Industry Issues – TARBA

Working Together to Deliver Buy Ontario: A Consistent Path Forward for Municipalities

Natasha Thurston — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:10:25 +0000

To Ontario Municipal Leaders, CAOs, Treasurers, Engineers, Procurement Officials, and Public Works Departments,

Re: Open Letter to Ontario Municipalities Regarding Implementation of the Municipal Buy Ontario Procurement Directive

On behalf of the members of the Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association (OSWCA), Greater Toronto Sewer and Watermain Contractors Association (GTSWCA), Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA), Heavy Construction Association of Toronto (HCAT), and Ontario Association of Foundation Specialists (OAFS), we are writing regarding implementation of the Province’s new Municipal “Buy Ontario” Procurement Directive. As organizations representing the contractors, manufacturers, distributors, and material suppliers responsible for building and
maintaining critical public infrastructure across Ontario, we urge public buyers to adopt a consistent and practical procurement policy to meet this directive.

Public buyers across Ontario are beginning to incorporate new bidder declarations, domestic content attestations, and supply chain disclosure requirements into tender calls. While the provincial Directive establishes a broad policy objective, it provides limited detail on how it is to be implemented in practice. As a result, hundreds of public sector buyers are being left to interpret the requirements independently and develop their own approaches. Without a uniform implementation framework, this risks creating inconsistency across the province and confusion for owners, contractors, consultants,
manufacturers, and suppliers alike.

For this reason, we are encouraging public buyers to adopt a uniform and standardized approach aligned with the implementation model established by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). MTO’s procurement special provision provides a practical framework that includes:
• A standardized Domestic Supply Chain Plan;
• Clearly identified material categories for disclosure;
• A straightforward declaration process;
• A measurable and transparent compliance threshold of 51%; and,
• Procedures for post-award updates where supply chains change during delivery.

This model offers the “ambitious and achievable” targets that the Directive calls for, while reducing uncertainty for bidders and owners.

The infrastructure construction industry operates across municipal boundaries every day. Contractors frequently bid work in multiple municipalities each season. Manufacturers and suppliers serve projects province-wide. If each buyer creates its own approach, the result will be cost escalation, bid errors, and reduced competition.

A common municipal framework would provide substantial benefits:
•Lower administrative burden for staff and bidders;
•Greater consistency and legal clarity in procurement documents;
•Faster implementation of the Province’s policy objectives;
•Better comparability of submissions and reporting data; and,
•Reduced risk of disputes or unintended non-compliance.

Our organizations stand ready to work collaboratively with municipalities, provincial officials, and industry stakeholders to support practical implementation that protects competition, delivers best value, and advances the Buy Ontario objectives as practically as possible.

Sincerely,

Raly Chakarova, Executive Director, TARBA

Patrick McManus, Executive Director, GTSWCA & OSWCA

Peter Smith, Executive Director, HCAT & OAFS

TARBA Calls for Shared‑Risk Contract Models as Fuel Costs Surge

Natasha Thurston — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:14:11 +0000

Ongoing global uncertainty and supply chain pressures continue to drive significant volatility in the cost of key construction inputs. Fuel, steel, asphalt cement, and other essential materials are experiencing swings that are difficult – if not impossible – to predict at the time of tender.

For contractors delivering Ontario’s transportation infrastructure, fuel price fluctuations are not just an operational challenge; they ripple across the entire supply chain. Aggregates illustrate this clearly: up to 60 percent of their cost is tied to transportation. When fuel prices shift suddenly, the cost of moving these essential inputs rises immediately, placing pressure on project budgets and timelines.

Unlike many industries, construction operates on fixed-price contracts secured months or even years in advance. When input costs change dramatically, contractors are left managing risks that could not have been reasonably anticipated – an especially acute challenge for small and mid-sized employers.

Most municipal contract models place the full burden of this uncertainty on contractors at the time of bid. This dynamic can lead to higher upfront pricing, reduced bid accuracy, and a greater likelihood of claims during project delivery. Over time, this approach risks reducing competition and introducing avoidable uncertainty into public infrastructure programs that will drive up project costs.

