to succeed in the global economy.

In 2022 to 2023, we had:

• a budget of $24,511,924.
• One hundred and sixty (160) employees, including survey engineers, geodetic engineers, survey technicians and support staff.
• Ten (10) regional offices (RO) across Canada and 1 office in the National Capital Region (refer to Annex 1 -Contact us).
• a dynamic workforce comprised of full-time and part-time staff, students, and seasonal staff.

Our programs

Our three programs align with several government priorities and commitments. Our work continues to contribute to NRCan’s core responsibilities related to natural resource science and risk mitigation by providing important information about Canada’s lands and supporting vital land management tools and practices.

• The Canada Lands Survey System (CLSS) helps to define, demarcate, and describe property boundaries and the extent of property rights for Canada Lands – the North, First Nations reserve lands, national parks, and offshore. With boundary certainty and a well-maintained property rights system, stakeholders can focus on community well-being and economic growth. A strong land survey system is especially significant to support Indigenous self-governance.
• The Canadian Geodetic Survey (CGS) provides the foundational positioning infrastructure, a fundamental reference framework that facilitates the accurate measurement of latitude, longitude, elevation, and gravity in Canada. It also monitors motion of our continental land mass in support of geomatics and geoscience. Such measurements are important not only for boundaries, but for anything for which precise geolocation matters, enabling mapping, land surveying, water management, and monitoring of natural hazards and engineering activities in Canada.
• The Canadian Section of the International Boundary Commission (IBC), in co-operation with its United States counterpart, preserves and maintains a clear and visible boundary between Canada and the United States. This work includes maintaining the boundary monuments and open vistas through forested areas, as well as regulating construction and work within 3 metres of the 8,891-kilometre boundary. Having a clearly visible Canada-United States boundary is essential to the safety of citizens who carry out activities near the border and to law enforcement agencies for protecting the security of Canadians and preserving our sovereignty.

Program evaluation

To ensure that we are delivering on our commitments effectively and providing high quality products and services to our clients, the SGB regularly reports on and assesses the performance of its programs (refer to Annex 2 – Program metrics). The SGB also tracks the progress and results of key projects that support our strategic priorities, as well those that help improve our daily operations. These projects are monitored through an evergreen dashboard that is updated every two months and shared with SGB management (refer to Annex 3 – SGB dashboard projects). In 2022 to 2023, four more dashboard projects were completed, bringing the total of completed projects to 12 out of the 26 projects identified under the Integrated Business Plan 2020-2023.

In addition to internal reporting, the branch periodically undergoes audits at the departmental level (except in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic). The last audit on the Canada Lands Survey (CLS) program was in 2019. As we are committed to address all recommendations of the Auditor, we continue working on the remaining recommendations of this audit, through tracking commitments to clients; reporting on performance and projects; and following up on client satisfaction surveys.

The SGB also developed a communications strategy to align with stakeholders’ requests for more person-to-person contact. The plan of action lists activities to be implemented to improve the planning of our engagement with our Indigenous communities. The SGB will also formally track in-person communication efforts to better document efforts and to identify regional or user-group gaps.

In 2020, the SGB conducted the 2020 Client Satisfaction Survey (CSS) for stakeholder groups, including Canada Lands surveyors, other government land approvers, and Indigenous end users and organizations. The CSS measured the satisfaction of clients’ experiences with the CLSS system. The findings from this survey will be used to improve the relationship with key stakeholders by providing a better understanding of how and why different client groups use these services, tools, and data. Overall satisfaction levels with the SGB’s services and digital tools were high in every audience; however, some points of improvement were identified by respondents.

In response to the survey, SGB has, over the last fiscal year, worked to address the improvements requested. An SGB Working Group comprised of managers and assistant directors was created to facilitate this process. Below is a list of improvements that will be implemented:

1. A revised guide for installing and retrieving MyKey.
2. Association of Canada Lands Surveyors (ACLS) training.
3. User videos for the Canada Lands e-Validation of Electronic Returns (CLEVER) and e-Approvals.
4. Improving and simplifying document searches.
5. Renewing the web map browser for a modern look and feel.
6. Adding a new version of the standards manual to incorporate additional specimen plans.

Special projects

Canada Lands Surveyors Act

In 2016, the ACLS submitted a request to the Minister of Natural Resources to amend the Canada Lands Surveyors Act to allow for a more transparent and robust complaints and discipline process and to better align with the Canadian Free Trade Agreement respecting labour mobility.

In 2021 to 2022, the SGB undertook the modernization of the Canada Lands Surveyors Act (the Act). The modernized act will reflect the evolving responsibilities of a self-governing profession. The update will also address the 2016 ACLS requests making the complaints and discipline process more transparent and robust and by reducing the regulatory burden on government and industry.

The Regulatory Modernization Bill was introduced in the Senate on March 31, 2022. The bill includes proposed changes to the Act. The Bill is currently in its second reading at the House of Commons. SGB is actively monitoring the progress of the Act and it is expected to receive royal assent in the upcoming fall. In collaboration with the Association of Canada Lands Surveyors, SGB has developed instructions to facilitate the modification of the Canada Lands Surveyors Regulations upon the Act's enactment. Additionally, the association is working on adjusting their bylaws to align with the anticipated changes made to the Act and regulations. This coordinated effort ensures that SGB will have the necessary bylaws ready for implementation in accordance with the Act's provisions. Following royal assent and the modification of the regulations, SGB will proceed with seeking approval through Orders in Council to bring the Act into force.

Elections Canada

According to the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. E-3), Natural Resources Canada is obligated to provide its services to the Director General of Elections and the Electoral Boundaries Commission. The Surveyor General Branch comprises expert land surveyors within NRCan who specialize in the preparation of land descriptions.

The primary responsibilities of the SGB are as follows:

• Developing comprehensive "Guidelines for Drafting Federal Electoral District Descriptions."
• Organizing and conducting workshops and training sessions for technical experts from Elections Canada who will be assigned to the Commissions.
• Offering guidance and advice on boundary descriptions throughout the entire process.
• Thoroughly reviewing each description (in both English and French) to ensure technical accuracy, clarity, consistency, and completeness.

