News Articles Archive

Internationally Recognized Road Safety Practice Comes to Ontario

Municipal road association is creating safer roads through world class training.

September 25, 2023, Oakville, ON – Good Roads, Ontario’s oldest municipal association is partnering with Safe System Solutions from Melbourne, Australia to bring an internationally recognized road safety practice to Ontario.

The Good Roads Road Safety Audit (RSA) course trains transportation professionals to recognize risks associated with existing road networks as well as risks contained in proposed developments.

“We are re-imaging the way we look at our roads and road safety in Ontario. Reducing risk exposure for road users, the likelihood of crash occurrence can be reduced, and the severity of crashes can be reduced by a few simple measures.” said Scott Butler, Executive Director, Good Roads.

A road safety audit is not simply a compliance check against design standards or other technical guidance. An RSA recognizes that strict adherence to design standards does not guarantee safety since standards are not always written with safety as a primary objective. A road safety audit is an examination of a proposed road design to identify road safety deficiencies so that they can be eliminated or mitigated before they are built. In this way, a road safety audit is a proactive process which attempts to prevent crashes from occurring, as opposed to a crash investigation and some other road safety engineering activities which are a reactive process and attempt to correct existing problems so that further crashes are less likely.

“We’ve witnessed this RSA work in countries around the world to save lives. In 2020, Ontario had 530 people killed in collisions on our roads and a further 31,792 people were injured. RSAs can significantly reduce these numbers.” continued Mr. Butler. “Safe System Solutions is a world leader in applied road safety. We have run technical training to over 4,000 engineers, highway designers and technical officers. Because we’re practitioners, having done over 3,000 road safety audits across the world, our training courses are practical and create an immediate benefit to the community.” said Kenn Beer, Principal Engineer, Safe System Solutions.

The Road Safety Audit Course is being offered only for a limited time in October in two locations in Ontario.

Good Roads is a municipal association concerned with the advancement of roads and other infrastructure in Ontario. Based in Oakville, Ontario, we have been devoted to the cause of better roads since 1894. Originally known as the Ontario Good Roads Association (and still using that name corporately), we have more than 450 member governments, including most of Ontario’s municipalities and a growing number of First Nations, as well as dozens of affiliated corporate members in the transportation and infrastructure sectors. Our purpose, in part, is to connect our members to each other, to other levels of government, and to relevant companies in the private sector. Our members look to us for training, knowledge, political advocacy, and answers to their most pressing problems. Good Roads is resolutely independent.

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For more information, please contact:
Rachel Swiednicki
Manager, Communications and Marketing
Good Roads
1525 Cornwall Road, Unit 22
Oakville, ON L6J 0B2
C. 905-630-0542
rachel@qoodroads.ca
www.GoodRoads.ca

Paving the Way to New Educational Experiences

Good Roads, a municipal association dedicated to promoting the improvement of Ontario’s roads, has taken a bold step into the world of online education. With the support of D2L Brightspace, the organization is venturing into the digital realm to extend its reach to a broader community of learners. By embracing online learning, Good Roads has succeeded in engaging new audiences within the private sector and First Nations communities, empowering them with vital knowledge and resources.

For more details view the case study and blog on the D2L website.

Province to Consult on ORV Safety Enhancement Strategy

The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has reached out to key stakeholders to inform them that they will be introducing an off-road vehicles (ORV) safety enhancement strategy this fall. This strategy will include a series of legislative amendments.

These proposed amendments come after the Office of the Chief Coroner called an inquest into the death of nine-year-old Horatio McLeod from an ORV collision in 2017. The inquest was held to raise awareness and provide recommendations to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. The verdict set out 24 recommendations to address ORV safety, 18 of which were addressed to MTO.