A more balanced approach is available.

TARBA is encouraging Greater Toronto Area municipalities to adopt proven risk-sharing tools—such as fuel cost adjustment indices—that are already working effectively in several jurisdictions:

Ministry of Transportation (MTO): Monthly Fuel Cost Adjustment Index with a ±5% threshold
City of Ottawa: Application of the MTO index with a 7% fuel allotment and a ±15% threshold
Region of Waterloo: Annual fuel adjustment for multi-year contracts, with ±10% threshold

These models align costs more closely with real market conditions, supporting more accurate bids and fostering a healthier, more competitive procurement environment.

Municipalities can further strengthen outcomes by streamlining procurement timelines. Reducing the gap between bid closing, award, and project start helps ensure pricing reflects current conditions, minimizing the need for contractors to include contingency premiums.

Fuel price volatility is driven by external forces beyond the control of any single party. By adopting shared risk mechanisms, municipalities and industry can work together to improve pricing certainty, reduce disputes, and enhance project delivery.

Greater stability benefits everyone: more competitive bids, better value for taxpayers, and timely delivery of the infrastructure communities depend on.

TARBA looks forward to continued collaboration with municipal partners to ensure infrastructure programs remain resilient, efficient, and responsive to today’s economic realities.

Read TARBA’s Open Letter to GTA and Simcoe municipal partners advocating for the adoption of a Fuel Cost Adjustment Index.

New TV Ad Highlights How Recycled Materials Can Slash Emissions, Save Money

Natasha Thurston — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 13:34:00 +0000

Recycled materials offer cost savings and environmental benefits without compromising quality

Toronto, Ontario — The Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA) is launching a new TV ad campaign to promote the use of recycled concrete and asphalt in municipal road building—an approach that would cut carbon emissions, while delivering better value for taxpayers. The ad will first air on April 6 on CP24, reaching millions of viewers and municipal decision makers across the Greater Toronto Area.

As Ontario faces mounting infrastructure demands, rising construction costs, and increasing pressure to meet climate targets, industry leaders are calling for smarter, more sustainable ways to build. Recycled Crushed Aggregates (RCA) is emerging as one of the most immediate and practical solutions available today.

Despite being widely used in major projects like Ontario’s highways and airports, most municipalities either prohibit or restrict RCA use. The new TV ad campaign is designed to raise awareness among decision-makers and the public that sustainable infrastructure solutions already exist—and are ready to scale.

“RCA is proven, available, and cost-effective—the gap isn’t performance, it’s policy. Updating municipal rules is the fastest way to unlock RCA’s full potential,” said Raly Chakarova, Executive Director of TARBA. “RCA strengthens local supply chains by reducing dependence on long-haul materials—something that matters more than ever in a volatile fuel cost environment.”

If municipalities increased RCA use to just 20%, Ontario could save more than $260 million annually, while reducing carbon emissions equivalent to taking 15 million gas cars off the road.

RCA is produced by reclaiming asphalt and concrete from old infrastructure and processing it for reuse. Its advantages are clear and proven:

● Lower costs: Reduces transportation and material expenses, helping municipalities stretch limited infrastructure budgets.

● Reduced emissions: Shorter truck hauling distances significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions and congestion.

● Preserves natural resources: Extends the life of non-renewable materials.

● Diverts waste from landfills: Reuses materials that would otherwise contribute to Ontario’s shrinking landfill capacity.

● Proven performance: Engineering studies confirm RCA performs comparably to primary aggregates.

The campaign is supported by leading industry partners, including Strada Aggregates, Amrize, and Dufferin, who are helping drive innovation and adoption across the sector.

“This isn’t a future solution—it’s already being used successfully in Ontario and across the world,” said Mario Pietrolungo, Vice President, Operations at Strada Aggregates. “The industry has the capacity to supply more RCA today. What’s needed is broader municipal acceptance and leadership to make it a standard choice on transportation projects.”

