Glen Vienneau
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jan 26/01) - There is more to land surveying than simply looking through a scope level which sits atop a tripod.
"There's always something different," says Bruce Hewlko, 49, co-owner of Sub-Arctic Surveys Ltd.
A graduate of Red River Community College's two-year technical program, Hewlko's job takes him out of the office into the field meeting project deadlines for his clients.
By definition, land surveying involves determining property boundaries.
He does it on a contractual basis for homeowners, real estate agents, lawyers, municipalities, mining companies, businesses and government agencies.
"It's our job to define that piece of property," he explains.
Knowing where their property boundaries are is an important factor for builders and those wanting to expand on their property.
A job which needs to be done when property marking pins inadvertently get moved around.
An occurrence which may happen by heavy equipment used by developers.
For the most part, the job is straight forward, the crew heads out on the property and looks for the marker pins.
"You're digging up rocks and stuff like that and a half-hour later you're in the office working on the computer," he says.
"In some cases, there is a fair bit of research if we're going into an area that we don't know -- a different community."
Often Hewlko finds himself in Northern communities doing mining surveying on the Barren Lands.
Travelling to the jobs ranges from walking, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, driving, and flying by Twin-Otter or helicopter.
A typical work day begins a 7 a.m. and in the summer can go as late as nine or 10 p.m.
"It gets quite hectic. You got a short work season, everybody wants their work done now. So, then you kind of have to react on that."
"In the summertime you're lucky to have half a day off a month. You might squeeze a Sunday afternoon in."
Fortunately, wintertime slows down to a more conventional nine to five day, especially in January and February.
During this time field work often takes longer.
"Just because your digging through snow and frozen ground. We work from 35 above to 45 below," he says, adding, "Some of those days aren't that comfortable, but it's part of the job and you do it."
"So, your efficiency level is a lot lower in the wintertime than it is in the summertime."
Doing land surveying in the North may appear to be too demanding for some people, but not Hewlko.
He enjoys the variety of physical and mental aspects of his job and has had the opportunity to see many areas that most people have never seen in the North.