Ontario currently permits ORV use both on-road and off-road. The Highway Traffic Act (HTA) regulates on-road use and the Off-Road Vehicles Act (ORVA) regulates off-road use. This creates regulatory inconsistencies based on operating environment. There are four key problem areas MTO would like to address:

Alcohol and drugs are highly overrepresented in severe ORV collisions.
Drivers <16 have higher ER and hospitalization rates than any other age group and have greater difficulty controlling ORVs due to mass, strength; likely to have head injuries and fractures.
No minimum age required for ORV passengers and no restrictions for passengers in single-rider ORVs. This does not align with on-road requirements.
Increased risk of serious injury and death on ORVs where the operator was not wearing a seat belt at the time of collision, but seat belts are not required in Ontario unless fitted/installed by the manufacturer.

The ministry wants to hear feedback on the following key focus areas:

Potential impacts to local economies resulting from proposed changes;
Impacts to families and riders in secluded rural and Northern areas, including access to necessities;
Resources available to enforce ORV safety and options for collaboration to identify ways to increase those resources;
Challenges or limitations our proposals may pose to ATV riders; and
Additional areas where emphasis is needed to address rider health and road user safety.

Please see the accompanying slide deck for more details.

It is expected that the legislative amendments will be included in a planned fall road safety bill with the proposed amendments hitting the Ontario Regulatory Registry in September.

One Call Act Regulation Implementation Delayed

The province announced that the implementation of the Ontario Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act, 2012, (“One Call Act”) regulation will be delayed until April 1, 2024. The regulation, which included administrative monetary penalties, has been in effect since April 1, 2023. It will now be pushed back as a result of a new round of consultation that the province intends to carry out.

The Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and the Ministry of Energy intend to consult on potential options that could prohibit fees being charged by members of Ontario One Call for underground infrastructure locates. The provision of free locates is a current practice in almost every municipality in Ontario. The province has pledged to engage key stakeholders, including energy utilities, municipalities, telecommunication companies, excavators, and others. This consultation will consider how a prohibition on locate fees will affect the ability of infrastructure owners to provide locate services in a cost-effective manner.

The province also announced it will consult on enhancements to the locate delivery requirements specified in the One Call Act and will consider a range of options to build flexibility into the current locate delivery system while supporting overall locate performance improvements. This includes potential expansion of the dedicated locator model, new rules to support locate delivery timeframes, and consideration of compliance-related activities that account for the realities of Ontario’s construction sector.

The Government of Ontario has pledged to move forward with any changes resulting from these consultations in a timely manner. Additional details about these consultations will be provided over the next few weeks.

Good Roads will participate in these consultations to ensure the concerns of Ontario municipalities are considered.

2023 OPS 127 Rates Now Published

The 127 rental rates have been published on the Ontario Provincial Standards (OPS) website.

This specification covers equipment rental rate compensation for work on a Time and Material Basis. The calculated rate represents the cost of owning and operating the equipment and is made up of direct and indirect costs such as fuel, oil, lubrication, field repairs, overhaul, depreciation, financing, storage, insurance, overhead, and profit.

The specification can be found on the MTO Technical Publications website under the Ontario Provincial Standards tab and searching for “127”.

Good Roads Announces 2023/24 Board of Directors

City of London’s Division Manager Becomes President of Municipal Association

April 21, 2023, Oakville, ON – During the 129^th edition of the annual Good Roads Conference in Toronto, John Parsons, Division Manager, Road Operations with the City of London staff was installed as the President of the 2023-2024 Good Roads Board of Directors.

“John’s experience will be important as we work to get improve Ontario’s municipal road network,” said Scott Butler, Good Roads’ Executive Director.

“I’m humbled and honoured by this opportunity and looking forward to serving as the Good Roads Board President.” said Mr. Parsons’. “Good Roads does a lot. It educates thousands of trainees a year. It advocates to make roads safer. And it works with municipalities and First Nations to make them the best custodians of local roads and infrastructure that they can be.” said Mr. Parsons.