To learn more, visit RCAontario.ca.

About TARBA

The Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA) represents unionized contractors who build multimodal transportation infrastructure, including roads, transit, highways, bike lanes, and sidewalks, in the Greater Toronto Area and Simcoe County. TARBA advocates for policies and practices that promote safe, cost-efficient, and sustainable infrastructure development.

For media inquiries: info@tarba.org

OPSS Standardization

Natasha Thurston — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 16:36:58 +0000

Why Ontario Needs Standardized Road Building Specifications

Ontario’s roads are the backbone of our economy, connecting communities, moving goods, and getting people where they need to go. But when it comes to how those roads are designed, built, and maintained, Ontario faces a major problem: every municipality has its own playbook.

Across the province’s 444 municipalities, hundreds of different road-building specifications and procurement practices exist. In the Greater Toronto Area alone, contractors must work with over 300 different asphalt mix designs. This patchwork approach drives up costs, slows down project delivery, and undermines quality.

The Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA) believes it’s time to fix this — by standardizing road specifications through the Ontario Provincial Standard Specifications (OPSS) framework.

The OPSS Model

The OPSS.PROV and OPSS.MUNI standards were developed to provide a comprehensive and uniform framework for provincial and municipal road construction and procurement practices. It establishes clear, consistent technical requirements for material use, construction methods, quality control processes, and general conditions of contract aligned with best practices and provincial guidelines.

These standards are jointly developed and managed by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, the Municipal Engineering Association, and representatives from industry. It has been proven by consistently well-built, cost-effective, safe, and dependable highways, roads, sewers, watermains, and many other types of infrastructure in the province. Any changes to the standards are measured and are implemented with realistic timelines.

Currently, the use of OPSS.MUNI is not mandatory, and municipalities have discretion in adopting these standards, modifying them, or creating their own. Unfortunately, OPSS specifications and drawings have not been widely adopted among municipalities in Ontario. Municipalities have created stricter “supplementary specifications”, a long list of exceptions, or bypassed OPSS.MUNI, fragmenting consistency and amassing hundreds of different specifications across the province. Municipalities can quickly change their own standards without any consultation, simply issuing a notice to industry that can impact production, design, build, and performance.

The Case for Standardization

Standardization is about creating a strong, evidence-based baseline that ensures quality, safety, and cost-efficiency while still allowing room for regional adjustments.

Here’s how adopting OPSS.MUNI as the standard across Ontario would benefit municipalities, taxpayers, and industry:

Cost savings for taxpayers: With common standards, municipalities can leverage economies of scale, bulk procurement, and more competitive bidding. An upcoming study by CANCEA shows harmonizing asphalt mix designs in the GTA alone could unlock nearly $1 billion in value over the next decade.
Faster project delivery: Clear, pre-vetted standards mean less time spent on drafting specs, back-and-forth reviews, and disputes — resulting in projects being designed and built with fewer delays.
Better quality and safety: Uniform standards mean consistent pavement thickness, materials, and testing protocols. That means fewer potholes, less emergency repair work, and safer travel for everyone.
Sustainability: OPSS standards already encourage practices like using recycled crushed aggregates — reducing carbon emissions, conserving non-renewable resources, and cutting landfill use.
Streamlined project management: Clear, consistent specifications simplify project planning, contract administration, and oversight, thereby reducing delays and minimizing disputes between municipalities, contractors, and suppliers.

Overcoming Barriers

Some municipalities may worry about upfront costs, local conditions, or losing control. But these challenges can be managed.

Transition costs (such as moving from Marshall mixes to Superpave) are offset by longer service life and lower maintenance costs.
Smaller municipalities gain access to vetted, high-quality standards without needing extensive in-house engineering capacity.
Local conditions can be accommodated through a tiered model — a province-wide core standard, with regional add-ons to reflect climate and traffic differences.

Standardization doesn’t take away local control. It ensures that innovation and quality improvements are shared across the province instead of staying siloed in individual municipalities.