The project started in August 2021 and ended in July 2023. In the scope of this project, the land surveyors of the SGB, divided into 5 regions (approximately 12 surveyors), have undertaken the verification of over 1400 land descriptions in both official languages (680 at phase 1; 1,600 at phase 2; and 120 at phase 3). Almost 1800 hours of work dedicated to the project or 234 person/day.

This project, which is conducted every 10 years following the census, saw notable challenges, including strict deadlines and a structured revision process. SGB's team successfully met all the established timelines and their diligent efforts resulted in a sound legal description for the electoral districts.

Strategic priorities and highlights 2022 to 2023

Priority 1: Indigenous Peoples control of their lands and Northern Land Management

During the last fiscal year, SGB continued to support Indigenous self-governance by providing hands-on, in-community training in land surveying to First Nation members through the Land Surveying Capacity Development program. As First Nation communities returned to normal operations following the pandemic, SGB’s efforts were focused on concluding training commitments with participating communities, as approved funding for this program ends in 2023 (refer to Annex 4 - Summary of Land Survey Capacity Development training).

The high-level goals of the program remain:

• to increase a community’s knowledge of land tenure systems and spatial data management to achieve aspirations of effective land management.
• to enhance surveying knowledge so that members can communicate their needs with the local surveying profession and enable members to participate in projects.
• To provide continuing education in science and technology – specifically geomatics.

The SGB continues to innovate and experiment with program delivery options, listening to the feedback received from participants. Over the five years of the program funding, the delivery has become much more flexible and customizable to the diverse needs and approaches of different communities. Our efforts to include more time for conversations with communities about their history and traditional land management practices has created a stronger relationship through the sharing of knowledge in a forum of mutual respect.

In 2022 to 2023, the program concluded the 12-week training programs with Saint Mary’s First Nation (New Brunswick), Nipissing First Nation (Ontario), Shawanaga First Nation (Ontario), Lac La Ronge Indian Band (Saskatchewan), Muskoday First Nation (Saskatchewan), Metlakatla First Nation (British Columbia), Sumas First Nation (British Columbia) and Kitselas First Nation (British Columbia). Work continued with Mistawasis First Nation, and shorter training programs were undertaken with Opaskwayak Cree Nation (Manitoba/Saskatchewan), George Gordon First Nation (Saskatchewan), and Fishing Lake First Nation (Saskatchewan). The SGB team also collaborated with the Ontario Aboriginal Lands Association (OALA) to deliver intensive in-person training sessions open to any OALA community members.

During their collaboration across Western Canada, the SGB employees greatly enjoyed working together to facilitate sessions with Indigenous partners. One particularly noteworthy aspect of their experience was the opportunity to share historical maps depicting Fishing Lake between the years 1949 and 1969. Engaging with community members and listening to their stories about the locations of old trails and homes, as well as learning about the process of laying the railroad, proved to be truly fascinating.

One of the SGB employees, actively participated in numerous community events during his time in Lac La Ronge, ranging from community cleanups to assisting in the search for unmarked graves within the community. Meanwhile, another SGB employee, found some significant historical insights while working with the Kitselas community and the Hudson Bay Company. The SGB employees’ collective journey across Canada was enriched by these experiences, fostering meaningful connections with Indigenous partners, and deepening their understanding of the diverse cultures and histories present throughout the country.

Boundary Dispute Resolution

The Boundary Dispute Resolution Unit wrapped up work with a final report in 2021 to 2022 fiscal year and the unit dissolved. The work of the unit continues in the SGB Boundary Review Panel which met seven times in 2022 to 2023. In addition, SGB contracted with two private survey firms to conduct a detailed review of a First Nation reserve parcel registry and compare to parcel occupation on the land. The work looked at the number of interests in the registry that do not have a surveyed parcel, the number of interests that have weak descriptions or that have issues with the survey infrastructure (no monumentation, encroachments etc.) and the number of occupied parcels that have no interest or surveyed parcel.

The reports from this work will help SGB understand and plan for a possible transition to a First Nations run registry and will help the First Nation plan for a parcel fabric renewal type project if they wish.

Regional Office work for First Nations

Canada’s commitment to Indigenous Reconciliation and setting aside Protected Areas (National Parks and Marine Protected Areas) resulted in an increase in demand for our regional office professional services. In 2022 to 2023, our regional offices entered 30 Interdepartmental Letter of Agreement (ILA) with Other Government Departments (OGD), total $3,99 M.

First Nation National Land Registry (FNNLR)

From 2022 to 2023, the SGB engaged in a collaborative effort with LAB RC and the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (LTSA) to support the Lands Advisory Board to create a First Nations-led National Land Registry (FNNLR) and a new First Nations organization that will operate and manage it. This initiative also includes work to modernize the Canada Lands Survey System to provide mapping and survey services to the FNNLR and to expand services to validate, create, archive, and disseminate graphical representations (polygons) of un-surveyed interests for existing and new short-term and transitory tenures in the FNNLR. Through this partnership, the SGB, LAB RC, and the LTSA worked together to advance First Nation self-determination and economic reconciliation in land registration.

First Operational Land Code First Nations in the Alberta Region

In 2022 to 2023, the Fort McKay First Nation and Woodland Cree First Nation became the first communities in the Alberta region to implement their own land code pursuant to the Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management and the First Nations Land Management Act. The Alberta Regional Office supported these two communities by providing a research report and land description documenting the extent of lands that will be subject to the land code.

Boundary maintenance projects for the O’Chiese First Nation, Siksika Nation, Mikisew Cree First Nation, and Beaver First Nation

Surveys of underground infrastructure for the Louis Bull Tribe

The Louis Bull Tribe requested assistance from the Alberta Regional Office in 2022 to 2023 in locating water and sewer infrastructure within the community. This project involved mapping locations of wells, septic tanks, water valves, manholes, water infrastructure buildings, and water and sewer lines.

Surveys of cemetery lots for the Saddle Lake First Nation, Cold Lake First Nation, and Bigstone Cree Nation, and survey of lots for a community health centre for the Driftpile Cree Nation

At the request of several First Nations in 2022 to 2023, the Alberta Regional Office completed surveys of existing and proposed cemetery sites at Saddle Lake Indian Reserve 125, Cold Lake Indian Reserve 149, and Wabasca Indian Reserves 166, 166C and 166D. These surveys involved consultation with the community on existing grave site locations and developing proposed lots to encompass historic, current, and future use. A similar project was also completed at the request of the Driftpile Cree Nation. At Drift Pile River Indian Reserve 150, four lots were requested to accommodate an existing health centre in the community.

