Member Experiences

Al Jeraj, OLS (He/Him)
Ontario Land Surveyor|Father|Husband|Immigrant|Canadian

I received my licence to practise surveying in 2002. When I decided to article, I had been working at J.D. Barnes for 2 years and fell in love with surveying. My passion for the outdoors, travel, meeting new people, and math were a perfect fit for the profession. Receiving my licence was one of the proudest days of my life. It represented a culmination of 4 years of studying at Ryerson and countless hours in the field and office learning the profession. When someone asks “What gets you fired up,” I tell them about surveying and the role surveyors played to shape this country and the role they continue to play today to help further society. 

Similar to most Canadians, my family immigrated to Canada for a better life. My parents were expelled from their home in East Africa due to their ethnicity and were fortunate to find refuge in Canada. Soon after, they moved to a small town in England, my birthplace and home for the next 10 years. While in England, I encountered racism almost daily at school or in my community. My parents felt Canada could offer a better, safer future for their kids and picked up again to lay down roots. Canada did offer a better, safer environment for us perhaps because the population where we lived was more diverse, but nonetheless, I did encounter racism from time to time at school, at work, and in the community. Even still, I would learn over the years that we were fortunate to have been in the GTA, as friends who grew up outside the GTA had similar experiences growing up in Canada as I did in England. 

Racism is one of many issues we face as an Association and as a society in the thread of human rights issues. Gender equality, sexual orientation, and age are examples of other types of discrimination that we have to acknowledge and address. The Association’s Inclusivity and Diversity Committee was formed to do that. Our aim is to provide information to our members and develop policies to promote inclusivity and diversity so that our Association may operate in a manner that is free of harassment and discrimination. I am proud to chair this committee and even more proud that our Association felt the need to create it and recognize that our membership can make strides to improve their current knowledge and practices.

Tracy R. Rouse, OLS, OLIP (She/Her)

With a desire to one day run my own business, from a young age I was always looking for a career that would fill that need. That drive, coupled with my love of math and science, made surveying a natural fit.

I graduated from Ryerson Polytechnic University in 1995. On my way to becoming a licensed professional I met Nancy Grozelle and found my mentor.

My first job was with Jewitt & Dixon in Simcoe, Ontario. I worked for a year learning about tobacco and ginseng farming while gaining valuable survey field experience. This being a time of recession, my partner was unable to find a job in Norfolk County, so we moved back to Toronto in 1997, where I joined a large surveying firm. Within that year I started articling, learned all about condominium development and raised some eyebrows when I brought my girlfriend to the company Christmas party.

Being a female in a male-dominated industry has had its challenges. I received my commission as an OLS in 2001 and when an office became available, I was nearly passed over until HR intervened. I was treated with respect and fairness by my manager, but unfortunately senior management was biased and not open to promote me. I knew it was time to venture off and start my own business as I had always dreamed.

I founded Rouse Surveyors Inc. in 2010. Since then, I met my wife, expanded my business to 17 employees, and proudly mentored many young female LGBTQ+ surveyors like Lauren Dawe, who began her career with me as a summer student in 2012 and received her commission as an OLS in 2019. I am proud of the open, progressive work environment I have created over the years. We are a diverse and mighty team with a common love of surveying.

www.linkedin.com/in/tracyrouse

Brian Maloney, OLS (He/Him)

I received my licence as an Ontario Land Surveyor in 1983 following an education in Survey Science at the University of Toronto. In high school, I had thought about architecture as a profession as I enjoyed mathematics, physics, and design. One of my uncles, a successful real-estate lawyer, suggested that I consider land surveying as a profession instead. It seemed like a good fit, as I had grown up in the countryside in eastern Ontario and enjoyed the outdoors. Little did I realize that my outdoor working would be short-lived. I joined the Ministry of Transportation upon graduation in their survey trainee program, which offered a comprehensive three-year program providing experience in engineering, legal, control, and photogrammetric surveying. Upon completion of that program, I quickly moved into a supervisory role and my field surveying days were over. I was fortunate to work in a variety of government positions with the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Natural Resources, with many of those being in senior management roles. The positions allowed me to work on a broad range of projects, from the surveying of highways 115, 404, and 416 to developing large-scale ortho-photography coverage for southern Ontario, to managing moose aerial inventories. On retirement from government, I enjoyed time as a management consultant specializing in activities related to geographic information before joining the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors as their Executive Director.