TARBA’s Recommendations for Implementing Standardization

To strengthen confidence in and promote broader adoption of OPSS.MUNI, the existing governance framework should be enhanced. Here’s how:

Establish a Structured, Representative Governance Model
- The OPS Advisory Committee should serve as the governance lead and overall approval body and be supported by Specialty Committees responsible for technical specification development, with representatives from the Ministry of Transportation (MTO), municipalities, and industry
Implement a Fixed, Recurring Review Schedule
- Implement a predictable review process to ensure transparency and accountability when updating standards that includes feedback beyond the existing committee structure.
- Decisions on standard changes should be evidence-based, using field data, pilot projects, and lifecycle cost analysis.
Adopt a Tiered Model
- Core Standards (mandatory): Apply across all municipalities in Ontario. These should cover non-negotiable areas such as material specifications and general conditions of contract.
- Regional Standards (flexible): Pre-approved add-ons tailored for Ontario’s five MTO regions: Central, Eastern, Western, Northeast, Northwest. This allows for climate and traffic-specific needs while maintaining regional economies of scale.
Develop a Formal Customization Process
- Municipalities wishing to introduce additional customizations outside of OPSS.MUNI must provide evidence and have them reviewed and approved by the OPSS governance board in advance.
Tie Standards to Funding
- Make provincial and federal funding for municipal transportation projects contingent on the use of OPSS.MUNI. This ensures alignment across municipalities while protecting taxpayer dollars.

Lessons from British Columbia: The MMCD Model

Ontario doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel. British Columbia has already shown what’s possible through its Master Municipal Construction Documents (MMCD).

Established in 1996, the MMCD is a standardized framework for municipal infrastructure projects used widely across BC. Like OPSS.MUNI, it sets technical specifications, contract language, and quality standards. But what makes MMCD successful is its governance model:

It’s maintained by a non-profit society with representation from municipalities, consultants, and contractors.
Updates are made through a transparent, evidence-based process with broad industry consultation.
Municipalities benefit from clear, consistent standards while still being able to make controlled adjustments for local conditions.

The result? Faster projects, better quality, and more efficient use of taxpayer dollars. BC’s example proves that province-wide harmonization works — and Ontario can achieve the same benefits through OPSS.MUNI.

Building a Better System for Ontario

The road ahead is clear. By adopting OPSS.MUNI as the provincial standard for municipal road building, Ontario can:

Cut red tape and duplication.
Save taxpayers money.
Deliver safer, longer-lasting infrastructure.
Level the playing field for small and medium-sized contractors.
Support sustainable construction practices.

The time to act is now. Ontario deserves roads that are built to the highest standard — without wasting money or time.

ADVOCACY UPDATE

In October 2025, the Ontario government introduced Bill 60, Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025 that made a legislative change to give the Minister of Transportation the authority to set mandatory standards for municipal road construction as part of a subsequent regulation.

TARBA fully supports the province’s intent to harmonize municipal road construction standards to accelerate capital project delivery, improve cost‑effectiveness, and build high-performing infrastructure across Ontario’s municipalities. We’ve outlined five additional recommendations as part of our ERO posting:

Make OPSS.MUNI mandatory for all municipalities, in its entirety, effective January 1, 2028 to allow adequate lead time for transition and to avoid disruption to the 2026 and 2027 construction seasons.
Safeguard capital projects already in design and construction stages and allow those continue under the specifications and contract documents under which they were initiated.
Prioritize high-impact areas, including asphalt mixes, aggregates, and general conditions of contract – areas that represent the greatest variability, risk, and cost inefficiencies in municipal road construction practices.
Conduct a comprehensive review of OPSS.MUNI standards to identify outdated specifications and gaps in technical guidance and ensure they are current, complete, and practical for implementation across all municipalities.
Develop additional standard contract documents to support specifications and provide practical tools for tendering, pricing, technical compliance, contract amendments, reporting, and inspection—all necessary to ensure OPSS.MUNI standards are applied consistently and efficiently across municipal projects.

Read TARBA’s full submission here.

