Information Services Corporation
 | |
| Public company | |
| Traded as | TSX: ISV |
| Industry | Registry services |
| Founded | January 2000 |
| Headquarters | Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada |
Key people | Jeff Stusek, President and CEO |
| Products | Land Registry, Personal Property Registry, Survey Plan Directory, Corporate Registry, Geomatics Services |
| Revenue |
 $77.3 million (2012) |
|
$21.2 million (2012) | |
Number of employees | 315 (June 2013) |
| Website |
www |
Information Services Corporation (ISC) is a publicly traded Saskatchewan business corporation responsible for the development, management and administration of: registries – land titles, personal property, corporate and survey registries; geographic information; and access to government services for people and business.
ISC has an exclusive agreement to provide registry and information services to the Government of Saskatchewan. Under this agreement, ISC is responsible for the management and operation of the land titles, personal property, and corporate registries, the land surveys directory, geographic information, and access to certain government services for business. The Government of Saskatchewan manages the contractual relationship with ISC through the Office of Public Registry Administration at the Ministry of Justice. This Office contains the government-appointed registry officials responsible for oversight of each of the registries and the land surveys directory.
Three government agencies came together to form ISC in January 2000: the Land Titles Office (which was then a part of the Department of Justice), the Personal Property Registry (also part of Justice) and the Surveys, Mapping and Geographic Information Systems division of the Saskatchewan Property Management Corporation.
In 2008, the Vital Statistics Registry, which had been a part of the Department of Health, was transferred to ISC. In June 2013, the Vital Statistics Registry transferred to eHealth Saskatchewan. The Corporate Registry (formerly known as the Corporations Branch as part of the Ministry of Justice) became part of ISC in October 2010. In 2011, ISC launched Business Registrations Saskatchewan. In 2013, Information Services Corporation became a publicly traded company.
ISC employs over 300 people and has offices in eight Saskatchewan communities: Humboldt, Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Prince Albert, Regina, Saskatoon, Swift Current and Yorkton.
For 2012 and 2013, ISC was named by Mediacorp one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers,[1] a Top 20 Saskatchewan Employer,[2] and one of Canada's Greenest Employers.[3] For 2012, ISC was also named by Mediacorp one of Canada's Top Employers for Young People.[4]
Services
Land Registry
The Land Registry lists every surface and mineral title in the province. In the registry, the general public can find out who the owner of each title is and who has an interest registered against a title. An interest is a legal encumbrance that affects a title. Examples of interest holders are mortgage companies and utility providers, though many others exist.
ISC records all changes of ownership in land and the interests that are registered against land. The corporation also maintains an up-to-date directory in which interests against Crown land may be filed. The provincial judgment registry, a database of legal writs and maintenance orders, is another registry that ISC maintains; the judgment registry is linked to the Land Registry as a means of registering those types of interests.
Personal Property Registry (PPR)
The PPR is another public registry that ISC maintains in which interests in movable types of personal property (like cars, snowmobiles and boats) may be registered. Buyers and lenders can search the PPR to ensure there are no outstanding liens or other kinds of interests registered against an item. This can help protect a would-be buyer from buying someone else’s debt.
Geomatics Services
Through its Geomatics Distribution Centre, ISC also offers a wide array of digital and hard copy maps and photo imagery for business.
Survey Plan Directory
The Survey Plan Directory is a public directory containing provincial legal survey plans and survey monument information. ISC is the custodian of the provincial Geographic Information System (GIS) Cadastral Base Map of Saskatchewan.
Detailed maps, photos and diagrams define the legal boundaries of every surface and mineral parcel in the province. This directory is an integral part of land rights administration in that it supports the entire Land Registry system.
Corporate Registry
In 2010, ISC began managing the registration of every business, not-for-profit organization, co-operative, credit union, sole proprietorship and business partnership in Saskatchewan. This happened after the Corporations Branch transferred to ISC from the Ministry of Justice. The branch was renamed the Corporate Registry after joining ISC.
Organizations that want to operate as a business entity in Saskatchewan must be registered in the Corporate Registry to maintain legal status and carry on normal business operations.
Business Registrations Saskatchewan
In 2011, ISC collaborated with Workers’ Compensation Board and the Ministry of Finance to launch Business Registrations Saskatchewan, a website that provides one easy-to-use online process to complete the steps required to register a business with the Corporate Registry, as an employer with Workers’ Compensation Board and for Provincial Sales Tax (PST) with the Ministry of Finance.
References
- ↑ Canada's Best Diversity Employers (http://www.canadastop100.com/diversity/)
- ↑ Saskatchewan’s Top Employers (http://www.canadastop100.com/sk/)
- ↑ Canada's Greenest Employers (http://canadastop100.com/environmental/)
- ↑ Canada's Top Employers for Young People (http://www.canadastop100.com/young_people/)