Who we are
The National Geological Surveys Committee (NGSC) is a group of senior executives from Canada’s 13 geological survey organizations, who coordinate and integrate public geoscience activities across Canada.
NGSC members work together to:
- identify emerging geoscience issues
- consult on best practices
- seek out opportunities to cooperate and collaborate
- promote the value of public geoscience among Canadians
- prepare and provide reports and recommendations to federal, provincial and territorial Ministers responsible for geological survey organizations.
The NGSC is also responsible for implementing the Intergovernmental Geoscience Accord (PDF, 2 MB), which defines the complementary roles and responsibilities of federal versus provincial/territorial geological survey organizations.
The work of the NGSC is carried out by senior executives, with input and assistance from a Secretariat and scientists and managers of the individual geological survey organizations.
The NGSC reports to Ministers through the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Mineral Industry.
NGSC members
- Adrian Hickin, British Columbia Geological Survey
- Andrew Beaton, Alberta Geological Survey
- Carolyn Relf, Yukon Geological Survey
- Geneviève Marquis, Geological Survey of Canada
- Danny Wright and Paul Budkewistch, Canada-Nunavut Geoscience Office
- Diane Webber, Nova Scotia Geological Survey
- Dorothea Hanchar, Geological Survey of Newfoundland and Labrador
- John Hechler, Ontario Geological Survey Branch
- Kay Thorne, New Brunswick Geological Surveys Branch
- Kumari Karunaratne, Northwest Territories Geological Survey
- Patrice Roy and Benoit Charette, Géologie Québec
- Ryan Morelli, Saskatchewan Geological Survey
- Tafa Kennedy, Manitoba Geological Survey
About Canada’s geological survey organizations
1871: Geological Survey of Canada Party to British Columbia. Alfred Selwyn seated at centre, John Hammond on his right and Benjamin Baltzly on his left.
Photo source: Library and Archives Canada/Sandford Fleming fonds/a022612
Geological survey organizations are among the oldest institutions within Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments, with some of them dating as early as the 1800s. In addition to the federal Geological Survey of Canada, every province and territory except for Prince Edward Island has its own geological survey organization.
Initially established to survey mineral and energy resources to facilitate economic development, today’s geological survey organizations deliver a wide variety of publically available geoscience that contributes to a broad spectrum of economic, health and safety, environmental, and other public policy issues.
More information on individual geological survey organizations is available on their websites, which are linked on our Publications and resources page.
The case for collaboration through the NGSC
Although each geological survey organization has its own unique areas of responsibility, there are many areas where it makes sense to collaborate. For example, all geological survey organizations in Canada conduct some form of mineral geoscience, whether it is investigating the processes underlying economically important ore deposit formations across the country, or examining in detail what geological structures are present in a specific region. Many geological survey organizations also investigate energy resources (e.g. petroleum, geothermal), groundwater, permafrost, geo-hazards, and more. Therefore, it is often useful to lean on each other’s expertise and sometimes even plan collaborative projects that serve the needs of more than one jurisdiction.
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