Survey Plan Requirements

Table of contents

Overview

In accordance with Sections 13 and 75 of the Indian Oil and Gas Regulations, 2019, every survey plan must be plotted in accordance with the Canada Lands Surveys Act, approved by the Surveyor General of Canada, and recorded in the Canada Lands Survey Records (CLSR).

The Canada Lands Surveys Act mandates Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) through the Surveyor General Branch (SGB) to manage the Land Survey System on Indian lands.

Plans not required to be recorded

  • Preliminary Maps (Exploration Licence)
  • Amendments to existing surface contracts that don't result in a change to the lands dealt with, e.g. adding of wellbore only.

Surface Permits

Require a sketch plan prepared in accordance with applicable provincial standards.

Webinar

A webinar was conduction July 27, 2016 and is available for viewing from the GeoEd website. Although it speaks to the application process in place prior to August 1, 2019, the information concerning survey plans is still relevant.

Terminology

Facility; a term used to describe the purpose of the Lands Dealt With on the survey, e.g. a wellsite, riser site, pipeline right of way etc.

Incidental Activity; an area required for an activity that is accompanying / required for / a consequence of the tenure being granted, but will not form part of the permanent lands being acquired; e.g. temporary work space, log deck

Lands Dealt With; a term commonly used by surveyors to describe the lands within the boundary of surface tenure, e.g. the wellsite or pipeline right-of-way etc. that the survey was created for

Parcel; an area of land that is capable of being used to define the extent of land ownership or other exclusive use, e.g. certificates of possession. Includes lots, blocks, sections, quarter sections, legal subdivisions, roads, highways etc.

Topographic; a representation on the survey of natural and artificial features of an area, e.g. houses, trees, bushes, watercourses etc.

Unsurveyed Territory; an area of land that hasn't yet been surveyed; the land is known to exist, but the survey has either not yet been authorized or has not yet been completed.

Plan Requirements

IOGC requires two (2) versions of the survey plan prepared by a Canada Lands Surveyor at application:

  1. "Application Survey Plan": CLSR quality plan that includes IOGC's requirements (e.g. topopgraphy, access routes etc), as well as any other requirements required for provincial licencing; and
  2. "CLSR Survey Plan": CLSR quality plan with additional layers required by the Application Survey Plan turned off at plotting of final mylar.

Application Survey Plan

    ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
    Surface Lease Right-of-Way Exploration Licence
Legislative Authority
General     N/A

  • prepare in accordance with applicable provincial standards
Exceptions      
Format
General
  • Plan of Survey only (construction plans, individual ownership plans, or sketch plans will not be accepted)
  • Must be neat, computer drafted and created accurate to scale
      
Scale
  • Details provided where necessary
 1:5,000 1:5,000 1:50,000
Title Block
Description of parcels/facilities
  • Describes the facility being surveyed (i.e., wellsite, pad site, access roads) such that there is a one-to-one correspondence with each facility shown within the lands dealt with on the plan body
  • Describes each parcel of land affected by the facilities being surveyed (e.g., 1/4 Section, Lot or Parcel, Road allowance etc.)
 Well name(s) From and To locations program name

N/A
  • prepare in accordance with applicable provincial standards
Lands
  • All lands dealt with on the survey plan are indicated in the Title Block
  • Description provided when within unsurveyed territory (e.g. Theoretical, Unsurveyed)
  • Reserve names(s) and number(s)
      
Table Requirements
Areas Table
  • Area is provided for each facility shown surveyed on the plan, separate for each parcel affected
    (e.g. 1/4 section, road allowance, lot or parcel)
  • The total area and any subtotals are provided and shown in hectares (ha)
 Riser sites and/or access roads that are less than or equal to 0.1 hectares must also be shown in meters-squared (m2)    
Incidental Activities 
  • Incidental Activities are to be summarized in a separate table, and sub-totaled by activity type
    (e.g. Temporary Workspace, Temporary Access, Log Decks)
      
Project Information
  • Total length and width is required for linear dispositions
  • Separate table required if criteria identified in "Additional Requirements" column
  
