1985-1994
The IFA was signed in 1984. It represented the first modern treaty between the Federal Government, the Government of the Northwest Territories, and the Inuvialuit First Nation.
In exchange for ceding, releasing, and surrendering to Canada all of their Aboriginal claims, rights, title, and interests, the Agreement provides the Inuvialuit of the Western Arctic with (among other things):
The survey of the IFA boundaries represented the largest land surveys undertaken in Canada since the establishment of the township system in the prairie provinces and the turn of the 20th century. The boundaries of the claim were defined by meridians of longitude and chords of parallels of latitude.
The control survey for the boundary was the first to employ GPS positioning technology in Canada. Survey of the boundaries was done using conventional traversing, with monuments being placed at a spacing of no more than one km. Natural features crossing the boundaries were also located. By 1992, GPS was being used to check the existing control and set up intervisible control to facilitate faster and more direct running of the boundaries.
The surveys were carried out from 1985 to 1994. UGL completed 18 of these surveys, comprising over 2,000 km of boundaries. Eleven of the surveys were community based, while the remainder were camp based. Sunrise Helicopters of Innuvik supplied helicopter, camp and logistical support on all of the contracts. Underhill also compiled 2/3 of the Final Atlas Plans. These plans compiled all of the surveys into one set of plans.