Modernization of Cadastral Systems

The SGB is mandated through various acts and regulations to manage property and boundary survey programs for the Government of Canada to ensure Canada has the boundary certainty required to exert its sovereignty and meet its legal obligations.  A key component is the modernization of cadastral systems within the Government of Canada.

Integration with Land Registries
Land survey and registry systems together form the foundation for property rights systems in Canada. Cadastral management techniques are used to modernize these systems for more effective access to property information. These systems also support decision making through improved land use planning and environmental management.

SGB's Integrated Cadastral Management (ICM) system facilitates integration with the various land registries operating on Canada Lands.

Canada Oil and Gas Land Division Grid
The Canada Oil and Gas Land Regulations provides for a land division system to support the orderly development and allocation of rights to petroleum resources on Frontier Lands (The North and Canada's Offshore Area).  In the regulations, the land division system is referenced to the North American Datum of 1927 (NAD27).   With advances in positioning technology, this datum is dated and has been replaced in Canada by the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83).  To ensure that existing rights allocated on the basis of the NAD27 reference datum, the Surveyor General Branch has converted the entire NAD 27 grid system to NAD83, thus preserving the relative relationship of all existing rights and allowing their integration with more precise measurement technology available today.

Towards a Marine Cadastre
The Surveyor General Branch promotes the modernization of the information systems and the Canada Lands Survey System to better address integrated management prerogatives in Canada's Offshore Area. Establishing effective management systems is essential to the success of good stewardship Canada's oceans and submerged lands. A Multi Purpose Marine Cadastre could become a core element of an integrated management system by providing a common information base for legal boundaries, rights and restrictions. It will ultimately lead to more certainty for industry and faster environmental assessment.