EOWC Support for Harmonizing Construction Standards and Best Practices across Ontario

RE: EOWC Support for Harmonizing Construction Standards and Best Practices across Ontario

Dear Minister Sarkaria,

On behalf of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC), representing 103 municipalities across Eastern Ontario, we are writing to express our support for the Ontario Road Builders’ Association’s (ORBA) call to harmonize construction design and procurement standards across Ontario.

Municipal infrastructure is a top priority for the EOWC as part of our 2024-2027 Strategic Plan. Municipalities own and manage the majority of Ontario’s public infrastructure, yet each operates with its own set of technical specifications and procurement practices. This fragmentation results in higher construction costs, project schedule delays, and administrative inefficiencies for both municipal staff and industry.

Earlier this year, our region’s municipal Public Works Directors met to discuss this issue of standardizing designs and specifications. In general, the group was supportive of standardized mix designs and specifications as this would reduce overall costs and potentially increase the amount of project bidders. This said, members also discussed the importance of ongoing testing and trials of various mix designs to increase the durability and reduce environmental impacts of asphalt.

We believe your government can play a leadership role in addressing these issues by implementing the following:

Harmonize construction standards according to an established “gold standard”
The Ontario Provincial Standards (OPS) organization which is currently presided over by the Ministry of Transportation and the Municipal Engineers Association has a longtime and well-established set of standard specifications (OPSS Prov and Muni) which serve as a gold standard for harmonization across the province. This would streamline project delivery, reduce redundant design work, and support long-term cost savings.
Modernize OPS Governance to value practical construction experience
We believe frontline construction experience is necessary to inform the specification development process. To that end, we support modernizing OPS governance to include ORBA as an industry representative and equal partner to the Ministry of Transportation and the Municipal Engineers Association.
Support sustainability and cost savings measures in construction across Ontario
Mandate a minimum of 20% Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) where material is available and promote tendering practices which reward innovation and quality performance. Recycled construction materials are critical for advancing sustainability in the industry and yielding cost savings for asset owners.

These measures would help us stretch every infrastructure dollar further while ensuring more timely and consistent delivery of vital public works. They would also reduce our collective reliance on provincial transfers by maximizing the efficiency of existing capital budgets.

We appreciate the Ministry’s consideration of these practical, high-impact reforms and look forward to supporting their implementation.

Sincerely,

Bonnie Clark

Chair (Warden of Peterborough County)

Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus

C.C.

Hon. Doug Ford

Premier of Ontario

Premier@ontario.ca

Doug Jones

Deputy Minister of Transportation

Doug.Jones@ontario.ca