Activities in the North (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut)

Through the Canada Lands Survey program, the SGB provides the system of land surveys for the three territories. This system is the foundation and an essential component of property rights in the North and is mandated through both federal and territorial legislation.

Working with comprehensive land claim projects is tremendously important for the SGB because this facilitates building relationships with Indigenous groups, territorial governments, and other government departments such as Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC).

The work on land claims is also essential for northern Canadians because it ensures boundary certainty for Indigenous groups and territorial governments and helps prevent future boundary-related conflict between these two large land holders.

In 2021 to 2022, in the Northwest Territories, the SGB launched the Gwich'in five-year land survey program. Funding was approved in support of the Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement, with the program running from 2021 to 2026. The SGB has maintained a positive, growing relationship with the Gwich’in Department of Lands and the Gwich’in Tribal Council (GTC).

Building on the strong relationship with the GTC, detailed work was undertaken to significantly improve the contracting process by updating the order of proposal evaluation to encourage Indigenous participation. The COVID-19 pandemic brought significant challenges in executing contracts. As a result of open dialogue with GTC staff and contractors, protocols and procedures were developed to enable training and onsite work to occur.

Additionally in the Northwest Territories, it is expected that there will be two new Comprehensive Land Claim agreements. The first will be with the Athabasca Denesuline and Ghotelnene K’odtineh Dene. The second one will be with the Nacho Nyak Dun. This second agreement has a trans boundary aspect as the First Nation’s headquarters and settlement is in Yukon while the land selection is in the Northwest Territories.

The Yukon Regional Office was successfully able to maintain a service standard during this pandemic year, ensuring the reliable process and ratification of land survey products into the Canada Land Survey System. Specifically, the development of land for housing units continued to be of major importance to the City of Whitehorse and the Government of Yukon. With the recent change in policies from the Yukon Government, digital survey projects are now allowed, providing another tool for private land surveyors and the SGB to effectively process and record land survey documents, in support of territorial land administration. Also, work has begun to support the Yukon Land Titles Office, as they prepare for new regulations under their Condominium Act. Governance of condominiums is highly regulated, and this type of land ownership is a key tool in making housing stock available in a market with a housing shortage.

Priority 2: Spatially enabling Canada to ensure the future well-being of our economy

Space news

The Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation (CCMEO) recently passed the leadership of NRCan’s working group on space to the CGS. This working group was created to facilitate sharing information at the working level with the hope that NRCan’s interests and activities can be better considered at the decision-making level.

In 2022, a study was completed for Transport Canada to better understand Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) infrastructure requirements for next-generation transportation systems. Many recommendations had implications for the CGS that included the:

• establishment of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reference stations in specific areas to cover gaps in the North.
• continuous refinement and modernization of Canada’s reference datum to support highly accurate positioning services.
• development of a real time ionosphere model for use by Canadian stakeholders to reduce convergence time.
• establishment of a national operational model to ensure requirements are being met for PNT services provided by industry for on-road and marine transportation.

The CGS is exploring options to support innovation in Canada on this front and address the needs identified in this report.

Space-Based Earth Observation (SBEO) project

In October 2021, the CGS received funding over five years to expand Canada’s global navigation satellite system (GNSS) infrastructure by adding at least 22 GNSS stations to increase the accuracy and availability of real-time PNT information across Canada. In 2022 to 2023, two stations were installed, and the logistics have been arranged to install nine (9) during the summer of 2023. These logistics rely on collaborative agreements with the private sector (e.g., Ontario Power Generation), other government departments (e.g., Parks Canada and the Canadian Space Agency) as well as universities (University of Athabasca). With these additions, CGS will contribute to the definition of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame and will further leverage collaboration to retrieve more ionospheric data from continuously operating GNSS stations and to provide multi-GNSS capabilities for several CGS product lines and clients.

International Great Lakes Datum (IGLD) project

In 2022 to 2023, CGS continued to work on the collection of data to modernize the International Great Lakes Datum (IGLD) in partnership with the U.S. National Geodetic Survey. The IGLD is the common reference system used to accurately measure water level heights throughout the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River System and is needed for consistent marine navigation, water management, surveying, and land use planning.

By providing a common reference all throughout the Great Lakes, governments can ensure that a foot of water elevation, as measured at Thunder Bay, means the same thing as a foot measured at the mouth of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This datum needs to be updated every 25 to 35 years. This is critical to the management of Great Lakes freshwater resources, which are used by over 10 million people in the region. The safety and economic viability of the Great Lakes commercial navigation industry, the extensive recreational boating community and ports/harbors across the region all rely on accurate water level information. During the summer of 2022, NOAA’S National Geodetic Survey and NRCan’s CGS conducted a GNSS survey across the region to observe over 350 benchmarks located at or near water level stations throughout the Great Lakes region, both in Canada and the U.S. The results will provide consistent ellipsoid heights on water level gauges, tying the water level stations into the new IGLD (2020) datum.

Reference Frame Modernization project

Through a collaboration with provincial government officials, several steps have been taken towards a unifying reference frame usage in Canada, as part of the CGS’s Reference Frame Modernization project. A resolution was passed by the Canada Council of Geomatics to support modernization and unification in provincial and other jurisdictions. Several webinars and workshops were delivered, and a client survey on reference frame regulatory dependencies received more than 200 responses. A binational geospatial developer’s summit was hosted in partnership with the US’s National Geodetic Survey. CGS is now announcing it plans to adopt new North American reference frames in 2025, in parallel with the US, and that clients will have products and tools to support migrating datasets to the new CSRS.

Positioning, Navigation, and Timing project

The CGS continued to engage and collaborate with scientific and geoscience colleagues within Canada on advancing geodetic research and supporting federal coordination efforts related to PNT in Canada. The CGS chairs the Canadian Geodetic Science and Applications Committee to share information and advance geodetic research in Canada. The CGS supported collaboration with geoscience colleagues within NRCan and with other agencies (Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and Environment and Climate Change Canada) on scientific and operational issues. The CGS also worked with Oceans Network Canada to integrate real-time GNSS position information with seismic data for future Tsunami Early Warming systems.

