LANDS AIMD SURVEYS BRANCH 



The main objectives of the Lands and Surveys Branch are 

 to maintain a rational basis for Crown land retention; to 

 develop, implement and maintain Land Use Plans; and to 

 conduct Crown surveys. The Branch is divided into four 

 sections — Lands, Land Acquisition and Planning, Surveys 

 and Engineering. 



The following is a brief review of Research Branch activity 

 during the past fiscal year. 



LANDS 



The uses for public lands are becoming more diversified 

 and more dependent on and related to other areas of public 

 administration. This has led to increased liaison and co- 

 operation with people concerned with public health, water 

 pollution, roads and land use planning in other Departments 

 of Government. 



In collaboration with the Department of Municipal Affairs, 

 two new restricted areas were established during the year 

 and real progress made towards developing several new 

 townsites. 



Interest in summer cottage lots continued to increase during 

 the year and sales increased. Increased interest was shown 

 in commercial summer resort properties, water lot occupa- 

 tions and ownership of beach lands. 



LAND ACQUISITION AND PLANNING 



Subsequent to the announcement of the Land Acquisition 

 program in 1962, this Department has acquired 93,356 acres 

 of land for water access points, district improvements, 

 general recreation (day use), parks, timber management, 

 wilderness areas, nature reserves and wildlife management 

 purposes. 



This year. Treasury Board approved 53 proposals covering 

 the acquisition of 71,887.95 acres, and an additional 46 

 proposals were approved- for the acquisition of 43,329 acres 

 by the Ontario Parks Integration Board. The number of acres 

 acquired this fiscal year amounted to 18,845.71, while almost 

 66,000 acres in total were considered and subsequently 

 rejected. 



SURVEYS 

 CARTOGRAPHY 



In pursuit of the objective to produce a total of 21 maps ir 

 a provincial topographic series on a scale 1 inch -^ 2 miles 

 to cover areas in Northern Ontario, map sheets designatec 

 Hornepayne, Calstock, Taradale. Obakamiga Lake, Timmin? 

 and Gogama were printed. Revised editions of one eight 

 mile, one four-mile and three miscellaneous maps were 

 produced, together with the last in a series of four surficiail 

 geology maps. ' 



Editing of nomenclature on maps produced by federal anci 

 provincial mapping agencies was continued, and more than' 

 600 new geographical names were recommended to the 

 Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographical Names 

 for approval. 

 LEGAL SURVEYS 



Drafting of area plans, special maps and charts, legal survey 

 plans resulting from departmental field survey activities, 

 graphic illustrations, and redrafting of township plans on a 

 scale 1 inch 20 chains continued. In addition, the loca- 

 tion and extent of all new alienations of Crown land con- 

 tinued to be plotted on township or area plans in order to 

 maintain a graphic illustration of the status of land through- 

 out the Province. 



Field surveys for administrative purposes were carried out 

 by field survey crews, operating principally in the northern' 

 part of southern Ontario. 



SURVEY RECORDS AND MAP DISTRIBUTION 

 Distribution of the Provincial Topographic Map series more 

 than doubled over the previous year, and an increase 

 occurred in the distribution of map sheets in the National 

 Topographic Map series mainly due to an issue of new and 

 revised sheets in the 1:25,000, 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 scale 

 series. The number of public inquiries requiring a search 

 of original plans and field notes of surveys of Crown lands 

 increased substantially. 



ENGINEERING 



This section continued to provide management of water 

 resources through approval of dams under The Lakes and 

 Rivers Improvement Act. Special engineering consultation 

 services were also provided for fisheries and waterfowl man- 

 agement projects. 

 ACCESS ROADS 



Some 1,850 miles of forest access roads were maintained 

 during the fiscal year, which is an increase of 331 miles 

 over the previous year, and represents an increase of 100 

 per cent over the total number of miles of road maintained 

 during the fiscal year ending March 31st, 1964. 



