LandSure employees drive a culture of innovation

Vipin Thomas fell in love with LandSure Systems Ltd. from day one. “It’s people-centric and there is an amazing level of support from top to bottom,” says Thomas, technical delivery lead.

Thomas joined the organization to work on the First Nation Land Governance Registry initiative – the first in Canada. Led by the First Nations Lands Advisory Board and built by LandSure, it will provide a modern, secure and dependable land registry system for those currently governing their lands under the Framework Agreement on First Nations Land Management across Canada.

Based in Vancouver, LandSure is a subsidiary of the Land Title and Survey Authority (LTSA) of British Columbia. It supports the LTSA to continually innovate and improve delivery of services in the public interest.

“At LandSure, we focus on fostering an environment where everyone feels empowered and appreciated,” says Samantha Mitchell, vice president human resources.

One way the organization offers appreciation is through a corporate recognition program. “Our annual employee achievement awards are peer-nominated and we receive a tremendous number of nominations each year,” says Mitchell. “We hold an in-person event where people can recognize and celebrate each other.”

Mitchell finds there is a culture of appreciation throughout the organization. Informally, employees can give a shout-out to a colleague through what they call kudos. “We start off meetings with kudos and we share them in our employee communications,” she says.

Each employee takes a foundational diversity, equity and inclusion course when they begin work at LandSure. Last March, the organization celebrated International Women’s Day with a panel discussion. It has developed an accessibility plan and, last year, employees completed Indigenous reconciliation awareness training. “We want everyone to feel included here,” says Mitchell.

Thomas was welcomed to the organization. Excited to begin work on the historic First Nation Land Governance Registry project, he realized he needed to get up to speed in the land domain first. “Everyone was approachable, from my colleagues to the CEO,” says Thomas. On the technical side, he attended a developer productivity summit and was able to bring back insights and ideas to the team.

“I wasn’t sure my idea to do a hackathon would be supported but LandSure is open to innovation,” says Thomas. The hackathon was an event in which employees collaborated intensively with one another over a relatively short period of time to bring an innovative business idea to life. LandSure’s goal was to use creative and collaborative thinking to solve a wide range of issues for employees or customers.

There was interest in the hackathon from all departments at LandSure and LTSA. A panel of leaders whittled 36 ideas submitted for consideration down to four, and employees indicated interest in working on the different projects. Four teams of seven with experience in areas such as policy, legal and operations, as well as products and technology, took to their task. It was a competition to see which team would come up with the most beneficial and achievable solution.

“We had a lot of fun solving serious business challenges,” says Thomas. Sprout, the two-day hackathon, took place last November and next steps are being implemented for the winning project.

“At LandSure, if you ask for help you will get it,” says Thomas. “I have the support to do what is needed. And I appreciate being able to work on something that has a positive social impact.”

“We’re always looking for new ways to improve our services in the public interest,” says Mitchell. “There is a mindset to learn and to help others to learn.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's BC’s Top Employers winners, published February 11, 2025 in the Vancouver Sun. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.