With respect to PNT, efforts involved bringing stakeholders together to share, collaborate and foster greater PNT knowledge, promote resilient uses and support Canada’s economic growth. A key initiative today is to better address the needs of autonomous and assisted driving technology.

Space weather

Internationally, the CGS continued to support the Canadian contribution to an international space weather consortium of Australia, Canada, France and Japan. Information about the electron content in the Earth’s atmosphere is derived from geodetic instruments through dedicated data streams, scientific software systems, and product delivery following international standards.

The CGS provides this data as well as information about rapid changes in the electron content (scintillation). This geodetic data is an essential element of the consortium’s work and supplements other types of information from the Canadian Hazard Information Service. The international consortium provides space weather information for civil aviation under the auspices of the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization.

Throughout the year, the CGS was involved in several national and international research projects. The findings of their research can be found in the various publications published throughout the year (refer to Annex 5 – Publications).

Priority 3: Protection of Canada’s oceans

This year, the need to review the key legislative instruments (a recommendation from the 2019 Audit of the Canada Lands Survey Program) and the Canada’s emerging Blue Economy Strategy (BES) shaped the volume of work for this priority.

As a first step, the Branch engaged in informal conversations with several federal departments that have responsibilities for the administration of rights, restrictions, and responsibilities in Canada’s oceans. Initial engagement took place with various operational sections within six federal departments, involving some forty participants.

The result of these initial conversations was a clear signal for a more integrated and inclusive governance structure for Canada’s marine environment, with well-defined and predictable regulatory processes, supported by current and authoritative geographic data sets. The dialogue started with a focus on the Canada Lands Surveys Act, however participants identified other key legislative instruments to be modernized and better integrated.

It was also clear that, given the complexity and the multiple participants that are involved with the administration of Canada’s marine environment, the initial conversation would need to be expanded such that the key issues could be better understood.

A series of workshops were designed to provide participants an opportunity to present their current roles in marine administration, their legislative foundations and their current challenges related to Marine Spatial Governance. The goal was to provide the foundation for a Canadian Marine Community of Practice to build consensus as to the infrastructure required to better support Marine Spatial Governance in Canada, including regulatory processes, information systems and support tools.

A summary of the findings of these workshops can be found in Annex 6 (Marine Spatial Governance in Canada workshops).

Responding to current and future challenges

In addition to delivering on its commitments and providing access to reliable survey systems, positioning infrastructure, and framework, the SGB worked to identify current and future challenges. In 2022 to 2023, the SGB continued to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic and the hybrid workforce; supply chain issues; changing technologies; and building our human resources capacity.

COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to create issues with the delivery of our programs and has changed the work environment of employees. The beginning of 2022 saw the continuation of the pandemic, significant national and international travel restrictions, and many Indigenous communities restricting access to their communities for health and safety reasons. These restrictions changed how SGB employees interacted with the survey and geodesy communities – moving toward online interactions, as opposed to in-person interactions.

Within the Canadian Geodetic Survey, fieldwork operations were suspended for the entire year, with a few exceptions, because of travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the CLSS program, fieldwork was also scaled down or suspended because many communities were closed to outside contractors. Fieldwork by the IBC to maintain the international boundary was only partially affected. The work was concentrated in areas where the boundary could be easily accessed from Canada and did not require going to the United States.

The Land Survey Capacity Development program continued delivering several training sessions online. Virtual meetings, with Indigenous communities and partners, became the norm. Conferences and presentations, typically held in person, became virtual events. The COVID-19 pandemic has modified how we work, from working in the office to working from home.

Hybrid workforce

In the Fall of 2022, SGB employees started gradually going back to work in the office for 1 to 2 days a week. The objective was to test the hybrid model and address any issues before April 1, 2023, when the Government of Canada will introduce a new hybrid work model, requiring employees to be physically present at the workplace for 2 to 3 days per week, accounting for 40 to 60% of their regular work schedule.

Supply chain issues

The COVID-19 pandemic caused operational challenges including supply chain issues with procurement, therefore reducing our ability, for example, to acquire the hardware required to maintain and improve our GNSS stations and replenish our capital assets. The purchase of highly specialized equipment was particularly impacted by this issue.

Changing technologies

The 2022 to 2023 year saw challenges pertaining to rapidly evolving technology, requiring vigilant monitoring of our systems, processes, and standards. The SGB prioritizes this in its everyday operations to stay aligned with the continuously evolving demands of industry and clients. We must remain up to date with new and innovative technology, and agile in this complex technological era.

This past year, the SGB invested in the modernization of its IP applications, safeguarding its authority, and ensuring long-term sustainability of its systems, in support of its operational needs. This investment underscores its commitment to enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of its applications, enabling it to maintain its position as a leading authority in the industry.

The SGB-CLSS also updated the Web Map Browser with the standard NRCan web templates and refreshed all the Integrated Cadastral Management (ICM) applications for the Security Assessment and Authorization. The SGB will continue to adapt its practices and implement new technologies as needed.

The SGB-CGS is addressing the increasing need to support industry and science in expanded fields of applications that create new demands and pressures on GNSS infrastructure. Emerging needs require an infrastructure that provides higher accuracy, greater resilience to cyber attacks, improved uptime to support the needs of autonomous technologies, and greater scalability of services.

Because of its long-standing partnership with the academic sector, the SGB-CGS is considering how to incorporate data from 350 new stations for ionosphere modeling and other applications over the next few years.

The need for scalability and modernization of the GNSS network generated a three-year project to migrate GNSS data processing to a cloud environment.

The SGB will continue to support the development of Canada’s post-pandemic economic recovery plan and provide national leadership on PPP services.

Building Human Resources capacity

SGB’s staff are spread out across Canada, operating out of 10 Regional Offices and a main office in Ottawa. By working near our clients and stakeholders, we can strengthen collaboration and remain cognizant of regional needs and priorities. In 2022 to 2023, our employees were distributed across a variety of occupational groups, including ENSUR, EC, EG, IT, and AS (refer to Annex 7 – Human resources data).

