Projects

Many of the products prepared by the Office of the Surveyor General are descriptive maps of parcels of land that require a legal definition for regulations or agreements. Descriptive maps are beginning to replace the out-of-date and less desirable "metes and bounds" method of describing land.

A regulation plan is a descriptive map which has a legal written description and has been approved according to appropriate legislation (e.g., the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act) and referenced in an Ontario Regulation.

The boundaries on descriptive maps are not surveyed on the ground. They are mapped using computers and the limits of areas of interest are defined by showing descriptive text along existing features found on the ground, such as waterways and roads or map features such as lot fabric and limits of private land.

An excellent example of a descriptive plan replacing a metes and bounds description can be seen in the maps prepared to regulate the Wildlife Management Units (WMU) of Ontario. The Regulation Plan, WMU 16C (PDF, 2.6 mb) replaces pages and pages of a written metes and bounds description. These maps are very useful for the enforcement of Fish and Wildlife regulations. It is considerably easier for a Conservation Officer to determine whether an infraction has incurred within the Wildlife Unit and more importantly, much easier to prove that the offence occurred within a specific restricted area.

Descriptive Maps and Regulations Plans are not Plans of Survey and do not represent the actual location of a boundary on the ground. Thus, they are not used to describe or delineate parcels of land intended for transfer of ownership which are required to be registered in the Land Registry Offices.

Please contact surveyrecords@ontario.ca to obtain access to a specific plan.

Some of our recent projects include:

Descriptive maps are produced to help illustrate the lands under discussion during land claim negotiations.

For more information: http://www.aboriginalaffairs.gov.on.ca/english/negotiate/paysplat/paysplat.asp

As of January 2008, Ontario's recreational fishing regulations are based on 20 Fisheries Management Zones. The Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary outlines the rules for each zone.

For more information: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/LetsFish/2ColumnSubPage/198481.html

Maps that delineate Fire Regions, as described by Schedules 1 and 2 of Ontario Regulation 207/96 under The Forest Fires Prevention Act, thus allowing for the prevention and effectual fire suppression or the safety and evacuation of persons in the area.

For more information: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/AFFM/2ColumnSubPage/STEL02_165444.html

There are exceptions to fisheries regulations in the border waters area of Northwestern Ontario, Zone 5. There is a separate regulation for this area.

For more information: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/LetsFish/2ColumnSubPage/STEL02_165335.html

In 2007, in partnership with First Nations, Parks Canada and Natural Resources Canada, 1 million hectares of land and water off the coast of Lake Superior were protected to form the NMCA, the largest natural conservation area in the world.

For more information: http://www.pc.gc.ca/progs/amnc-nmca/proposals/LS_proposal_e.asp

In Northern Ontario where there are no municipalities, the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines defines geographic areas where residents pay for local services, such as fire services.

For more information: http://www.mndm.gov.on.ca/default_e.asp

These areas are currently regulated by multiple metes and bounds descriptions. They will be re-regulated to a single regulation plan.

For more information: http://www.escarpment.org/landplanning/planmaps/index.php#map3

The Greenbelt Plan includes lands within, and builds upon the ecological protections provided by the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, as well as the Niagara Escarpment Plan. It is regulated under the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act, 2001 and was compiled in partnership with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

For more information: http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page337.aspx

Protected area boundaries are regulated by plans filed with the Office of the Survey General. There are over 600 protected areas in Ontario. Link provides general information about each protected area.

For more information: http://www.ontarioparks.com/

The Greenbelt Plan includes lands within, and builds upon the ecological protections provided by the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, as well as the Niagara Escarpment Plan. The Plan of The Boundary of the Protected Countryside (Ontario Regulation 59/05) provides the information for establishing the boundary on the ground by a Licensed Ontario Land Surveyor, under instructions from the Surveyor General for the Province of Ontario.

For more information: http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page190.aspx and http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page2295.aspx

With the introduction of the Far North Act in 2009, a definable boundary was required for the southerly limit of the Far North of Ontario.

For more information: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/FarNorth/2ColumnSubPage/STDPROD_084225.html

The annual Hunting Regulations Summary for Ontario refers to 95 Wildlife Management Units to define what hunters can and cannot do, by geographic area. These boundaries are regulated and assist in the enforcement of the Hunting Regulations.

For more information: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/FW/2ColumnSubPage/256933.html