  • Number of pipelines proposed for construction within the right of way, along with the proposed diameter, depth and substance for each
  • Program Name
  • Total Old Cut
  • Total New Cut
  • Total On-Reserve km
    • 3D: total km for receiver and source lines
    • 2D: total km
Crossing Table  
  • Not Required
  • Required
  • Not Required
Access Route Table  
  • Required
  • Required
  • Required
Body
General
  • Reserve name(s) and number(s) are shown clearly on the plan body
  • Clearly identify which portions are surveyed on which Reserve numbers
    (some First Nations have several Reserves)
  • The lands dealt with by the survey are shown in the diagram of the plan by a bold line, coinciding with the exterior boundaries (colours and shading are allowed)
  • Provincial boundaries must be clearly shown
  • Each Section must be identified clearly
  • Each LSD must be clearly identified
   
Environmental Information
  • Show sufficient information to establish the general character of the topography, predominant drainage patterns, and surface improvements
  • Elevation at beginning and end of access roads and right-of-ways with a notation of when there is an elevation change of 10 m or greater along the route
  • Topographic features such as escarpments, texas gates, fences, waterbodies/low wet areas, depressions (class I wetland or ephemeral draw) within 100 m of the surface agreement edge
  • Surrounding land use: cultivated, native prairie, forested, peatland/muskeg, non-registered roads and trails 
  • Distance and direction to nearest residence
  • residences within 500 metres of the well centre
  • elevations at well center and corners of leases
  This section does not apply to Exploration Licences
Incidental Activities
  • To be shown using a light solid line and NOT as being a part of the lands dealt with
    • Unless will form part of permanent lands (e.g. borrow pit)
  • Shading may be permitted so long as it does not obscure information, but acceptance is at the discretion of SBG
      
Road Allowances
  • Confirm which jurisdiction holds the road, Federal or Provincial, when drafting the survey as not all Reserves have title to certain road allowances
      
Overlap
  • Overlapping of surface dispositions that grant exclusive use is not permitted
    (i.e. riser site overlapping a wellsite, wellsite overlapping an access road etc.)
      
Waterbodies/
Watercourses
  • Label named waterbodies/watercourses (show direction of flow)
  • If the intent of the activity is to have the current bank as part of the boundary of the lease, indicate as such.
    
Existing Contracts
  • Show and label all dispositions, authorizations, plans recorded in the CLSR, and/or instruments registered in the Indian Lands Registry adjacent to and/or through proposed activity
  • Where possible, identify related IOGC agreements by the IOGC agreement number (OS/TS/RW/TW etc.). This information is available from the Indian Lands Registry System
    
  • Not Required
Project Specific Information
  • As identified in the "Additional Requirements" column
  • Wellsite and pad site etc. plans must show the surface and bottomhole locations.
  • The wellbore path must be shown for directional and horizontal wells.
  • The intermediate casing point must be indicated for horizontal wells.
  • The entire route of the proposed pipeline must be shown to the end points within the boundaries of the surface lease.
  • Where an applicant proposes to tie into a riser, a facility or another pipeline it must be shown within the boundaries of the surface contract.
  
Other
Surveys required when applying for a Partial Surrender
  • Body of survey: must clearly identify (1) the lands to be surrendered as "Parcel A", and (2) the lands to be retained as "Parcel B"
  • Areas Table: lands and hectares for Parcel A and Parcel B must be identified consistent with regular requirements
    This section does not apply to Exploration Licences
Surveys required when applying for a Partial transfer of lands
  • Company transferring the lands:
    • Body: Must redraw the remainder of the lands not being transferred
    • Title Block: PLAN OF SURVEY OF (whole facility not being transferred, if any, e.g. WELLSITE) AND PORTION OF (portion of facility not being transferred, if any, e.g. ACCESS ROAD) PLAN (CLSR No.) WITHIN (Land Description)
  • Company accepting the addition of lands to their existing surface contract:
    • Body: Must draw the lands being removed from the original parcel as its own parcel
    • Title Block: PLAN OF SURVEY OF PORTION OF (facility being transferred, e.g. ACCESS ROAD) PLAN
      (CLSR No.) WITHIN (Land Description)
    This section does not apply to Exploration Licences
Surveys required when applying to amend an existing Surface Contract
  • As identified in the "Additional Requirements" column
 Additional Well only / No New Lands:

  • current survey plan indicating the additional well name, location of the additional well bore and associated bottomhole is required
  • this plan will NOT receive a CLSR number
 Additional Pipeline only / No New Lands

  • current survey plan of the right-of-way
  • this plan will NOT receive a CLSR number
 This section does not apply to Exploration Licences

Suggested Plan Checklist

The following checklists have been developed to assist surface contract applicants with confirming their survey plans meet IOGC requirements.