In our regional offices, the main challenge is that we are dealing with a tight labour market and difficulty in attracting and retaining talented staff. The same can be said for the Canadian Geodetic Survey division, where maintaining the specialized workforce required to continue the current contributions as worldwide experts and to generate new GNSS products and services has been, and will continue to be, a challenge. CGS is also facing a challenge with several members of its management team schedule to retire in the next few years.

To alleviate some of this HR pressure, SGB is using with success, its Land Surveyor Development Program to attract recent graduates, providing them development opportunities and experiences they would not get in the private sector.

The Land Surveyor Development Program was created in 2017 to assist with succession planning and recruiting. This program first supports the hiring and training of new graduates in land surveying. It also offers the opportunity to current employees to join this development program. This program will help these graduates and current employees obtain the work experience needed to become certified land surveyors, with a focus on providing opportunities to Indigenous participants. Currently, the program consists of seven candidates who have been actively gaining invaluable experience through various fieldwork assignments at regional offices, the International Boundary Commission, and secondments to the private sector. Currently, three candidates are working on projects within the SGB to fulfill their ACLS licensing requirements. The LSDP has significantly enhanced the SGB's ability to compete with the industry in attracting graduates from land surveying programs. The organization has been able to successfully hire four new candidates over the past few months, further strengthening the program and ensuring a steady influx of talented professionals.

As more people retire, we must ensure that the retirees’ knowledge and experience are effectively passed to the next professional succession. The SGB also recognizes a need to bridge more students into permanent positions, especially in the regions. Employee scarcity is therefore at the forefront of the SGB’s priorities.

Annex 1 – Contact us

Head offices

Surveyor General office

Northern Canada division

Eastern Canada division

Canadian Geodetic Survey

Western Canada division

International Boundary Commission – Canadian section

Regional offices

Atlantic regional office

Alberta regional office

Quebec regional office

British Columbia regional office

Ontario regional office

Northwest Territories regional office

Manitoba regional office

Nunavut regional office

Saskatchewan regional office

Yukon regional office

Annex 2 – Program metrics

SGB metrics – Canada Lands Survey System

General metrics

To maintain the CLSS and the land registries across Canada, the SGB conducts various important daily operations represented by the metrics in the following table. This work provides the foundation for all the projects and programs that support the SGB’s four strategic priorities.

Measured output	2022 to 2023
New parcels created in cadastral datasets	5,195
Parcels maintained	327,027
Survey instructions issued	688
Documents registered in the Canada Lands Survey Record (CLSR)	1,268

Saskatchewan Treaty Land Entitlement

Treaty Land Entitlement claims can be submitted by First Nations that did not receive all the land they were entitled to under treaties signed by the Crown. In Saskatchewan, much of this land has already been surveyed in the province’s township system. The SGB is responsible for reviewing these parcels to identify and resolve any ambiguities or related issues.

Measured output	2022 to 2023
Area of parcels described	11,742 ha
Lands added to the reserve to date	1,129 ha

Manitoba Treaty Land Entitlement

In Manitoba, a significant proportion of the treaty land First Nations are entitled to has yet to be surveyed. The SGB is responsible for surveying this Crown land to define land selections and ensure that Canada adheres to its treaty obligations. The progress of this work is measured by the metrics in the following table.

Measured output	2022 to 2023
Area surveyed	3599.280 ha
Lands added to the reserve to date	716121.196 ha

FNLM metrics

These metrics represent the work carried out to help provide certainty over the extent of lands a First Nation administers through the FNLMFA.

Measured output	2022 to 2023
Land descriptions	22 completed
Research reports completed	10

Interdepartmental Letters of Agreement and Survey Contracts to the Private Sector

To support the mandate and obligations of our partners in other government departments, certain SGB activities are carried out at cost recovery. The figures in the following table are indicators of the work accomplished in this context. Most survey contracts issued to the private industry are a result of these interdepartmental letters of agreement.

Measured output	2022 to 2023
Interdepartmental letters of agreement
Letters of agreement	30
Value	$3,990,117
Survey contracts to the private sector
Contracts	185
Value	$3,011,839

SGB metrics – Canadian Geodetic Survey

The following metrics are derived from the CGS Performance Indicator Profile and will serve as a key reference point for future evaluations. These indicators are used to monitor CGS’ accomplishments and results from year to year. They are aligned with the division’s expected immediate outcomes (providing accessible, accurate and timely geodetic information) and intermediate outcomes (georeferencing to a common Canadian reference system consistent with international standards).

Measured output	Target	2022 to 2023
Accessible, accurate and timely geodetic information
GNSS stations for which data is distributed	≥112	141
Accuracy of GNSS orbits with respect to international standards	<2 cm	1.27 cm
Horizontal accuracy of real-time GNSS products	<10 cm 95% of the time	15.3
GNSS stations used for reference frame and velocity computations	>330	338
Accuracy of the Canadian Gravity Standardization Network	<10 micro-Gals	N/AFootnote 1
Availability of CACS daily data files (within 30 minutes after end of day)	>95%	95.70%
Availability of rapid orbit and clock products (within 12 hours after end of day)	≥95%	97.59%
Georeferencing to a common Canadian reference system consistent with international standards
Direct users of CGS data products	≥7,000	11,006
Requests for CGS products and services	300,000	608,210
Commercial GNSS reference stations monitored by the CGS as part of the RTK compliance program	>500	701

Annex 3 – SGB Dashboard projects

The following table provides a progress report for the 26 ongoing projects identified in and managed through the 2020 to 2023 Integrated Business Plan. Some of these projects are expected to continue beyond 2023, including a few that require more time than initially planned. These delays are due to several circumstances, including the COVID-19 pandemic. At the end of the fiscal year 2022 to 2023, twelve (12) projects were completed.

