BC NOTARIES WHAT WE DO AND OUR PROFESSIONAL FRIENDS
Professional Relationships
A
Chuck Salmon
harmonious relationship has developed between the Association of BC Land Surveyors (ABCLS) and the BC Notaries over the past many years. The Associations have common ground in dealing with the public relating to the development of land and the real estate profession.
Through the relationship with the LTSA, the professions have been asked to work closely with the CEO and staff to implement change and provide guidance on future projects, all of which will benefit the professions in time. It was great to participate in those projects sharing common interests and providing useful direction.
As professionals it is our primary goal to ensure we provide the public with trusted advice for developing land and the purchase and sale of a house and strata property.
Other areas where that important relationship will benefit professionals is through professional development.
The founding of the Land Title and Survey Authority (LTSA) in 2005 introduced a positive step forward in all matters relating to property ownership in BC. The structure of the LTSA included a Board of Directors along with the LTSA Advisory Committee. The ABCLS provides recommendations for two people to be appointed to the LTSA Board of Directors and appoints a person to sit on the LTSA Advisory Committee. The BC Notaries Association also has an appointment to the LTSA Advisory Committee. Those positions at the LTSA provide an excellent opportunity for the professional bodies to provide input and to work closely together on all items relating to the LTSA.
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Other areas where that important relationship will benefit professionals is through professional development. I know that recently a land surveyor provided a valuable learning experience for BC Notaries on the role of a BC land surveyor. In the past I have conducted a number of seminars for other professionals. The seminars were all well-received and provided valuable learning experiences for professionals dealing with property ownership. The participants included the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA); the Appraisal BC Notaries Association
Institute of Canada, BC Division; and local Real Estate Boards. The seminars I undertook were mostly dealing with water boundaries, a very complex subject. I also took part in a seminar with Notaries, lawyers, and title insurance folks about the use of title insurance, including the hazards of not including a survey. The session I did with the Appraisal Institute about water boundaries became very lively when we started talking about the differences between title boundary and present natural boundary. A very significant difference exists in some areas of the province where water boundaries continuously move. Those communication experiences not only increase knowledge, they develop relationships with other professionals. A follow-up from that session kept me in touch with a few of the participants for many years thereafter, discussing ongoing professional issues. In BC, most property transfers are reasonably straightforward but there can be one transfer that is messy and complicated based on uncertain boundaries. It could be very useful to have a local land surveyor available to provide advice on the area in question and the complications that might be lurking in that particular area. Volume 30, Number 3, Winter 2021
