Ontario. Lands and Surveys Branch

• Lands and Surveys Branch

• Ontario. Dept. of Lands and Forests. Division of Surveys (1957- 1960)

On December 1, 1957, the Division of Surveys and Engineering and the Division of Lands (both of the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests) were amalgamated under the title of the Division of Surveys (renamed the Lands and Surveys Branch in 1960).

The new division consisted of two branches, a Surveys Branch and a Lands Branch, and was headed by a Divisional Chief. With the change in name of the division in 1960, the Surveys Branch and the Lands Branch were renamed the Surveys Section and the Lands Section.

Additional sections established within the branch included the Land Use Planning Section and the Engineering Section, both established in 1960, and the Land Acquisition Section, established in 1963. In 1966, the Land Use Planning and Land Acquisition Sections were merged to form the Land Acquisition and Planning Section, and in 1969, the Engineering Section was moved to the Forest Protection Branch.

In 1971, the Lands and Land Acquisition and Planning Sections of the branch were removed to form the new Lands and Waters Branch, while the Surveys Section was grouped with the Engineering Section (of the Forest Protection Branch) to form the Surveys and Engineering Branch.

The Lands and Surveys Branch of the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests was responsible for conducting ground and aerial surveys, compiling and distributing maps, selling and leasing crown lands, leasing water power on crown lands, land use planning, and approving the construction of dams in Ontario. In 1963, the Branch began a program of land acquisition aimed at providing public access to water and lands for hunting, fishing, forestry and recreation, and in 1968, the Branch acquired responsibility for the water control activities previously carried out by the Department of Public Works.

RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)

2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

Annual Reports of the Department of Lands and Forests

Canadiana Name Authorities, 1996-12- 24

Directory and Guide to Services of the Ontario Government

Ontario Government Telephone Directories

Public Accounts

Archivist(s):
S. McCLure, R. Anger