Application Survey Plan

Surface Lease

  Meets/Not Applicable Does NOT Meet
FORMAT
General Plan of Survey only
construction plans, individual ownership plans, or sketch plans not accepted
Scale 1:5,000
TITLE BLOCK
Description of parcels/facilities Well name(s)
Describes the facility being surveyed such that there is a one-to-one correspondence with each facility shown within the lands dealt with on the plan body
Describes each parcel of land affected by the facilities being surveyed (e.g., 1/4 Section, Lot or Parcel, Road allowance etc.)
Lands All lands dealt with on the survey plan are indicated in the Title Block
Description provided when within unsurveyed territory
(e.g. Theoretical, Unsurveyed)
Reserve names(s) and number(s)
TABLE REQUIREMENTS
Areas Table Area is provided for each facility shown surveyed on the plan, is separated for each parcel affected
(e.g. 1/4 section, road allowance, lot or parcel)
The total area and any subtotals are provided and shown in hectares (ha)
Incidental Activities  Incidental Activities are to be summarized in a separate table, and sub-totaled by activity type
(e.g. Temporary Workspace, Temporary Access, Log Decks)
Access Route Table Required
BODY
General Reserve name(s) and number(s) are shown clearly on the plan body
Clearly identify which portions are surveyed on which Reserve numbers
The lands dealt with by the survey are shown in the diagram of the plan by a bold line, coinciding with the exterior boundaries
(colours and shading are allowed)
Provincial boundaries must be clearly shown
Each Section must be identified clearly
Each LSD must also be clearly identified
Environmental Information Show sufficient information to establish the general character of the topography, predominant drainage patterns, and surface improvements
Elevation at beginning and end of access roads and right-of-ways with a notation of when there is an elevation change of 10 m or greater along the route
Topographic features such as escarpments, texas gates, fences, waterbodies/low wet areas, depressions (class I wetland or ephemeral draw) within 100 m of the surface agreement edge
Surrounding land use: cultivated, native prairie, forested, peatland/muskeg, non-registered roads and trails
Distance and direction to nearest residence
Incidental Activities Shown using a light solid line and NOT as being a part of the lands dealt with
(Unless will form part of permanent lands (e.g. borrow pit))
Waterbodies/
Watercourses		 Label named waterbodies/watercourses (show direction of flow)
If the intent of the activity is to have the current bank as part of the boundary of the lease, indicate as such
Overlap Overlapping of surface dispositions that grant exclusive use is not permitted (i.e. riser site overlapping a wellsite)
Road Allowances Confirm which jurisdiction holds the road, Federal or Provincial, when drafting the survey as not all Reserves have title to certain road allowances
Existing/Pending Agreements Show and label all dispositions, authorizations, plans recorded in the CLSR, and/or instruments registered in the Indian Lands Registry adjacent to and/or through proposed activity
Where possible, identify related or pending IOGC agreements by the IOGC agreement number (OS/TS/RW/TW etc.)
Project Specific Information Well surface and bottomhole locations clearly shown
Wellbore path shown for directional and horizontal wells
The intermediate casing point must be indicated for horizontal wells
Total length and width is required for linear dispositions
OTHER
Surveys required when applying to amend an existing Surface Agreement Additional Well / No New Lands:
Survey plan indicating the additional well name, location of the additional well bore and associated bottomhole
Surveys required when applying for a Partial Surrender Body of survey: must clearly identify (1) the lands to be surrendered as "Parcel A", and (2) the lands to be retained as "Parcel B"
Areas Table: lands and hectares for Parcel A and Parcel B must be identified consistent with regular requirements
Surveys required when applying for a Partial transfer of lands Company transferring the lands:
Body: Must redraw the remainder of the lands not being transferred
Title Block: PLAN OF SURVEY OF (whole facility not being transferred, if any, e.g. WELLSITE) AND PORTION OF (portion of facility not being transferred, if any, e.g. ACCESS ROAD) PLAN (CLSR No.) WITHIN (Land Description)
Company accepting the addition of lands to their existing surface contract:
Body: Must draw the lands being removed from the original parcel as its own parcel
Title Block: PLAN OF SURVEY OF PORTION OF (facility being transferred, e.g. ACCESS ROAD) PLAN
(CLSR No.) WITHIN (Land Description)