The 2023/24 Good Roads Board of Directors:

President – John Parsons, Division Manager, Roads Operations, City of London,
First Vice President – Antoine Boucher, Director of Public Works & Engineering, Municipality of East Ferris
Second Vice President – Cheryl Fort, Mayor, Township of Hornepayne
Third Vice President – Paul Ainslie, Councillor, City of Toronto
Past President – Paul Schoppmann, St. Charles

Directors:

Melissa Abercrombie, Manager of Engineering Services, County of Oxford
Salim Alibhai, Director, Capital Planning & Delivery, Transportation Operations, Public Works, Regional Municipality of York
Chris Angelo, Director of Public Works & Environmental Services, City of Quinte West
David Armstrong, Manager of Public Works, Town of Gananoque
Cathy Burghardt-Jesson, Warden, County of Middlesex
Nazzareno Capano, Manager, Transportation Policy & Innovation, City of Toronto
Aakash Desai, Asset Manager & Deputy Treasurer, Township of Southgate
Terry McKay, Deputy Mayor, Township of Chatsworth
Kristin Murray, Councillor, City of Timmins
Justin Towndale, Mayor, City of Cornwall

The 130^th edition of the Good Roads Conference will take place April 21 – 24, 2024 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.

Good Roads and Skills Development Funding

Ontario Helping Good Roads Train Frontline Municipal and First Nations Staff

Government investment funds flexible training for public works and municipal professionals across Ontario

NEWS April 17, 2023

TORONTO — The Ontario government is investing $1,850,728 in a training program through that offers public works staff in Ontario municipalities and First Nations communities the opportunity to enhance their skills. This initiative is supported through the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development’s Skills Development Fund, a program that offers funding to a wide range of organizations for innovative projects that address Ontario’s labour shortage.

Monte McNaughton, Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, announced this funding during the annual Good Roads Conference in Toronto where industry professionals heard firsthand about the training investment for First Nations communities and municipal staff.

“Ontario needs all hands on deck to help build the highways, transit, schools, homes and hospitals our growing population relies on,” said Minister McNaughton. “Today’s announcement will not only benefit municipal and First Nations employers but provide workers with the training they need so that they can get jobs they can be proud of and earn a bigger paycheque for themselves and their families.”

With the support of this investment by the provincial government, Good Roads will bring training to regions of Ontario where it has not been provided previously. This will benefit municipal and First Nations employers as the traditional barriers of geography and costs that confound rural, smaller, and northern municipalities and First Nations will be removed. Good Roads will be offering courses that meet the immediate needs of their frontline public works staff. Course content will include the basics of road construction and maintenance, heavy equipment operations including snowplows, and leadership training for new supervisors.

“Good Roads appreciates the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development’s focus on delivering training to historically underserved communities. This funding will help frontline workers upgrade their skills and better serve their communities,” said Scott Butler, Executive Director, Good Roads.

The funding announced today builds on the government’s continuing mission to attract, support and protect workers, and to make Ontario the best place in the world to work, live and raise a family. In support of this effort, the province recently introduced the third Working for Workers Act and is launching a capital stream of the Skills Development Fund which will help build and upgrade training centres across the province.

Quick Facts

Good Roads currently offers several online trainings for courses for both technical and soft skills, visit www.GoodRoads.ca for more information.
With the recent third round of funding, the government has increased its overall investment in the Skills Development Fund to over $700 million since the 2020 Ontario Budget.
Through its first two funding rounds since program launch in 2021, the Skills Development Fund supported 388 projects in Ontario aiming to create training and job opportunities for almost 400,000 people.
In January 2023, there were nearly 300,000 jobs vacant in Ontario.
The Skills Development Fund is supported through labour market transfer agreements between the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.

Premier Doug Ford – 2023 Good Roads Conference

Honourable Doug Ford to Address Municipal Conference

Good Roads Welcomes the Premier of Ontario to Address Municipal Officials During Annual Conference

April 14, 2023, Oakville, ON – Ontario’s Premier, Doug Ford, is set to address more than 1,500 attendees during the 2023 Good Roads Conference taking place at the Fairmont Royal York in downtown Toronto.

The annual conference brings together different levels of government from Ontario over four days focusing on municipal transportation, and infrastructure topics. With over 80 sessions, a variety of speakers, study tours and a sold-out exhibitor hall, the Good Roads Conference is one of the most historic and largest municipal conferences in the province.

