ASPHALTopics | Spring 2014 | VOL 27 | NO 1

THE LAST WORD
by Pamela Marks
When I joined the Ministry of Transportation 30 years
ago, I never imagined it would lead me into the complex
world of asphalt, and the rich and diverse relationships
that I have had the pleasure to make along the way.
While not a stranger to the asphalt industry when
I started working in 1997 with the Bituminous Section,
I was definitely in a listening and learning mode.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned since then, it’s that the
world of asphalt is complex and constantly changing.
I feel extremely fortunate to have had such a unique
perspective on how our road building and designs have
improved over the years. I believe that a significant factor
in this improvement is the collaboration between industry
and the MTO—continually innovating and implementing
new standards to maintain excellence while providing
high quality roads.
As materials and technologies evolve, so does
government. MTO strives to have the best people
providing a safe, reliable and sustainable transportation
system in Ontario. I could not be happier to see that
we are to continue to deliver this vision through strong,
collaborative relationships with our industry partners.
I have had the pleasure of working with many people
in the asphalt industry over the years. Attending
committee meetings and task groups have shown me
that while we do not always agree to start with, it is vital
to keep working together as it is our industry and the
taxpayers of Ontario that have been shown to benefit
time and time again. I believe MTO and the asphalt
industry both come out winners at the end of the day.
I’ve enjoyed attending technical conferences and
workshops held with the joint contributions of OHMPA,
ORBA, OGRA and MTO. Ideas are discussed, debates
arise, and productive conclusions are reached. These
events have assisted in sharing valuable information
throughout the industry and have positive impacts
on the improvement of our industry as a whole.
I am particularly excited about OHMPA’s upcoming
Road Tour series and hope to see many of you there.
I believe that these occasions have and will continue
to be of great importance in developing a better
working relationship between industry and the MTO.
I have no doubt that by working together, we both gain
a better understanding of the whole picture. Through
this sometimes painstaking process, the greatest
achievements are made in moving both our interests
forward. This will ultimately lead to the development
of more innovative ideas and uncover new avenues
of progress for our industry to pursue.
While we have made great strides in achieving our
objectives, there will always be new challenges for us
to work through together. Our industry has shown time
and time again that we are capable of overcoming these
issues by working as a collective unit to develop solutions.
As the old saying goes, two heads are better than one.
Based on the past, I expect the relationships to become
stronger as we move forward together. You can rest
assured that I will continue to listen. I believe that our
greatest asset is having the opportunity to learn from
each other. As we tackle old and new challenges, you
can be assured that while MTO is paying my salary, I am
acutely aware that we are a team and that if we do not
work together, neither of us will prosper.
Pamela Marks is the head of the Bituminous Section
of the Ministry of Transportation.
42 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS