Fiona Osborne first discovered the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (LTSA) when she delivered packages there as a courier. “I found LTSA interesting,” says Osborne, who is now an examiner of title. “The people were engaging and seemed curious by nature.”
A few years later, Osborne saw a posting at LTSA and applied. “It’s such an interesting job,” she says. “There is a lot of variety in the type of applications I review and sometimes I need to do historical research.”
Formed in 2005, the LTSA is a publicly accountable, statutory corporation responsible for operating the land title and survey systems of B.C. With offices in Victoria, New Westminster and Kamloops, LTSA delivers secure land titles through registration of land title interests and survey records.
“We’re proud of the work we contribute to the province,” says Samantha Mitchell, vice president, human resources. “The work that we do requires a level of respect, integrity and growth that drives the culture of the organization.”
At LTSA, one pillar of the company strategy is investing in people, and Mitchell says the company has been able to continually invest, even in challenging times. “Many of our positions are built on having a certain level of expertise,” she says. “For instance, it takes two years of in-house training to become an examiner.”
In the past two years, LTSA has undertaken foundational training on diversity, equity and inclusion, right across the province. This year, the company is focused on Indigenous awareness training through smaller group sessions. “People are keen to learn,” says Mitchell.
In addition, employees are invited to take part in lunch-and-learn events, virtually and in-person. Some topics feature an outside expert, and some focus in on the business with an employee sharing knowledge with the larger group.
“We recently hosted our senior deputy surveyor general to speak about his role in agreements with First Nations,” says Mitchell. “And we’re always looking for how we can do things better.” The events also feature topics on well-being, such as mental health first aid, or life skills such as goal-setting.
Osborne says she has learned the most from colleagues and mentors. “I was assigned a mentor as I worked through the examiner training, and then I had two more over two years as each was promoted to the next level,” she says. “It speaks to the opportunities for growth in the organization.”
And Osborne appreciates the collaborative environment. “We have a knowledge management database and so many other resources,” she says. “Mentors share study materials and colleagues have a wealth of facts and experience. It’s a collective knowledge pool.”
Helpful colleagues may be recognized at the annual, peer-nominated achievement awards. There is also an annual customer service week to recognize the employees on the front line.
Both Mitchell and Osborne say that LTSA, where people have access to private information, puts a high value on ethics. The company runs regular training on compliance, has a code of business conduct and also runs privacy training.
As for what’s next, Osborne checks in twice a year on career planning with her manager. “The goal I have now is to learn how to do some of the more complicated applications,” she says. As someone who’s been with the organization for just two and a half years, she’s happy in her role as an examiner.
“There is such a level of trust in the organization,” says Osborne. “I am attracted to the people and the work, equally.”