Learn More About TARBA’S Advocacy

Civil Construction Industry Welcomes Provincial Commitment to Standardize Municipal Construction Practices

Raly Chakarova — Tue, 13 May 2025 15:55:33 +0000

Toronto, ON—The civil infrastructure construction associations welcomed the Ontario government’s announcement that consultations will be launched with municipalities and industry to harmonize road building standards as part of the recently introduced Bill 17, Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025.

Ontario’s municipalities own and manage more public infrastructure than the federal and provincial governments combined, with, on average, more than 50 per cent of their budgets allocated to construction and infrastructure. While provincial standards exist, Ontario’s 444 municipalities have discretion in their implementation and have instead amassed hundreds of varying requirements for how to build and procure similar use projects, like roads, bridges, sewers and watermains. These differences cost taxpayers millions of dollars more, while reducing quality and productivity and increasing waste and carbon emissions.

The Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA), Greater Toronto Sewer and Watermain Contractors Association (GTSWCA), and the Heavy Construction Association of Toronto (HCAT) have advocated that following provincial standards, jointly administered by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and the Municipal Engineers Association, will result in reduced building costs and faster construction timelines through efficiencies and economies of scale.

“This announcement builds on the government’s ongoing commitment to reduce red tape and build the critical infrastructure our communities need. We look forward to working with the provincial government and the ministry as part of the consultation process,” said Raly Chakarova, Executive Director at TARBA. “Breaking down barriers by harmonizing practices across municipal boundaries is a real solution that will bring in faster construction timelines and create significant cost savings for taxpayers, particularly through initiatives such as the standardized and increased use of Recycled Crushed Aggregates.”

“This is a pivotal moment for infrastructure development in Ontario,” said Patrick McManus, Executive Director of the GTSWCA. “By standardizing construction specifications and contracts, we can reign in rising construction costs and lay the groundwork for sustainable growth and cost-effective infrastructure solutions, without fundamentally altering how we design, build, finance, or maintain our critical core infrastructure in the region.”

“This is the time for the provincial and federal governments to step in and ensure that municipalities have predictable and continuous infrastructure funding to get projects out the door, shovels in the ground, and keep everyone employed,” said Peter Smith, Executive Director at HCAT. “But municipalities need to drop their own barriers. There is no reason that a different asphalt type or watermain fitting needs to be used simply because a project crosses over Steeles Ave.”

Media Contact

For media inquiries or further information, please contact Patrick McManus, GTSWCA at patrick.mcmanus@oswca.org and Raly Chakarova, Executive Director, TARBA at raly@tarba.org.

About GTSWCA

The Greater Toronto Sewer and Watermain Contractors Association (GTSWCA) serves as a collective voice for its members who build water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure across the Greater Toronto Area. www.oswca.org

About HCAT

The Heavy Construction Association of Toronto (HCAT) represents contractors in the heavy civil engineering construction sector, including bridge construction and rehabilitation, tunnels, marine construction, and structure foundations. HCAT advocates for best practices in infrastructure development while addressing industry challenges, providing educational opportunities, and promoting safety and sustainability. www.hcat.ca

About TARBA

The Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA) is the collective bargaining agent on behalf of unionized contractors involved in the new construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure in the Greater Toronto and Simcoe Areas. TARBA advocates for policies and practices that promote safe, efficient, and sustainable infrastructure development. www.tarba.org

Sustainability in Action: Using Recycled Crushed Aggregates in Linear Infrastructure

Raly Chakarova — Fri, 09 May 2025 17:21:54 +0000

On May 8, industry professionals joined an in-depth webinar focused on the use of Recycled Crushed Aggregates (RCA) in Ontario’s linear infrastructure projects. The session featured Executive Director Raly Chakarova and Salman Bhutta of Engtec, who shared findings from their 2024 research report on RCA gradation equivalency. The report demonstrates that RCA can match the performance of primary aggregates while delivering measurable economic and environmental benefits.