Number	Project	Project description
1	Modernization of the Canada Lands Surveyors Act	Finalize the amendments to the Canada Lands Surveyors Act (the Act) to respond to the request submitted by the ACLS and to modernize the legislative framework supporting the Canada Lands Surveyors profession. The Act has not been revised since it came into force in 1999. COMPLETED. Needs to pass the third reading in both the Senate and House of Commons before receiving royal assent and becoming law. This project was completed in March 2022.
2	Developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the First Nations Land Management (FNLM) Resource Centre	Negotiate an intergovernmental agreement with the First Nations Land Management Lands Advisory Board and Resource Centre related to the specifications for the description of lands for transactions recorded in the First Nations Lands Registry. Following the Budget 2023, new terms of reference will be prepared so the MOU can be in place under the new IBP. 75% complete
3	Renew the Framework Accord with Indigenous Services Canada	Renewal of an interdepartmental agreement with Indigenous Services Canada, related to cooperation on legal survey projects and the specifications for the descriptions of lands for transactions recorded in the Indian Lands Registry. This will also address a recommendation from the audit report of the CLSS program. This project will continue under the new IBP. 25% complete
4	Modernize the production of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) orbit and clock products	Current Precise Orbit Determination (POD) packages operated by the CGS are limited to GPS and/or GLONASS constellations and have reached their efficiency limits. The newly acquired software Gipsy-X will consolidate the production of all POD product lines and enable processing of emerging constellations, upholding the quality of NRCan’s international contributions, and supporting CGS clients acquiring signals from multiple constellations. This project will continue under the new IBP. 65% complete
5	Increase the accuracy and efficiency of the CSRS-PPP service	The Canadian Spatial Reference System Precise Point Positioning (CSRS-PPP) service allows GNSS users to collect data in the field, upload this data to NRCan, and within minutes receive an estimate of their positions, along with quality estimates and visual reports. The service is being modernized to include ambiguity resolution (PPP-AR), faster convergence using external ionospheric information, and the processing of new signals and constellations (Galileo and GPS L5). This project was not completed due to lack of resources. It will be moved to the new IBP. 55% complete
6	Co-develop the North American 4D Spatial Reference System	Contribute to development of a North American 4D spatial reference system in collaboration with the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) and the Mexican Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI). This work includes definition of the North American Terrestrial Reference Frame of 2022 (NATRF2022) and the North American-Pacific Geopotential Datum of 2022 (NAPGD2022). This project will continue under the new IBP. 10% complete
7	Collaborate with provinces and territories toward an improved unified reference frame	Set the groundwork for the provincial, territorial and federal geodetic agencies to adopt NATRF2022 across Canada at the same time as the United States and maintain a unified reference frame thereafter. This will ready Canada for ubiquitous instantaneous, sub-decimetre GNSS positioning. This project will continue under the new IBP. 30% complete
8	Update Canada's gravity standardization net to the International Gravity Reference System	Integrate the Canadian Gravity Standardization Net within the new International Gravity Reference System recently adopted by the International Association of Geodesy. The new standard is based on absolute gravimetry. The Canadian network was last adjusted nationally in the 1970s under the International Gravity Standardization Net of 1971 (IGSN71) standard. This project is indeterminately postponed due to lack of resources. It will restart under the new IBP when resources are available. 50% complete
9	Improve real-time GNSS precise positioning services for public safety geosciences	Public safety geosciences (e.g., tsunami and earthquake early warning systems) are increasingly reliant on high precision real-time GNSS-based positioning. Current CGS real-time products are GPS only. A robust contribution to these systems requires the integration of other GNSS constellations (GLONASS, Galileo) and new system products such as optimized combined coordinate streams and regional ionosphere data products. In the new IBP, the terms of reference will be updated to reflect current needs. 25% complete
10	Meet the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requirements for space weather monitoring and ionospheric products	NRCan's Canadian Hazards Information Services (CHIS) is contributing space weather services for the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The GNSS ionospheric products needed to support ICAO and needed for the CHIS space weather webpage are provided by CGS. This project seeks to meet requirements and improve these ionospheric products by developing support for multi-GNSS constellations. It will be moved and will continue under the new IBP. 55% complete
11	Analyze gaps and identify options for Canada’s geodetic observing infrastructure	Develop options for national positioning services and infrastructure as part of the international geodetic infrastructure for reference systems and measuring our changing Earth. This would contribute to a larger Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) collaborative effort. COMPLETED. Funding was completed for the Space Based Earth Observation (SBEO) project. This project was completed in December 2021.
12	Expanded use of digital plans in the North	The project consists of work with the Territorial Land Registry of Yukon to allow for the adoption of digital plans. Yukon’s SGB office is preparing digital plan guidelines for surveyors, which have been developed in conjunction with Yukon Land Title Office. This project will continue under the new Integrated Business Plan. 50% complete
13	Land knowledge capacity in Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements (CLCA) areas	Collaborate with beneficiary organizations, territorial governments, and other federal government departments to build a framework for enhancing local capacity to work with geospatial land information. This project will identify stakeholders, categorize common objectives, and facilitate the development of a framework that can be implemented. This project will continue under the new Integrated Business Plan. 30% complete
14	Support the modernization of Nunavut (NU) mining regulations	For Nunavut, this project is the continuation of the project Support modernization of NU and Northwest Territories (NT) mining regulations from the previous integrated business plan. The SGB will continue to support Nunavut as it moves toward a map selection process for its mining regulations. COMPLETED. The amendments to the Nunavut Mining Regulations are in place. As a result, the SGB reviewed and modified its National Standards for the Survey of Canada Lands publication (Addendum 1.9) to reflect the changes to the mining regulations.
15	Support the Northern land titles modernization and Integration	Each territory is at various stages of modernizing its land titles systems and how they operate with the CLSS. This project will support and contribute to the modernization and integration of each territorial land titles systems, as well as enable stakeholder participation. This project will continue under the new Integrated Business Plan 50% complete
16	Develop a Canadian marine cadastre governance framework to ensure communication and collaboration between federal agencies that have offshore responsibilities and rights	The aim of this project is to organize a workshop with various partners with an interest in the marine area to develop a governance framework and stimulate a desire among partners to contribute, via their data, to a marine cadastre. The workshops were successfully completed. The project, in its current form, can be considered completed. Moving forward, a new project with new terms of reference will be presented and integrated into the new dashboard (IBP). COMPLETED
17	Develop a plan of action to migrate ArcMap to the ArcGIS Pro environment	The main objective of this project is to develop a plan of action to be ready for the software migration from ArcMap to the Arc GIS Pro. Our current GIS environment uses the ArcMap and ArcObjects, but these are no longer enhanced by ESRI and are only maintained for fixing problems. The plan of action has been completed and the new project will be included in the new IBP to implement the plan of action. The new project will span over the next three years. COMPLETED
18	Facilitate the exchange of knowledge within the International Boundary Commission (IBC)	Improve access to the IBC data from our portal (internal and external), and to the methods used for field data capture and integration into IBC files. COMPLETED
19	Client satisfaction questionnaire	Working with the NRCan Communications and Portfolio Sector, the SGB will reinstitute biannual user feedback surveys to seek input on the effectiveness of our services and tools and unmet user needs from key stakeholders and end users, specifically land surveyors, other government departments, Indigenous organizations, Indigenous end users, and territorial governments. COMPLETED. A response from the SGB Management Board to the survey was completed and approved and reported on the management action plan. This project was completed in June 2022.
20	Communication strategy with stakeholders	The SGB will develop and implement a formal communications strategy to align with stakeholders’ requests for greater person-to-person contact. The SGB supports and recognizes the benefits of in-person communications. Increased in-person liaison with stakeholders will require travel by SGB staff. This factor presents challenges that will be overcome through strategic engagement planning and participation in targeted events. The SGB will also formally track in-person communication efforts to better document efforts and to identify regional or user-group gaps. COMPLETED
21	Develop an impact assessment of emerging modernization trends within the Canada Land Survey System environment	This project will develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to assess the impact of various modernization trends emerging within the CLSS environment and to assess whether there is a need to update key legislative instruments. This project will be performed in collaboration with territories and provinces, and Indigenous communities. COMPLETED. Working groups met to discuss four aspects: marine, technology, northern, and Indigenous.
22	Develop a plan to migrate, manage and preserve SGB digital imagery by using the NRCan Earth Observation Data Management System (EODMS)	This goal of this project is to make all the digital aerial photography collected by the SGB since 2007 available to the public. The Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation (CCMEO) has developed the Earth Observation Data Management System (EODMS), which makes discoverable and downloadable digital aerial imagery including digital aerial photography. Working with CCMEO, the SGB is organizing, structuring, and uploading its digital aerial photography into this management system. COMPLETED. All data was uploaded to EODMS database, and a letter was prepared to inform First Nations of Quebec and the Atlantic region of the release of the aerial photography. This project was completed in May 2021.
23	Modernize the CLSS and CGS applications to align with the Government of Canada (GC) Application Modernization and Cloud First initiatives	To comply with the government of Canada’s Application Modernization Project and Cloud First Adoption Strategy, the SGB line-of-business applications need to be migrated to suitable approved end-state environments, either in the NRCan-managed commercial cloud or in the Shared Services Canada (SSC) enterprise data centres. This project entails assessing the technical suitability, security, and on-going costs of running the applications in the proposed end-state environments. The project also assesses transforming or replacing legacy applications and migrating the applications and data to the selected end-states with minimum interruption to services. This project will continue under the new IBP. 18% complete
24	Implement a trusted digital repository	The trusted digital repository (TDR) is being modified to focus on developing redundant digital preservation components to reduce risk on Canada Lands Survey Records (CLSR). Once this component is in place, work will focus on longer term solutions. This focus on redundant digital preservation will eliminate dependency on microfilm. To date, development of a TDR based on GCDocs has been unsuccessful despite numerous attempts. Because the GCDocs environment is currently under evaluation to determine if it will be maintained with NRCan’s move to Office365, the project will cease efforts to build a solution on this software and focus on alternative cloud-powered options. This project will continue under the new IBP. 45% complete
25	Road map and implementation of CLSS IT strategies	The goal of this project is to finish the migration of the CLSS applications to the Windows 2016 server platform to comply with the Windows 2008 decommissioning project. COMPLETED. The standard NRCan web template was applied to the Web Map Browser and all Security Assessment and Authorization was refreshed for all the (Integrated Cadastral Management (ICM) applications. This project was completed in July 2021.
26	Land Survey Capacity Development Program	The Land Survey Capacity Development Program (LSCDP) will help with succession planning and recruiting by hiring and training new graduates in land surveying. This program also aims to help the new employees obtain the work experience needed to acquire their commission and licence to practise as a Canada Lands Surveyor. COMPLETED. The program became operational in late 2021, with three participants registered with training plans. This project was completed in December 2021.