“The importance of this conference is the connectivity our roads give us in building sustainable and healthy communities. Safe roads are crucial to healthy communities and our elected officials working in conjunction with municipal staff, such as public works and engineering professionals is a perfect combination to create safer roads.” said Scott Butler, Executive Director, Good Roads. “Our conference is the gateway to connecting the right people and making safer solutions and infrastructure. Take for example our Rural Road Safety Initiative, where we are looking at the most dangerous intersections and creating road audits to improve the incident rate.” continued Mr. Butler.

Premier Doug Ford is scheduled to take the stage on Monday, April 17^th at 9:00am. You must be registered to attend this event. For media passes, please contact Rachel Swiednicki.

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Western Ontario Wardens Caucus Support Good Roads Safer Municipal Roads

The Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (WOWC) joined Good Roads (originally known as the Ontario Good Roads Association) in calling on the Province of Ontario to work collaboratively with municipalities across rural Ontario to make roads safer, as well as improve risk management, community connectivity, and economic development.

Given that the 15 members of the WOWC represent approximately 300 communities across rural Southwestern Ontario, the Caucus recently supported Good Roads’ Plan to Build Safer Rural Roads and Address Municipal Liability, specifically the request to work in conjunction with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to design and administer a program to provide municipalities with access to a pool of funding to enhance road safety and to repair and upgrade targeted sections of rural roads deemed unsafe.

Click here for the full media release from the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (WOWC)

Province Approves One Call Act Regulation

On April 14, 2022, the Getting Ontario Connected Act received Royal Assent, marking a major milestone in ensuring the safety of underground infrastructure in the province. The Act amended the Ontario Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act (One Call Act) to address the current challenges faced by the locate delivery system. The changes aimed to enhance governance and oversight of Ontario One Call and improve its compliance tools with the overall goal of delivering quicker utility locate deliveries.

Strengthening Compliance and Enforcement

One of the key changes introduced by the Getting Ontario Connected Act is the authority granted to Ontario One Call to issue administrative penalties against non-compliant members and excavators in the industry, including municipalities. To implement this regime, a new regulation was developed that outlines the details of the administrative monetary penalties. This is intended to strengthen Ontario One Call’s enforcement and compliance framework by providing an additional tool to promote compliance with the One Call Act.

Stakeholder Feedback and Final Approval

The Ministry considered stakeholder feedback received from consultations held via the Ontario Regulatory Registry and industry roundtables, including that of Good Roads and its members. Good Roads had raised concerns relating to penalties as well as implementation and the use of funds collected through fines. On January 30, 2023, the Minister approved and signed the regulation, which will take effect on April 1, 2023. The regulation along with the finalized administrative monetary penalties can be viewed here.

Use of Funds

The regulation captures important details such as penalty amounts and the use of funds. The funds collected as administrative penalties serve several important purposes, including:

Education and Awareness
- To provide education to persons involved in the identification of underground infrastructure, including excavators, locators, and members of Ontario One Call. This education is critical in ensuring that everyone involved in the excavation process understands the importance of safe digging and the potential consequences of failing to do so.
Promoting Safe Digging Practices
- To raise public awareness of the need for safe digging and to promote safe digging practices. This can help reduce the number of incidents of damage to underground infrastructure, which can be costly and disruptive.
Improving Timely Responses to Locate Requests
- To support and improve timely responses to locate requests. This includes improving One Call’s mapping information systems, supporting and promoting the use of dedicated locators, encouraging more people to become locators, and carrying out research and consultations to support the locate request process.
Funding Administration of the System of Administrative Penalties
- To fund the administration of the system of administrative penalties. This includes the costs associated with implementing and enforcing the penalty regime, as well as any other administrative costs associated with One Call’s work in promoting safe digging practices.

Looking Ahead

Details pertaining to the administration and implementation of the system will be communicated by Ontario One Call in the near future. Good Roads will continue monitoring the issue and post updates as necessary.