The session provided engineers and infrastructure stakeholders with the latest insights and practical guidance on integrating RCA into transportation construction. Attendees learned how RCA supports sustainable construction, reduces project costs, and advances circular economy goals—without compromising on quality or reliability.

Recycled Crushed Aggregates for roads | Rogers tv

Raly Chakarova — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 15:28:33 +0000

Recycled Crushed Aggregate is exactly what it sounds like: reclaimed asphalt and concrete from roads, sidewalks, bike lanes, and structures, processed and reused for new construction projects.

In Ontario, only about 7% of aggregate used today is recycled — despite decades of proven success on our 400-series highways and other projects. There’s a major opportunity for #municipalities to increase the use of RCA, save money, and reduce carbon emissions.

Learn more from Executive Director Raly Chakarova about why RCA matters.

Using Recycled Crushed Aggregates: Case Study of York Region’s VivaNext Project

Raly Chakarova — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 14:52:00 +0000

Recycled Crushed Aggregate (RCA) is asphalt pavement and/or concrete reclaimed from old roads and structures. This material undergoes rigorous quality control processes, ensuring it meets or exceeds the same performance standards as primary aggregates. It is a sustainable product that offers some of the greatest environmental benefits at a lower cost.

In this webinar, attendees will learn about the economic and environmental benefits of RCA, its many applications in transportation building projects, and how York Region used more than 200,000 tonnes in its construction of the VivaNext transit line on Yonge Street. Hear directly from speakers representing the public project owner, contractor, and supplier to better understand quality control measures, performance, and cost savings.

Speakers:
· Jason Mainprize, District Supervisor – Central, Roads Operations, York Region
· Ehsan Fard, District Manager-North & East, Dufferin Construction
· Domenic Passalacqua, General Manager, D. Crupi & Sons
· Raly Chakarova, Executive Director, Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA)

Municipal Infrastructure Contractors Call for Improved Construction Practices

Raly Chakarova — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 13:06:43 +0000

TORONTO, Sept. 10, 2024 /CNW/ – The Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA), the Greater Toronto Sewer and Watermain Contractors Association (GTSWCA) and the Heavy Construction Association of Toronto (HCAT)—whose members collectively are responsible for 75 percent of the City of Toronto’s total construction capital spend—are calling on the City of Toronto to improve procurement practices to accelerate project timelines, mitigate traffic congestion, and reduce overall costs.

“We are still using infrastructure that was put in place by our grandparents, and we are now seeing the impacts of underinvestment from past decades with this summer’s flooding and ongoing lack of affordable housing,” said Patrick McManus, Executive Director of GTSWCA. “With Toronto’s continued growth and changing climate, delaying investments and halting construction is not an option, and less bureaucratic delays will only help get projects built faster and reduce continued traffic congestion.”

“While lane closures during construction may be seen as a nuisance for commuters and local businesses, they are crucial safety features in construction work zones that protect both workers and the public and allow space for essential equipment and waste disposal,” said Raly Chakarova, Executive Director at TARBA. “Increasing fees for this necessary safety buffer between active traffic and construction zones will not alleviate congestion, but it will increase building costs for taxpayers.”

“The competing priorities of accelerating construction timelines and maintaining acceptable noise levels for city residents make it clear that 24/7 construction has limitations in densely populated areas,” said Peter Smith, Executive Director at HCAT. “This approach can only be effectively implemented under specific circumstances and must be included in project planning documents at the time of tender so it can be priced accordingly.”

TARBA, GTSWCA, and HCAT jointly propose the solutions below to accelerate construction timelines, alleviate traffic congestion, and reduce taxpayer costs:

Early Tendering and Faster Project Award: By tendering and awarding projects, like road maintenance and sewer expansion, earlier in late Fall or early Winter for the following year, the City can maximize the construction season while receiving more competitive pricing.
Incentivize Project Acceleration: Offering incentives for early project completion, rather than just penalties for delays, can expedite construction timelines.
Empower Decision-Making by Project Managers: Project managers should have the authority to make decisions during design conflicts to manage disputes and prevent construction delays.
Better Coordination and Communication: Improving project coordination and clear communication with residents can reduce disruptions and maintain public trust.
Promote a Culture of Innovation: Proactive collaboration between city officials and contractors on risk-sharing and modern procurement models can help unlock efficiencies.