Annex 4 – Summary of Land Survey Capacity Development Training

In fiscal year 2022 to 2023, SGB provided 18 virtual sessions, 54 in-community sessions and worked with 15 different Indigenous communities. Here are some of the activities that took place:

Saint Mary’s, New Brunswick

The community selected two projects for the program, one of which was to examine 15 km of exterior boundaries as well as surveying the lot for the community centre. The community finished the program by taking some drone training.

Nipissing First Nation, Ontario

Nipissing was able to complete the program in March 2023, and hosted the program for a few days to shoot prices for communications to share. The community’s projects were a cemetery addition and a commercial lot subdivision.

Shawanaga First Nation, Ontario

The community is pleased with the training opportunities and flexibility of the program, due to restarting the program after a Covid pause with a reboot of early modules for new staff and program participants.

Lac La Ronge Indian Band, Saskatchewan

The mentor was included in community activities while he was there, such as participating in a ground radar search. Other projects included surveying some new lots for a housing development, and a cultural camp building.

Muskoday First Nation, Saskatchewan

Restarted the program after a Covid pause and completed the program in this fiscal year. The restart of the program was an avenue to discover lot corners and review some areas/surveys for existing leases within the community.

Mistawasis First Nation, Saskatchewan

Restarted the program after a Covid pause and completed the program in this fiscal year. Some of the new sessions include an overview of modules for the new participants and include historical community discussions. The community chose to review the administration building and water treatment plant as buildings to learn the aspects of the program.

Metlakatla First Nation, British Columbia

The community worked with a sport court that was in the process of being built and traveled by boar and found old survey monuments on more remote boundaries of the reserve. The community had consistent attendance with a group of participants throughout the program and connected with BCIT for potential future students to attend their program.

Sumas First Nation, British Columbia

The participants enjoyed the in-community sessions and are engaged with CLSS and SCDP topics. One of the participants mentioned that the SCDP training provided him with access to many tools used regularly at work.

Kitselas First Nation, British Columbia

Restarted the program after a Covid pause and completed the program in this fiscal year The restart of the program was a unique situation where the mentors from QC and AB region tailored a program to meet the needs of the two participants. The group searched for 2 monuments along the exterior boundary of the reserve, adjoining a former Hudson Bay post. While the standard posts were replaced in 2004, much of the original ancillary evidence was still evident, including broken glass in the hole, a stone mound, and several bearing trees.