Gavin Lawrence, OLS (He/Him)

Born and raised during the apartheid era in South Africa gave me a unique outlook on life and some harsh life lessons. Admittedly, I really wanted to become a pilot, which was a hard no because I was the wrong colour. Regardless of the challenges I faced, Cape Town provided me with the perfect venue for my love of the outdoors, scouting, mapping, and orienteering. Eventually these joys indirectly led me to surveying, but not before starting my academic life dabbling in horticulture and environmental studies. Besides surveying, I later also completed a postgrad in GIS and an MBA. In 2003, I immigrated to Canada with my wife and two kids. After completing a few courses, I started articling and obtained my licence as an Ontario Land Surveyor in 2008, and my Canada Lands Surveyor licence in 2012. Last year, I was proud to serve as the President of the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors.

Given the political regime at the time, land surveying as a career was not really earmarked for non-whites, which meant my friends and I were some of the first to overcome a number of barriers – like harassment and being paid less than our white colleagues. A few years before leaving for Canada, I broke the management ceiling. Without a doubt, my South African academic and work careers were quite colourful and trying at times given the lack of non-white representation, especially within the management ranks. It was not all bad; most colleagues accepted me once I proved my worth. I am grateful for these life lessons as they helped shape me into the person I am today.

Overall, I count myself blessed to be in an ever-changing, vibrant, and stimulating industry that allows me to apply my skill and knowledge on a daily basis. My experiences are not unique, so I encourage others to be frank and talk about their journeys. It is only through sharing that we can be a more welcoming association that values diversity.

Natalie Vibert, OLS (She/Her)

Growing up playing boys hockey, you would think I would have some horror stories that made me who I am today. But I don’t. I grew up in Thunder Bay, a city drenched in hockey life, and I never had a teammate, coach, or parent make me feel like I shouldn’t be there playing alongside the boys.

Maybe that is why, after I played my last college hockey game, I started out in the male-dominated survey profession, because no one told me I couldn’t.

My first job was layout at a mining exploration camp in the Arctic. It was exciting – there were helicopters, 24 hours of daily light, and grizzly bears, but it wasn’t home. I had a Masters of Geography and wanted a good-paying job in Thunder Bay close to family. That’s when I learned you could get a licence as a surveyor and there were good-paying jobs in it. It took a while, but I got my licence in 2019. Surveying is still a male-dominated profession, but I never had a party chief, boss, or colleague make me feel like I didn’t belong.

My hope is that one day the Association’s Inclusivity and Diversity Committee will be dissolved. But for now, there is work to do to make sure there are more stories similar to my own. Women belong in surveying.

Maureen Mountjoy, OLS (She/Her)

In 1976, I obtained a B.Sc. in the first graduating class of Survey Science at Erindale College, University of Toronto (U of T). After graduation, I articled to E.W. (Red) Petzold. I had many interesting projects out in the field and gained a lot of practical experience. In December 1978, I became the second female to be licensed as an Ontario Land Surveyor (OLS).

To further my career in 1979, I joined Marshall Macklin Monaghan (MMM) in the Mississauga office. One of my most memorable roles there was when I was a supervisor on a TransCanada Pipeline project. A few years later, I left MMM and, in 1983, I was offered a position as a Surveying Instructor at Humber College. In 1985, I took on a part-time position as a Teaching Assistant/Lab Instructor in the Survey Science program at Erindale College, which was perfect as I had two young daughters. I held this position for 15 years. In 1996, I also took on the additional role of Special Lecturer for the second-year Surveying course in the Civil Engineering department at the downtown U of T campus. I also became the Camp Coordinator for the two-week, third year Field Survey course, which was held in spring and summer sessions at the Gull Lake Survey Camp in Minden. Teaching was one of my most rewarding experiences. Unfortunately, the Survey Science program at Erindale College was discontinued in 1999.

In October of 2000, I began my current full-time position as the Deputy Registrar of the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors. I have a variety of duties, but two major roles are: Chief Administrative Officer of the AOLS Educational Foundation and former editor of the Ontario Professional Surveyor magazine. I am a member of various AOLS committees and am involved in outreach to many high schools and universities.

In retrospect, I feel very lucky that I chose the route to becoming a land surveyor all those years ago. My journey to receiving my OLS designation was not an easy one. I encountered many obstacles and faced many challenges along the way, but I overcame them. I also had a lot of encouragement and support from my husband, Bob Mountjoy. He began his career as a Professional Engineer in Civil Engineering and, ironically, he chose to change his career path and became licensed as an OLS in 1993. It has been fun to share our surveying experiences.