Interview with Kelly Cutrara

Interview with Alex Pierson

TARBA Advocates for Increased Use of Recycled Crushed Aggregate in Projects

Admin23654 — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 18:03:29 +0000

One of TARBA’s key advocacy efforts is to increase the use of Recycled Crushed Aggregate (RCA) in public infrastructure projects across the province.

RCA is derived from reclaimed asphalt pavement and concrete, making it a valuable construction material that meets quality standards set by the Ontario Provincial Standard Specifications (OPSS1010) and offers substantial environmental and economic benefits. Despite its promise, only 7% or less of the aggregates used in Ontario currently come from recycled sources.

TARBA’s advocacy for RCA is more than just promoting a sustainable product; it’s about building a greener, more cost-effective future for Ontario’s infrastructure. By supporting the widespread adoption of RCA, we can reduce our environmental footprint, save public funds, and continue to deliver the high-quality infrastructure that Ontarians rely on.

Advocacy Ask

To maximize the environmental and economic benefits of RCA, TARBA along with our industry partners, is advocating for two key actions:

Harmonizing municipal specifications through the OPSS1010 MUNI, and
Mandating a minimum of 25% recycled materials in all linear public infrastructure projects at the municipal, regional, and provincial levels when available.

We have met with engineering staff from Brampton, Mississauga, Peel, and Richmond Hill, as well as Ontario Ministry staff from Transportation, Natural Resources and Forestry, Environment, Conservation and Parks, Finance, and Municipal Affairs and Housing to help provide information and advance our advocacy asks. The call for increased use of RCA by municipalities was also included in RCCAO’s Ontario Budget submissions, both in-person held at the City of Markham and in a letter to the Minister of Finance.

Technical Session & Presentation Videos

TARBA hosted a technical session to review producer quality control measures and the benefits of using RCA on Tuesday, April 16th. The session was attended by 50 municipal and regional engineering staff and consultants. The three video recordings of each presentation are available on TARBA’s YouTube Channel:

Amy Pastor, VP of Sustainability at EXP
Stephen Lee, Head, Pavements at Ontario Ministry of Transportation
Domenic Passalacqua, General Manager at D. Crupi & Sons Ltd.

Please feel free to share the link with colleagues, municipal and regional officials, and anyone else who would be interested in learning more.

2024 Good Roads Annual Conference – RCA Panel

On April 23, TARBA hosted a plenary room panel at the annual Good Roads conference, which was held at the Fairmount Royal York and attended by more than 500 municipal and regional engineers and other relevant conference attendees.

Paving the Way: Leveraging Recycled Crushed Aggregates for More Sustainable Road

Construction panelists included:

Kevin Martin, Project Manager, Fermar Paving
Sam Esfandiarpour, Senior Project Manager, Pavement Services, EXP
James Smith, Manager, Technical Programs and Research, Good Roads
Raly Chakarova, Executive Director, Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (Moderator)

TARBA Quality Control Manual

From our discussion with municipalities, we have heard that RCA quality and performance are the top concerns and barriers to allowing more recycled materials in projects. To assist producers and educate municipal project owners, the TARBA QC Manual was updated to provide a technically sound quality control plan for producing, utilizing, and ensuring the quality of recycled aggregates as specified in OPSS1010. Individual producers may enhance these requirements to achieve company objectives and/or to meet more particular standards.

OPSS1010 Changes to Granular B Type II

We welcomed proposed changes to include recycled material in Granular B Type II, but advocated for a further change to eliminate the restriction on “no deleterious material” and the inclusion of deleterious materials up to 1%. We are working on further advocacy with MTO to consider the inclusion of RAP as well.
For more information about the benefits of RCA, visit https://tarba.org/recycled-aggregate/.