Every Surveyor practicing in Ontario is bound by law to adhere to a set level of competence and ethical behavior. These guidelines are set out in Ontario Regulation R.R.O.1026 under the Surveyors Act R.S.O. 1990, c.5, Ch.29 ( a statute of The Government of Ontario). They are defined by a high level Code of Ethics along with more specific Standards of Practice.
Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice
Every Surveyor practicing in Ontario is bound by law to adhere to a set level of competence and ethical behavior. These guidelines are set out in The Surveyors Act R.S.O. 1990, c.5, Ch.29 ( a statute of The Government of Ontario) under Ontario Regulation R.R.O.1026.
Code of Ethics
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- Members shall abide by the code of ethics of the Association.
- The code of ethics of the Association requires that every member shall,
- conduct his or her professional and private affairs in such a manner as to maintain public trust and confidence in the profession;
- abide by the standards of practice prescribed herein;
- follow a program of continuing education and maintain a level of proficiency that will meet the needs of the public;
- preserve the confidence of clients and regard as privileged information obtained in respect of clients' affairs;
- ensure the clients are aware of the complexity of the type of surveys recommended and the nature of fees for service;
- by signing a survey plan, certify that it complies with all relevant legislative requirements and all standards of the Association;
- and not receive compensation for the same service from more than one person without the consent of the persons involved.
Standards of Practice
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- Members shall maintain the standards of practice prescribed by this section in the performance of their practice of professional land surveying.
- The standards of practice of the Association require that,
- every cadastral surveying office shall be operated and supervised on a full time basis by a licensed member of the Association;
- no licensed member shall hold himself or herself out as carrying on the practice of cadastral surveying from more than one survey office;
- no partnership, corporation or association of persons authorized to practice the profession of land surveying shall list a licensed member as being in charge of more than one survey office;
- no licensed member shall enter into or continue to practice cadastral surveying in a partnership unless all of the partners are licensed members;
- no licensed member shall act as servant or agent of a person who is not licensed so as to enable that unlicensed person to offer cadastral surveying services to the public;
- every member shall pay within the time specified in the Act, regulation or bylaws of the Association all premiums, levies, deductible amounts under professional liability insurance or any other financial obligations owed to the Association;
- every member shall comply with any written or oral request received from the Association, the Registrar, the presiding officer of any committee of the Association within the time specified in the request and shall supply such information and copies of such material, other than material concerning a members health or financial status, as may be requested;
- every member shall report to the Registrar any gross or consistent practice or omission of another member, of which the member is aware, that may constitute professional misconduct or incompetence;
- every member shall keep and make available to his or her client, on request, an itemized and accurate record of the cost of a survey;
- and no member shall pay a commission in respect of a survey or offer or agree to divide his or her remuneration with another person in respect of a survey unless the other person has participated in making the survey.
- every professional member shall participate in the professional development program described in Section 41; and
- every licensed member shall conduct every survey in an impartial manner.