I am very proud to be an Ontario Land Surveyor and I continually encourage young people to obtain their OLS designation. I have especially focused on promoting the surveying profession to women, as our female representation is so low. I hope that will improve in the future.

Saeid Sedaghat, OLS (He/Him)

I was born and grew up in a small city in the south of Iran. I graduated from Survey Engineering in 2004. I got my master’s degree in Urban Planning in 2006. I was a faculty member back home and enjoyed teaching surveying to civil, survey, and architectural students.

As a newcomer to Canada, my new chapter of life started in 2014, which means starting from scratch. I joined J.D. Barnes as a field assistant and completed my articling in 2017. Field surveying days were not easy, but I really enjoyed every single day of it. As an immigrant, I had to work and study simultaneously to achieve my goal to be an Ontario Land Surveyor. I always have been ready to work overtime, on the weekend, and on out-of-city projects. I received my licence as an Ontario Land Surveyor in 2018, as a Canada Land Surveyor in 2019, and as a professional engineer in 2020.

Currently I am working as a project surveyor for the City of Ottawa, and I teach survey courses at Algonquin College. Also, I volunteer with PAND Settlement Services to bridge the gap between immigration and employment for newcomers and facilitate their successful adaptation and integration processes into their new life and culture in Ottawa.

I have some advice to the internationally trained surveyors who are at the beginning of this way:

Accept immigration as the biggest change in your life and manage it, be patient, and do not be shy in asking questions from your colleagues. You might feel you are being discriminated against or get exhausted sometimes, you might be subject to prejudice or discrimination, but this should not stop you from reaching your dream. Always look forward to who you want to be, not who you were before! Never give up. Work hard and be nice to everyone, keep helping others to find their way.

I would be happy to help you become an OLS. Feel free to contact me on LinkedIn.

www.linkedin.com/in/saeidsedaghat

Wikar Bhatti, OLS (He/Him)

Innate in everyone is an intrinsic want "to belong" or to be part of . . . whether it be family, a group of friends, or colleagues at work.

Life is a journey marked by chapters. Chapter One began in the England of the 60s – a time rife with racial tensions. My parents sought a better life and we immigrated to Canada. However, as the son of immigrants, racial strife seemed to have followed us across the pond to Etobicoke. Growing up in the racially charged "Archie Bunker-era" of the '70s, I struggled with that sense of "belong" every single day.

Attending Erindale College in the mid-80s, I felt that sense of "belong." A love of geography, an interest in the law, and an aptitude for math led me to a career in surveying – "the art that is the science of determining the relationships between physical features, natural and artificial, on, below, or above the Earth's surface." The friendships built my first day in class remain to this day.

My professional journey started May 5, 1990 at the MTO, later the MNRF, and currently the City of Toronto. Each chapter marked by a new venture: Toronto, London, Kingston, Ottawa, Peterborough. Along the way, I had the fortune to have crossed paths with Doug Aron, Brian Maloney, Eric Ansell and, most importantly, John F. Goltz – wise, engaging, and charismatic. This band of characters would become lifelong mentors!

In 2015, a documentary on Dan Rather of CBS Evening News fame included his signature closing remark, a simple, but powerful word: "Courage." It was one of those ironic "aha" moments. Despite my own experience, our kids were raised to respect everyone and to know that nothing was beyond their reach.

As I journeyed from chapter to chapter, one constant remained: the reminder that I was different. Comments like "how can you be a surveyor and not drink," "what has brown done for me today," or "I can't find a white articling student to hire," were some choice phrases. Begrudgingly, I shrugged them off as isolated acts of ignorance.

I realized that the face of my profession was changing and that this face needed representation. Classes with Henry, Thomas, and Joseph were changing to Mayank, Jing, and Prakhar. As an instrument of change, I became a member of the AOLS Council – the first person of colour – to encourage EVERY face in our profession to be an instrument of change.

Unequivocally, I can truly say that I have loved every second of a truly rich professional journey. My travels across our province have included boundary discussions with First Nations in the far north, surveying the provincial boundary for the first time in almost 100 years, and being an expert witness (a.k.a. being "grilled") in a Boundaries Act tribunal.

I'm still excited every morning by the day’s unfolding challenges. Every aspect of our work has changed: how we work, who we work for, who we work with. I would be remiss in not passing along some sage offerings. Believe in your courage. Embrace the challenge of change. Make the future yours.