Canadian Hydrographic Service

On September 14, 1882, the sinking of the passenger steamer Asia in Georgian Bay resulted in the loss of some 150 lives. Following this tragic event, the Canadian government recognized the serious need of a qualified hydrographer capable of conducting a complete, modern survey of at least its Great Lakes' shipping lanes. In 1883, the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS), originally named the Georgian Bay Survey, was created. Staff Commander John George Boulton of the Royal Navy was appointed as its first chief. Boulton's first duty was to update the Georgian Bay charts.



In Central and Arctic Region, CHS is located in the Bayfield Institute, part of the Canada Centre for Inland Waters, in Burlington, Ontario. This office is one of four CHS regional offices in Canada and is responsible the Arctic Ocean, including Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait, and the major navigable inland waters in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

CHS has the mandate to measure and describe the physical features (water depth, bottom structure, bottom type and composition, tides, water levels, currents and shoreline features) of Canada's navigable waters, with special emphasis on elements that affect safe and efficient navigation. This information must be provided in the most suitable forms for use by commercial navigators, recreational boaters and other clients: paper charts, electronic charts, tides and current tables, sailing directions and databases.



In Central and Arctic Region, CHS is responsible for over 420 of Canada's 1000 nautical charts, 16 volumes of Sailing Directions and the Arctic volume of the Canadian Tide and Current Tables. In addition to the standard paper charts, raster and vector digital charts are produced for use in electronic chart systems and electronic chart display and information systems. CHS products are continually updated through Notices to Mariners, Notices to Shipping and New Editions to incorporate newly acquired information. In Central and Arctic Region, CHS also operates a permanent network of 33 water level gauging stations in the Great Lakes and produces a monthly water level bulletin for the Great Lakes.

The Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) is responsible for charting the navigable waters of Canada and producing related publications.

Central and Arctic Region, CHS is located in the Bayfield Institute, part of the Canada Centre for Inland Waters, in Burlington, Ontario. This office is one of four CHS regional offices in Canada and is responsible the Arctic Ocean, including Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait, and the major navigable inland waters in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

CHS charts and publications are available from a network of chart dealers.

Information on chart dealers and CHS products is available on the national CHS web site. For more information on Central and Arctic Region, contact CHS at the Bayfield Institute, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6; by phone at 1-877-CHS-LINK.