Right-of-Way Agreement

  Meets/Not Applicable Does NOT Meet
FORMAT
General Plan of Survey only
construction plans, individual ownership plans, or sketch plans not accepted
Scale 1:5,000
TITLE BLOCK
Description of parcels/facilities From and To locations
Describes the facility being surveyed such that there is a one-to-one correspondence with each facility shown within the lands dealt with on the plan body
Describes each parcel of land affected by the facilities being surveyed (e.g., 1/4 Section, Lot or Parcel, Road allowance etc.)
Lands All lands dealt with on the survey plan are indicated in the Title Block
Description provided when within unsurveyed territory
(e.g. Theoretical, Unsurveyed)
Reserve names(s) and number(s)
TABLE REQUIREMENTS
Areas Table Area is provided for each facility shown surveyed on the plan, is separated for each parcel affected
(e.g. 1/4 section, road allowance, lot or parcel)
The total area and any subtotals are provided and shown in hectares (ha)    
Total length and width is required for linear dispositions
Incidental Activities  Incidental Activities are to be summarized in a separate table, and sub-totaled by activity type
(e.g. Temporary Workspace, Temporary Access, Log Decks)
Project Information The number of pipelines proposed for construction within the right of way, along with the proposed diameter, depth and substance for each
Crossing Table Required
Access Route Table Required
BODY
General    Reserve name(s) and number(s) are shown clearly on the plan body
Clearly identify which portions are surveyed on which Reserve numbers
The lands dealt with by the survey are shown in the diagram of the plan by a bold line, coinciding with the exterior boundaries
(colours and shading are allowed)
Provincial boundaries must be clearly shown
Each Section must be identified clearly
Environmental Information Show sufficient information to establish the general character of the topography, predominant drainage patterns, and surface improvements
Elevation at beginning and end of access roads and right-of-ways with a notation of when there is an elevation change of 10 m or greater along the route
Topographic features such as escarpments, texas gates, fences, waterbodies/low wet areas, depressions (class I wetland or ephemeral draw) within 100 m of the surface agreement edge
Surrounding land use: cultivated, native prairie, forested, peatland/muskeg, non-registered roads and trails
Distance and direction to nearest residence
Incidental Activities Shown using a light solid line and NOT as being a part of the lands dealt with
Waterbodies/
Watercourses		 Label named waterbodies/watercourses (show direction of flow)
Road Allowances Confirm which jurisdiction holds the road, Federal or Provincial, when drafting the survey as not all Reserves have title to certain road allowances
Existing Contract Show and label all dispositions, authorizations, plans recorded in the CLSR, and/or instruments registered in the Indian Lands Registry adjacent to and/or through proposed activity
Where possible, identify related IOGC agreements by the IOGC agreement number (OS/TS/RW/TW etc.)
Project Specific Information The entire route of the proposed pipeline must be shown to the end points within the boundaries of the surface lease
Where an applicant proposes to tie into a riser, a facility or another pipeline it must be shown within the boundaries of the surface contract
OTHER
Surveys required when applying to amend an existing Surface Agreement Additional Pipeline / No New Lands:
Current survey plan of the right-of-way
Surveys required when applying for a Partial Surrender Body of survey: must clearly identify (1) the lands to be surrendered as "Parcel A", and (2) the lands to be retained as "Parcel B"
Areas Table: lands and hectares for Parcel A and Parcel B must be identified consistent with regular requirements
Surveys required when applying for a Partial transfer of lands Company transferring the lands:
Body: Must redraw the remainder of the lands not being transferred
Title Block: PLAN OF SURVEY OF PORTION OF (portion of facility not being transferred, if any, e.g. PIPELINE RIGHT-OF-WAY) PLAN (CLSR No.) WITHIN (Land Description)
Company accepting the addition of lands to their existing surface contract:
Body: Must draw the lands being removed from the original parcel as its own parcel
Title Block: PLAN OF SURVEY OF PORTION OF (facility being transferred, PIPELINE RIGHT-OF-WAY) PLAN
(CLSR No.) WITHIN (Land Description)

