Good Roads Hot Mix Liaison Committee in conjunction with OAPC have published and released their “Municipal Paving Inspector Checklist” which is now available for download at the link below.
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News Article Description
Good Roads is opening its Call for Nominations for its 2024/25 Board of Directors.
Pursuant to Good Roads Policy B-008, the Nominating Committee of the Good Roads Board of Directors will present a slate of 11 directors to serve as the 2024-2025 Good Roads Board of Directors. This slate will be presented to attendees at the Annual Good Roads Conference taking place April 21 – April 24, 2024, at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto, Ontario. It will be comprised from Good Roads’ municipal and First Nations membership.
The Good Roads Board of Directors understands the strength that diversity provides and is committed to achieving equity and inclusion on its leadership team. Women and individuals from equity seeking groups are encouraged to apply.
The following directors will automatically serve on the 2024-2025 Board of Directors:
- President: Antoine Boucher – Director of Public Works and Engineering, Municipality of East Ferris;
- First Vice-President: Cheryl Fort – Mayor, Township of Hornepayne;
- Second Vice-President: Paul Ainslie – Councillor, Ward 24, Scarborough-Guildwood, City of Toronto and
- Immediate Past President: John Parsons – Division Manager, Road Operations, City of London;
The slate will satisfy the geographic requirements prescribed in Section 12 of the Constitution as well as the criteria in Policy B-008.
The following vacancies need to be filled:
| City of Toronto | 0 Vacancy | |
| The City of Toronto Zone consists of the City of Toronto. | ||
| Northern Zone | 2 Vacancy | |
| The Northern Zone consists of the municipalities and First Nations in the Districts of Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin Island, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Timiskaming; municipalities in and including the District of Muskoka and the City of Greater Sudbury. | ||
| South Central Zone | 0 Vacancies | |
| The South Central Zone consists of the municipalities within and First Nations adjacent to the Counties of Dufferin, Grey, Simcoe, and Wellington, and municipalities in and including the Regional Municipalities of Durham, Halton, Niagara, Peel and York, and the City of Hamilton. | ||
| Southeast Zone | 2 Vacancy | |
| The Southeast Zone consists of the municipalities within and First Nations adjacent to the Counties of Frontenac, Haliburton, Hastings, Lanark, Leeds and Grenville, Lennox and Addington, Northumberland, Peterborough, Prescott and Russell, Prince Edward, Renfrew, and Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, and the Cities of Kawartha Lakes and Ottawa. | ||
| Southwest Zone | 1 Vacancy | |
| The Southwest Zone consists of the municipalities within and First Nations adjacent to the Counties of Brant, Bruce, Elgin, Essex, Haldimand, Huron, Lambton, Middlesex, Norfolk, Oxford, and Perth, the municipality of Chatham-Kent, and municipalities in and including the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. | ||
Access the Good Roads Zone Map here.
Those elected shall serve for a two-year term ending on Wednesday, April 01, 2026.
The Nominating Committee will meet on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, to recommend a slate of directors to the membership. The Nominating Committee is comprised of the following directors:
- Chair: Paul Schoppmann, Immediate Past President
- Vice Chair: Dave Burton, Past President
- Members: Antoine Boucher, Good Roads First Vice-President, Cheryl Fort, Good Roads Second Vice-President, Justin Towndale, Good Roads Director
Questions regarding the nomination process or serving on the Board of Directors can be directed to Scott Butler at scott@goodroads.ca or 416-564-4319.
Supreme Court Decision Expands Municipal Liability
In the case of R v. Greater Sudbury, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that an owner (i.e., a municipality) cannot evade responsibility for a workplace death by claiming to have contractually delegated responsibility for safety to a project contractor.
This decision will have significant implications for municipalities. Now municipalities are exposed to broader responsibilities that owners, constructors, and employers have under the Occupational Health & Safety Act (OHSA).
Prior to the ruling, municipalities were able to delegate health and safety responsibilities to a general contractor, who would assume primary accountability for these obligations. However, this has now changed. As a result of this ruling, municipalities effectively assume the OHSA obligations as owners, constructors, and employers on capital projects.
Good Roads strongly recommends that its member municipalities carefully review the Supreme Court decision and consult their legal counsel. Contract language may need to be reviewed and amended. Vigilant monitoring of construction sites is now crucial to ensure compliance with applicable workplace safety requirements.
This ruling increases a municipality’s risk exposure which will also increase the cost and time needed for construction projects.
Good Roads will continue to monitor this evolving situation and advocate for the Government of Ontario to provide a solution.
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 129th 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 130th 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.
