Membership Types

This page outlines the Association’s membership classes and how to qualify for each.

Ordinary Member

General Membership Requirement

Any member of the Association shall be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant with the following qualifications.

Eligibility for Ordinary Member

To be eligible as an Ordinary Member, a person must have been a full-time surveyor for five years within the preceding seven years; the last twelve months must have been served in Canada.

Any interruption in the twelve months due to sickness, etc., will not disqualify the applicant; however, the time must be made up to a total of twelve months.

Credit Allowances Toward the Five-Year Requirement

Tier A (Credit: 24 months)

  • Master Foreign Going
  • First Class Engineer – Steam, Diesel, or Combined
  • Acceptable degree in Naval Architecture
  • Other qualifications deemed acceptable as equivalent by the Board

Additional credit: For each completed year of service while holding such certificate/degree/qualification, add 1 month (maximum 12 months additional credit).

Tier B (Credit: 18 months)

  • Master Home Trade
  • First Mate Foreign Going
  • Second Class Engineer – Steam, Diesel, or Combined
  • Trade Certificate, Shipwright
  • Other qualifications deemed acceptable as equivalent by the Board

Additional credit: For each completed year of service while holding such certificate/qualification, add 1 month (maximum 9 months additional credit).

Tier C (Credit: 12 months)

  • Second Mate Foreign Going
  • First Mate Home Trade
  • Third and descending classes of Engineer
  • Other trade certificates/qualifications (e.g., Marine Insurance, Stevedoring, Shipyard Management) deemed acceptable as equivalent by the Board

Additional credit: For each completed year of service while holding such certificate/qualification, add 1 month (maximum 6 months additional credit).

Supervision Credit

Any surveyor applicant who has worked full time under the direct supervision of an Ordinary Member, as a trainee, for not less than twelve months within the qualifying time, may be eligible for an additional six (6) months credit.

Submission Requirements

In addition to meeting the time-qualifying standard, the applicant must submit samples of five (5) survey reports, with any sensitive words suitably blacked out as desired by the applicant, relevant to the applicant’s preferred areas of practice.

Examination

All eligible applicants may be subject to a verbal and/or written examination by the Membership Qualification Committee.

Appeals

Any applicant refused Ordinary or Student Membership has the right to appeal to the Board. The Board’s decision is final.

Honorary Member

A retiring member may, upon ceasing to be a full-time member and upon vote of the Board, be granted the title of “Honorary Member” which title shall confer upon the retiring member the right:

  • Of attending all General Meetings of the Association and addressing, advising, or making recommendations to the membership, which rights shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting but may be rescinded at any particular meeting by ordinary resolution.
  • Of receiving documentation, notices, and any other information normally received throughout the year by members in good standing.
  • Of donating time or money to the affairs of the Association.

No voting rights shall be conferred on an Honorary Member, and such members shall not be required to pay any dues, fees, or assessments required of the voting membership.

Student Member

A Student Member shall be any person who does not meet the basic requirements for Ordinary Membership at the time of applying, but who wishes to pursue Ordinary Membership in the future.

Requirements for Ordinary Membership

  1. Conduct at least 12 surveys a year for a minimum of two years after being accepted as a Student Member.
  2. Submit examples of at least one report every 3 months to the Membership Committee for review.
  3. Submit to a verbal and/or written examination after at least two years of conducting surveys and submitting reports as outlined above.

A Student Member who has completed the requirements of (i) and (ii) above must submit to examination after three years. If not, the applicant’s membership application will be removed.

A Student Member has the same rights and responsibilities as an Ordinary Member with the exception of voting rights.

There shall be no initiation fee for this class of membership, and the annual dues shall be 50% of the current annual rate for Ordinary Membership.

Affiliate Member

Affiliate Membership is available to non-practicing individuals who have an interest in the Association and its activities.

No voting rights shall be conferred on an Affiliate Member.

There shall be no initiation fee for this class of membership, and the annual dues shall be 30% of the current annual rate for Ordinary Membership.