Annex 5 – Publications

Alfonsi L., N. Bergeot, P. J. Cilliers, G. De Franceschi, L. Baddeley, E. Correia, D. Di Mauro, C. Enell, M. Engebretson, R. Ghoddousi-Fard, I. Häggström, et al. (2022). Review of Environmental Monitoring by Means of Radio Waves in the Polar Regions: From Atmosphere to Geospace. Surv Geophys, doi: 10.1007/s10712-022-09734-z [NRCan contribution number: 20220270]

Bolanos, S.; Craymer, M.; Donahue, B. Canada’s GNSS network expansion. SIRGAS 2022 Symposium, Santiago, Chile, November 7-9, 2022.

Craymer, M. Modernizing Vertical Datums: The New International Great Lakes Datum. Annual General Meeting of the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors, March 1-3, 2023.

Craymer, M. NAD83 (CSRS): From Static to Dynamic. Annual General Meeting of the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors, March 2022.

Craymer, M; Amjadiparvar, B; Lapelle, E; Piraszewski, M; Zhao, Y. NAD83(CSRS) Version 8: A New Realization of NAD83 for Canada Based on ITRF2020 and IGS Repro3 Products. REFAG 2022, Thesaloniki, Greece, October 17-20, 2022.

Craymer, M; Herron, T. The Use of GNSS at Water Level and Tide Gauge Stations in Canada. Canadian Hydrographic Conference, Gatineau, QC, June 6-8, 2022.

Craymer, M; Hothem, L. The ISO Geodetic Register. SIRGAS 2022 Symposium, Santiago, Chile, November 7-9, 2022.

Craymer, M; Martin, D. Determining Heights in the New IGLD (2020). Canadian Hydrographic Conference, Gatineau, QC, June 6-8, 2022.

Craymer, M; Roman, D; McFarland. P. Modernizing Regional Reference Frames in North America: Current and Future Activities of IAG Regional Sub-Commission SC1.3c. REFAG 2022, Thesaloniki, Greece, October 17-20, 2022.

Ghoddousi-Fard R. (2023). “GNSS carrier phase irregularities during 2022 over Canadian high latitudes”, DASP 2023, Canadian Space Agency, Saint-Hubert, QC, Feb 20-24, 2023

Ghoddousi-Fard R., E. Hassen, and M. Walker (2022). “Ionospheric Constraint Precise Point Positioning with Ambiguity Resolution during Geomagnetic Storm”, Beacon Satellite Symposium 2022, Boston, USA. Aug 1-5, 2022

Herron, T; Craymer, M. Defining a New International Great Lakes Datum. Canadian Hydrographic Conference, Gatineau, QC, June 6-8, 2022.

Huang, J; D’Aoust, B. Height system modernization in Canada and North America (EN/FR). Association of Canada Lands Surveyors. Virtual. June 8, 2022.

Klatt, C. Geodesy in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Canadian Geophysical Union Annual Meeting, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, June 6-8, 2022.

Klatt, C. Quantum sensors in Geoscience. Canadian Geophysical Union Annual Meeting, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, June 6-8, 2022.

Nikitina L., R.A.D. Fiori, R. Ghoddousi-Fard, G.H. Waddington (2022). Statistical analysis of large and extreme global ionospheric total electron content. Journal of Atmospheric and Solar–Terrestrial Physics 229 (2022) 105841, doi: 10.1016/j.jastp.2022.105841 [NRCan contribution number: 20210275]

Nikolaidou T., Goudarzi M. A., Donahue B., Maia E., Ghoddousi-Fard R., Kamali O., Mireault Y. (2022). “New generation of NRCan’s Final GNSS orbit and clock products: overview and validation”, Reference Frames for Applications in Geosciences (REFAG 2022), Thessaloniki, Greece, October 17-20, 2022.

Robin, C; Banham, G; Berg, R; Craymer, M; Cross, G; Donahue, B; Harrietha, J; Huang, J; Messier-Paquin, R; Tardiff, R; Thériault, Y. Reference Frame Modernization in Canada. REFAG 2022, Thesaloniki, Greece, October 17-20, 2022.

Annex 6 – Marine Spatial Governance in Canada workshops

The Community collaboration delivered 13 workshop sessions over 7 months with the view to better understand each other’s roles and challenges.

The overall objective was to build consensus on how to efficiently build foundational spatial information on Canada’s Marine Spaces – where jurisdictions begin and end, where legal rights exist, where there are statutory restrictions, and where regulatory responsibilities apply.

As the Workshop Series progressed, the number of federal participating departments and agencies grew to eighteen (18) with some two hundred (200) participants:

• Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
• Canadian Energy Regulator
• Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board
• Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board
• Department of Fisheries and Oceans
• Department of National Defence
• Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Government Affairs Canada
• Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
• Justice Canada
• Natural Resources Canada
• Privy Council
• Public Services and Procurement Canada
• Statistics Canada
• Treasury Board Secretariat
• Transport Canada

A series of key messages produced from each session, helped to build communication across the federal family and move towards a consensus as to the issues to be tackled if Canada is to build a more robust Marine Spatial Governance regime. These key messages have been compiled into illustrative “Storyboards” that provide a broad overview of the status of marine administration in Canada.

Sample of storyboards

At the end of the workshop series, several challenges were identified by the participants and will need to be considered moving forward. Four of them were identified as the most important to address.

Challenges

1. Department often work in silos
   1. Boundary Data is often incomplete and sometimes non-existent
   2. Boundary uncertainty has negative impact on economic development and marine administration and regulation
2. Fragmented legislative and regulatory frameworks
   1. To obtain a complete and integrated view of representation of rights is difficult and time consuming
3. Knowing who to contact can improve governance processes
4. Information systems and data are incomplete and not integrated
   

Next steps

Next steps will include the development of a Marine Boundary Service to support emerging tenure and spatial planning regimes in Canada’s ocean spaces.

Annex 7 – Human Resources Data

The following table provides a breakdown of all the SGB occupational groups of employees in 2022 to 2023. Both figures offer further analysis of occupational groups during the same period.

Occupational groups