Township Records Revision Project
Research by the Surveys and Technical Services Section indicated that very little has been done in regards to revising and updating official township plans since the administrative responsibilities were transferred to the Alberta Government from Ottawa in 1931. Only particular plans were revised and updated at the time, either when new sections of land were surveyed or when affected by re-surveys or restoration surveys. The revision of township plans was not given a high priority during the years after 1931 because the Director of Surveys used the plan examination program to communicate the problems with township plans to Alberta Land Surveyors. Since this program was discontinued in 1987 the revision of township plans has become a priority of the Section.
It is the intent of the Surveys and Technical Services Section under the authority of Section 30(4) of the Surveys Act to update and revise all townships within the categories mentioned below. This would produce a final product that could be relied upon to contain correct and updated information (obtained from original field notes or other official records) regarding survey information pertaining to the township system in Alberta. Overall this would reduce errors, lessen confusion in future, reduce costs and strengthen the integrity of the land survey system in Alberta.
Under the TRRP a deficiency or defect is defined as a clerical discrepancy between township field notes and a township plan. TRRP is not intended to correct survey errors that may have occurred during the original township survey. Many of these survey errors are discovered and documented by secondary survey plans.
As the process of updating and revising township plans continues within
the Section, it was identified that information about the townships
affected should be shared with our clients. To this end the main categories
of official plans to be investigated are provided below. As well a
list of the township plans affected based on the Alberta Township System
(Meridian, Range, Township), including a comment field with a brief
description of the alleged defect(s) is provided. If the surveyor is
working within the immediate vicinity of the location identified, the
Section should be contacted for details. The list of plans can be downloaded
in a PDF format, text
file 
or as an MS
Excel document.
It is important to note that as these deficiencies are investigated and resolved the list will be updated. Users are advised to check back to this site for the latest information available.
Categories of Official Plans within the TRRP
It is to be noted that the Section has not yet thoroughly investigated each defect and therefore it is identified as an alleged defect. As each official plan is reviewed additional research is required to confirm that there is in fact a deficiency, which will require a new edition of the plan to be created.
Clerical Errors, Omissions or Defects
In the past, while conducting regular plan examination duties, a number of township plans were discovered to have clerical errors or data omitted when compared with the original township field notes. Other defects such as monumentation inconsistencies, conflicting data, etc., have been reported to the Section by Alberta Land Surveyors. Approximately 183 official plans within this category are included in the list.
Restoration / Re-establishment on Township, Baseline and Meridian Plans
There are approximately 68 official surveys that have re-established lost monuments, retraced existing boundaries and restored obliterated monuments. This information has not yet been incorporated into the official township plans. Official plans affected are included in the alleged deficiency list.
Forest Reserves
As Forest Reserves were established some of the township's survey information within the areas affected was removed from official plans produced. Since the Section recognizes the importance of identifying all of the available survey data on the township plan, it is intended that the TRRP will restore all of the previously deleted information. Approximately 42 plans are within this category and included within the list provided.
Single Line Road Allowances
All existing township plans indicating a single line for the theoretical government road allowance within unsurveyed territory are considered deficient. New editions showing road allowances 99 feet wide along unsurveyed section lines shall replace these plans. There are 21 township plans showing single-line unsurveyed road allowances included in the list provided.
Baselines and Meridians
Parts of some baseline and meridian plans do not correctly reflect how the monuments are posted due to errors in surveys. Some of these lines are officially recorded on township plans (5th Meridian) while others have not been officially recognized and remain in the field notes stage. Approximately 60 township plans within this category are included in the list provided.
The Director of Surveys Office has prepared the 5th Meridian Townships 89 to 108 Policy Document dealing specifically with the 5th Meridian. The document is available for download in PDF or MS Word format.
Indian Reserves
Some township plans do not reflect the current position of common boundaries of Indian Reserves. The updating of official township plans to show the current boundary position of Indian Reserves will require the collaborative efforts of Geomatics Canada, Land Administration and others to ensure the boundaries are correct and current. A listing of township plans within this category is not available at this time.
It should be noted that when doing research involving Indian Reserves users must not rely solely on the information shown on township plans.
Superseded Townships
In early years, as new townships were surveyed and official plans produced, an attempt was made to review and update all other bordering townships if changes were discovered on the common boundaries. This practice was discontinued when the responsibility for township plans was transferred to the Province in 1931. There are also a number of redundant baseline and meridian plans that have been incorporated into township plans. There are no immediate plans to revise township plans in this category. A list of deficient township plans in this category is not available at this time.
Surveyors and other users are reminded that when doing research along a township boundary other bordering townships must be reviewed for the possibility of more up-to-date information.
Non-Standard / Old Style Plans
Township plans prepared prior to 1903 contained detailed topographic information but were deficient in survey information compared to today's standards. Information regarding the type of survey monumentation placed at the corners or whether witness monuments were placed was not included on the plan. There are no immediate plans to revise townships in this category as these plans are easily identified and field notes are readily available. Approximately 280 townships are listed in this category.
It is our experience that many land surveyors assume that in the absence of bearings and distances, the plans are standard townships with all distances being 40 chains and all bearings being straight lines with no deflections. It is important to note that this is not always the case and field notes must be researched for any of these types of plans.
Contacts:
For details of alleged deficiencies or to comment on specific items within the list of alleged deficiencies, please contact:
Edward Titanich
TRRP Team Leader, Surveys and Technical Services Section
Lands Division
Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
Voice: (780) 422 0187 Fax: (780) 427 1493
E-mail: Ed.Titanich@gov.ab.ca
The Section welcomes comments, questions or suggestions regarding this program. Please contact:
Geoff Banham, P.Eng.
Acting Manager, Land Surveys Unit
Surveys and Technical Services Section
Lands Division
Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
Voice: (780) 422 1291 Fax: (780) 427 1493
E-mail: Geoff Banham@gov.ab.ca
