A Comprehensive Review is an independent audit of the practices and procedures of a survey organization, undertaken at least once every five years, under the provisions of Section 40 of Regulation 1026 under the Surveyors Act. The Survey Review Department reviews cadastral survey work of each firm or agency from the year prior, subject to a minimum of four (4) to a maximum of ten (10) surveys with each surveyor considered. The Review is based on the files provided by the firm or agency and on a field examination of at least, one (1) survey.
The Comprehensive Review is intended to examine the manner in which each of the subject surveys were processed from inception to completion, encompassing research, field work, plan preparation and correspondence. The surveys are examined relative to the Performance Standards, Regulations and Interpretive Guide, the Monumentation Regulations, Guidelines of the Association, relevant Land Registry system Regulations, and accepted common practice. A “DRAFT” report is prepared and presented to each firm under review. The firm is given the opportunity to discuss the report and clarify any issues raised in the report before it is finalized. On completion of the Review, the final report is issued to the firm, together with the supporting files and materials.
Confidentiality
The information provided by each firm, and the resultant report are held in strict confidence by the Survey Review Department, except where there are significant issues and areas of non-compliance which a firm is not prepared to acknowledge or rectify. In such a case, the report emanating from the Survey Review Department may be brought to the attention of the Registrar for his consideration and further action. In every such case, the firm would be informed as the report is passed to the Registrar.
Requirements
For the Survey Review Department to adequately assess each survey, the materials set out in "Schedule A", are to be provided by the organization under review. While this list may appear onerous, it represents the minimum information that should be retained by the firm as documentation of work performed. In the event of a dispute or litigation involving any survey, absence of such documentation from a file could make it difficult for a firm to demonstrate that thorough research and/or competent fieldwork and computations had been completed.
Methodology
Each office of every survey organization, be it a private firm or governmental agency, is required to list all completed surveys in a log, a copy of "Schedule B" found here. At five year intervals, a group of firms or agencies operating in a section of the province will be requested to forward copies of the logs covering the work completed within the year immediately prior to the date of the request. The Survey Review Department will then, randomly select sufficient numbers of projects of varying types to provide a representative sampling of the work of each firm or agency. The number of surveys selected, as noted above, will comprise a minimum of four (4) but not exceed ten (10) surveys completed in the prior year. The rationale for simultaneously undertaking Reviews of firms or agencies in a given area is to permit joint completion of field examinations and office visits by Department staff and/or consultants, with resultant cost savings. It also provides opportunity to identify and address inappropriate common regional practices
Upon selection of surveys to be examined, the Survey Review Department will request each firm or agency in the designated area to forward a signed print, the support file and any other pertinent information for each selected survey, as specified in "Schedule A". The submissions are to be completed within three weeks of notification. In the event that submissions are incomplete, the firm or agency will be notified and requested to supply the missing materials within a subsequent two weeks.
When all firms in the designated area have provided the necessary materials, an O.L.S. staff member and/or consultant, with the aid of an assistant, will undertake the field examination of selected surveys. The field examination is not a re-survey but is an examination of the site to determine whether the plan is representative of field conditions, whether there is additional or conflicting evidence apparent on or near the site, or whether there are interests in title, encroachments, conflicting uses or other issues which should be disclosed by the firm’s plan and/or report. During the course of the field examination, the S.R.D. surveyor makes notes and takes photographs for discussion with the firm under review
The field exam returns are consolidated with the supporting files of the relevant surveys and an in-depth examination of the complete file is then undertaken. The survey materials are examined to determine whether they are in accordance with, or deviate from, the requirements of the applicable Standards, Guidelines, Legislation, Regulations and accepted standard practice.
To provide uniformity and consistency in the audit process, the Survey Review Department and its consultants use "Check List and Rating Scale", in its evaluation of files. The checklist, while not conclusive, identifies the key portions of Regulations, Legislation, Guidelines, and Standards that govern the work of surveyors, and the rating scale provides an indication of the levels of concern placed on areas of non-compliance. The rating scale is used as a guide only, due to the professional nature of the work reviewed.
Reports
Upon completion of the review of the plans, field notes and files of the firms or agencies in the designated area, “DRAFT” reports are forwarded to the firm. The “DRAFT” reports include individual reports for each survey, a file report summary setting out the Department's level of concern for each deficiency, and a summary report highlighting any issues or areas of non-compliance. In addition, the Survey Review Department may make recommendations for change to practices or procedures and may require written response to questions or issues.
The Department will contact each firm or agency to arrange meetings at their offices to discuss the Reviews, to consider the issues raised therein, together with any additional information made available during the meeting, and to finalize the report. The meeting will be attended by the consulting surveyor that prepared the “DRAFT” Comprehensive Review Report and may be attended by the Manager of the Survey Review Department.
Outcomes
In keeping with the educational focus of the Survey Review Department, the Comprehensive Review Report should serve as an independent audit alerting the reviewed firm or agency if any issues, inadequacies or areas of non-compliance. Conversely, statistics developed from an aggregate of Reviews should identify common areas of practice in which education or other remedial action is required.
Under normal circumstances, the Review process aids the individual firms or agencies to maintain consistently good work and provides the Association a means to monitor the work of its members and to protect the public interest. Alternatively, the Review process permits the Survey Review Department to identify firms not operating within the requirements of the relevant Acts, Regulations and Guidelines. In such an event, the Department will refer the report to the Registrar for further consideration.