THE LTSA

New Year, New Chapter

Connie Fair

This Fall, I announced my intention to retire after serving 5 years as CEO and President of the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (LTSA) and previously as CEO at BC Assessment for almost a decade.

The decision was a tough one but it also feels like the right time for me to start the next stage of my life and spend more time with family and my already-retired husband.

The last 5 years have been an exciting time for the LTSA. I am very proud of what we have accomplished. My overarching goal has been to create a customercentric, digital-forward organization that provides British Columbians with certainty and confidence in our land-related registries, systems, and information.

Our business adapted to embrace innovation and change, which meant a significant investment by everyone involved, starting with you, our customers, to cultivate a deeper understanding of what you need to run your business and serve your clients. Thank you for collaborating with us to continually develop innovative solutions in the public interest.

Most recently, we worked with legal and real property professionals to ensure land owners and reporting bodies were aware of the filing requirements for the Land Owner Transparency Registry (LOTR) effective November 30, 2020. Your diligence with keeping your clients informed and in compliance with the new Land Owner Transparency Act has been very much appreciated. The next phase of LOTR will enable information to be searchable by the public and certain regulatory entities on April 30, 2020.

Perhaps the least anticipated event of my career has been the remarkable changes created by the current COVID-19 pandemic.

For land title submissions, Web Filing has been in operation for almost a year and PDF versions of some forms have already been retired, with others scheduled for retirement in early 2021.

Web Filing represents a significant step forward in modernizing the submission process and it has helped increase filing efficiency and accuracy while maintaining a secure and reliable system. In future phases of Web Filing, we will continue to incorporate your feedback to add new functionality and improve the filing experience.

Perhaps the least anticipated event of my career has been the remarkable changes created by the current COVID-19 pandemic. While there has been short-term uncertainty, the path forward has always been clear—we will continually leverage digital innovations to provide the flexibility and automation needed to weather any storm.

We also have an opportunity to re-evaluate long-held business assumptions and imagine new possibilities, including how the LTSA can support your real property practice as the legal profession evolves. There are seismic changes occurring in many industries under compressed timeframes; it is exciting to consider the possibilities ahead for all of us as we leverage technology to make services more accessible to everyone.

I am leaving the LTSA in the strong hands of a supportive and knowledgeable Board of Directors and a very capable senior leadership team, guided by a sound strategy that is centred on customers.

Thank you for your support over the past 5 years; I know legal professionals and the LTSA will continue to collaborate in the best interests of all British Columbians and I will be watching eagerly to see what’s next. s