Canadian legal land description guides

Alberta is surveyed under the Dominion Land Survey. Descriptions reference the 4th, 5th, and 6th meridians, reading from the quarter outward.

The 4th Meridian (W4) runs along the Alberta–Saskatchewan boundary. Ranges west of it (R1W4 and up) cover eastern and central Alberta.

The 5th Meridian (W5) runs through central Alberta near Calgary. Ranges west of it cover the foothills and central corridor.

The 6th Meridian (W6) covers western Alberta and crosses into the BC Peace region. Ranges west of it reach the mountains.

Saskatchewan is surveyed under the Dominion Land Survey, referencing the 1st (Principal), 2nd, and 3rd meridians.

The 2nd Meridian (W2) is one of Saskatchewan's core DLS reference lines. Ranges west of W2 cover a large part of eastern and central Saskatchewan.

The 3rd Meridian (W3) governs much of western Saskatchewan's DLS township-and-range grid.

Manitoba uses the Dominion Land Survey across most of the province, with historic river lots along the Red and Assiniboine rivers. The 1st (Principal) Meridian runs through Manitoba.

The Principal Meridian, often written W1 in DLS descriptions, anchors the western Canadian township grid in Manitoba.

British Columbia primarily uses the National Topographic System (NTS) map-sheet grid, with the Dominion Land Survey in the Peace River block.

Most British Columbia land descriptions use NTS, but the Peace River Block in northeast BC includes DLS descriptions tied to the 6th Meridian.

Ontario predates the rectangular Prairie grid and describes land by lot and concession within named geographic townships and counties.

Mono Township land descriptions use Ontario's lot-and-concession pattern inside Dufferin County, rather than DLS township and range.

The Parish of St. Boniface is a key Manitoba river-lot search pattern, using lot and parish references instead of the rectangular DLS grid.