Exploration Licence

  Meets/Not Applicable Does NOT Meet
FORMAT
General Prepared in accordance with provincial standards
Scale 1:50,000
TITLE BLOCK
Description of parcels/facilities Program name
Description as per the provincial requirements
Lands All lands dealt with on the survey plan are indicated in the Title Block.
Description provided when within unsurveyed territory
(e.g. Theoretical, Unsurveyed)
Reserve names(s) and number(s)
TABLE REQUIREMENTS
Project Information Program Name
Total Old Cut
Total New Cut
Total On-Reserve km:

  • 3D: total km for receiver and source lines
  • 2D: total km
Access Route Table Required
BODY
General Reserve name(s) and number(s) are shown clearly on the plan body
Clearly identify which portions are surveyed on which Reserve numbers
The lands dealt with by the survey are shown in the diagram of the plan by a bold line, coinciding with the exterior boundaries
(colours and shading are allowed)
Provincial boundaries must be clearly shown
Each Section must be identified clearly
Incidental Activities Shown using a light solid line and NOT as being a part of the lands dealt with
Waterbodies/
Watercourses		 Label named waterbodies/watercourses (show direction of flow)
Road Allowances Confirm which jurisdiction holds the road, Federal or Provincial, when drafting the survey as not all Reserves have title to certain road allowances

CLSR Survey Plan

NRCAN-SGB and IOGC collaborated to improve survey processes and procedures in order to reduce costs and streamline the survey plan approval process.

Review and approval of IOGC plans will be completed by IOGC via the MyCLSS web application for their plan related requirements. SGB will continue to review the plans for the requirements of the survey Standards.

Upon receiving the final Survey Document submitted to the Surveyor General Branch, IOGC will review the document against the following list of items as applicable:

Surface Lease

  1. The name and number assigned by provincial authority to each proposed well is shown.
  2. Areas are provided in ha. (not m2) for each facility, showing total and subtotal areas. E.g., Riser site, pad site, access road, etc. surveyed, separated for each surface area affected e.g., Quarter section, lot, parcel or road allowance, etc. Applicable for both surveyed and unsurveyed territory.
  3. Incidental Activities are summarized in a separate table, with their areas shown in ha. (not m2) and sub-totaled by activity type.
  4. Incidental Activities areas are clearly identified.
  5. Each Legal Subdivision (LSD) has been clearly identified.
  6. The total length and width have been identified for all linear dispositions.
  7. The lands dealt with have been checked to ensure that they are not overlapped by existing surface dispositions granting exclusive use.
  8. The following Wellbore Location details have been clearly shown - Well surface and bottomhole location.
  9. The following Wellbore Location details have been clearly shown? - Wellbore path for directional and horizontal wells.
  10. The following Wellbore Location details have been clearly shown? - Intermediate casing point for horizontal wells.
  11. The appropriate signature blocks are shown; e.g., RE: SECTION 13(1), INDIAN OIL AND GAS REGULATIONS or RE: SECTION 31, CANADA LANDS SURVEYS ACT.

Right-of-Way

  1. The From and To location(s) of the pipeline(s) are shown.
  2. Areas are provided in ha. (not m2) for each facility, showing total and subtotal areas; e.g. P/L Borrow area etc.) surveyed, separated for each surface area affected e.g. Quarter section, lot, parcel or road allowance, etc.. Applicable for both surveyed and unsurveyed territory.
  3. Incidental Activities are summarized in a separate table, and their areas in ha. (not m2) sub-totaled by activity type.
  4. Incidental Activities areas are clearly identified.
  5. The total length and width have been identified for all linear dispositions.
  6. The entire route of the pipeline is shown to the end point within the boundaries of the surface lease; e.g. overlap allowable.
  7. The pipeline tie-in point is within the boundary of the tie-in surface contract.
  8. The appropriate signature blocks are shown; e.g. RE: SECTION 13(1), INDIAN OIL AND GAS REGULATIONS or RE: SECTION 31, CANADA LANDS SURVEYS ACT.

Exploration Licence

Not required.

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