Northern Projects

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WE LOVE TO WORK IN REMOTE LOCATIONS

Some of the places we have worked required over two days of travel to get to the site each way, without any weather delays. For that reason a considerable amount of time is spent prior to departure in determining the requirements of the project as well as making sure all of our equipment is in peak operating condition and that back up equipment can be brought into play when necessary.

Accurate Results for Surveying Projects throughout Manitoba & Parts of Nunavut & the Northwest Territories

As a trusted land surveying firm in Manitoba, Stevens Surveys has successfully completed a wide range of projects in both urban settings and remote environments. We take pride in spending time determining your needs in order to supply you with accurate, understandable results. Please take a moment to review some of our featured projects. If you have questions or would like to schedule a consultation, please contact us.

Pangnirtung Fiord

The Canadian Government has developed the Pangnirtung Fiord on Baffin Island into a First Class facility where access is no longer restricted to the periods of high tides.  As these tides vary  by more than 12 feet there was a lot of dredging required to achieve this goal.
We were asked to go there originally to settle a dispute between the contractor that completed the work and the engineering company that completed the design. Twice more we were contracted to complete bathymetric surveys to confirm that the design was being followed.  Sonars were integrated with our GPS equipment and used at high tide, quality control was done at low tide.

Gull Bay Harbour

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has a mandate to keep the harbours that are critical to the commercial fishing industry safe and in good repair in order to protect the health and safety of users and the environment. Using a combination of GPS and a survey-grade depth sounder, we conducted a bathymetric survey of the Gull Bay Harbour at Long Point on Lake Winnipeg.

Differential corrections to the GPS positions on the boat were acquired from a nearby land-based GPS base station set up over a survey monument with established coordinates. In shallow areas, we simply waded and directly measured the bed of the harbour with GPS. The depth information was combined with the topographic survey of surrounding land and related to permanent monuments to create a composite DTM.

Treaty Land Entitlement

We are Manitoba’s premier firm when it comes to treaty land entitlement. When First Nations signed treaties more than 100 years ago, certain amounts of land were to have been set aside for their use. Many First Nations did not receive their full allotment and now lands are being surveyed to fulfill the obligations. These surveys are usually large of several weeks’ duration in isolated locations demanding intense logistical considerations.

The TLE survey at Pukatawagan, for example, required a crew of 11 people in a temporary base camp for six weeks. Aerial photography was acquired, boundary lines were cut through the bush, survey monuments were installed at intervals, boundaries and shorelines were measured and finally a plan was produced to identify the land to be transferred for the use of First Nations people.

North Warning System, Nunavut

The North Warning System is a series of radar stations across the arctic region providing surveillance of northern North American airspace. The logistics to move personnel, equipment and supplies in and out of these isolated locations are complex, aggravated by unpredictable weather conditions. The threat of polar bear attacks adds another level of preparedness.

The survey of the North Warning System site on Resolution Island, opposite the south-eastern tip of Baffin Island in Nunavut, was one of 17 such sites we surveyed to effect the transfer of jurisdictional control from the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs to the Department of National Defence. At this location, 80 survey monuments were installed to define separate parcels for the radar station, beach head, airstrip and connecting roads. All work was conducted using GPS.

Survey of Territorial Boundary between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories

In 1999, the Nunavut Territory was created from part of the Northwest Territories. The western boundary of Nunavut was defined using theoretical coordinates. Starting in 2008, contracts were issued by the Federal Government to monument and survey the rectilinear boundaries.

In 2014, our firm was awarded the contract for the survey of a section of these boundaries that is 470 kilometres in length. Transportation between monuments was provided by helicopter with other aircraft being used to provide support. We encountered wildlife including black bears, grizzly bears, wolverine and moose.

Survey of Mining Claims in Nunavut

Before a mineral claim can go to lease it must first be surveyed by a Canada Land Surveyor. These surveys involve finding the original staking posts and marks and placing survey monuments.

In 2013, the survey of the KIY1, KIY2 and KIY3 claims were completed at Kiyuk Lake. We had to trek through miles of bush and wilderness and occasionally navigate bogs in order to complete the project.