RIGOROUS IMPACT EVALUATION OF LAND SURVEYING COSTS 16.5.2018 RIGOROUS IMPACT EVALUATION OF LAND SURVEYING COSTS Explain what the project/product/service actually is. What does it do? How does it work in very simple terms. This could be a short "elevator pitch" summary of your project so that people know exactly what project you're pitching. EVIDENCE FROM INDIGENOUS LANDS IN CANADA

There are some 400,000 First Nation peoples living on some 3,100 First Nation Reserves in Canada

The on-Reserve (formal) property system dates to the early 1800s The on-Reserve (formal) property system dates to the early 1800s. Formal land registrations with land surveys were deemed “an essential feature of the civilization process”

Why examine survey costs?

RATIONALE - general Survey costs are one of the largest costs of registering property They can comprise 30-60% of the total cost High costs of surveying/mapping have created barriers to registering property

RATIONALE - Indigenous Indigenous communities have, on average: higher unemployment rates and lower individual incomes More than twice as many Indigenous Canadian live in poverty compared to non-Indigenous Canadians. Property values on-Reserve hold significantly less value than neighboring off-Reserve properties. Low incomes + Low property values + High surveying costs = not a good situation.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS What is the median cost to survey a parcel on Indigenous lands? What factors influence that cost?

METHODOLOGY Sample comprised 97 surveys on First Nation Reserves from 2010-2015 The surveys were performed by 54 different land surveyors All 97 surveys were contracted by the Government of Canada to private sector land surveyors

DATA ON SEVEN OTHER VARIABLES Area (ha) Distance (km) Number of parcels Extent of existing surveys Water boundaries Company size Population of the community

RESULTS MEDIAN COST - $4,300/PARCEL COSTS RANGED FROM $508/PARCEL TO $23,460/PARCEL FIVE OF THE SEVEN VARIABLES WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT

IMPACT ON COSTS Statistically significant: Area Distance Number of parcels Water boundaries Company size Taken together these 5 variables explain some 41% of the variation in survey costs. Not statistically significant: Extent of existing surveys (how much survey evidence is around to tie to) Population

AREA As the area increases by 1 ha, the cost of the survey increases by $34/parcel

Number of parcels As the number of parcels increase by 1, the cost of the survey decreases by $112/parcel

Water boundaries Including a water boundary in the survey increases the cost by $3090/parcel

Company size Large firms are $1900/parcel cheaper than small firms, and medium size firms are $1500/parcel cheaper than small firms

Distance As the distance travelled increases by 1 km, the cost of the survey increases by $2.40/parcel Was not an overly substantial cost driver A less remote, and more complex survey on the Kootenay Indian Reserve (97718 CLSR) - $3,700/parcel A remote, less complex survey on the Waterhen Indian Reserve (97890 CLSR) – $4,200/parcel

SUMMARY Median cost to survey a parcel = $4,300 Survey Costs are highly impacted by Area, No. of parcels, water boundaries and company size. Distance was a significant factor, but did not highly impact cost The extent of existing surveys, and population had no impact on cost.

CONCLUDING REMARKS Some questions are worth pondering from these findings: Are the current costs reasonable? How do such costs compare to similar non-Indigenous communities? Should some of the significant cost drivers be addressed? To what extent should a community’s property values and per-household income influence survey costs?