By Robin MacLennan
Ontario Construction Report staff writer
As tariff threats continue, three associations representing municipal builders are urging municipalities to standardize road-building specifications and procurement practices to reduce costs by achieving greater efficiencies and leveraging economies of scale.
Ontario’s municipalities are responsible for more public infrastructure than both the federal and provincial governments combined, with more than half of their budgets dedicated to construction and infrastructure projects.
While provincial standards exist, municipalities have the flexibility to set their own requirements, leading to hundreds of different specifications for similar projects like roads, bridges, sewers, and watermains. This inconsistency results in higher costs for taxpayers, reduces the quality and productivity of projects, and contributes to greater waste and carbon emissions.
“This is a crucial time for infrastructure development in Ontario,” said Patrick McManus, executive director of the Greater Toronto Sewer and Watermain Contractors Association (GTSWCA). “By standardizing construction specifications and contracts, we can curb rising costs and lay the foundation for sustainable, cost-effective infrastructure solutions, all without altering the way we design, build, finance, or maintain essential infrastructure in the region.”
The Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA), GTSWCA, and the Heavy Construction Association of Toronto (HCAT) together oversee more than 75 per cent of the capital infrastructure projects across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) each year. Associations are raising concerns about the potential risks to critical transportation and housing infrastructure projects due to rising construction costs and ongoing economic uncertainty.
Currently, there are more than 300 asphalt mix designs within the GTA alone, with each municipality imposing its own requirements on how roads should be constructed.
“While we focus on breaking down interprovincial trade barriers, we must also harmonize practices within municipal boundaries, particularly in economically important regions like the GTA,” said Raly Chakarova, executive director of TARBA. “Standardizing practices will accelerate construction timelines and result in significant cost savings for taxpayers, especially with initiatives like the increased use of recycled crushed aggregates.”
To protect vital infrastructure projects and address the burdensome red tape created by the numerous road and procurement specifications across Ontario, the associations are calling on the province to consult with municipalities and develop a comprehensive strategy aimed at improving efficiency and reducing construction costs. The proposed strategy includes:
- Implementing uniform technical standards for road construction across Ontario to ensure consistency, improve efficiency, and optimize performance in infrastructure projects.
- Streamlining and standardizing procurement processes to reduce tender timelines and facilitate quicker project starts and completions.
- Clarifying guidelines and timelines for permitting to minimize uncertainty and delays in project approvals.
- Establishing a common framework for compensating cost increases driven by new tariffs to avoid project disruptions.
This approach, according to the associations, would help Ontario tackle the challenges posed by rising construction costs and drive more efficient, sustainable infrastructure development across the province.
“The government must guarantee that projects get started quickly and that workers remain employed, but municipalities need to eliminate unnecessary barriers,” said Peter Smith, executive director of HCAT. “For example, there’s no reason different asphalt or watermain fittings should be required just because a project crosses over Steeles Ave.”