ASPHALTopcs | Summer 2017 | VOL 30 | NO 2

The idea behind the
symposium was to create
a forum where members
could meet owners and
specifiers, get the latest
information, and address any issues.
It soon became clear that one
location couldn’t fill the need for
this kind of dialogue, and the
provincial road tour was born.
In 2010, OGRA joined OHMPA
(now OAPC) and MTO in the Partners
in Quality (PIQ) symposium. Today
the program presents a unique
opportunity for industry members,
MTO, municipal and consulting
engineers to meet face-to-face,
bringing some of the best minds
in the industry together to learn
from each other.
From the outset, a key stakeholder
group for PIQ has been municipalities.
In fact, in 2009, initial work was
started on the establishment of
the OHMPA/OGRA Municipal
Liaison Committee as direct a
result of feedback from members
and municipal owners during PIQ.
This came out of a request by all
stakeholders for a more robust
and productive relationship to
improve specifications and provide
consistently high quality products.
“Talking to municipalities and making
sure they are involved is an essential
element of the Partners in Quality
symposium,” says Vince Aurilio,
Executive Director, OAPC. “We try
to bring information to PIQ that is
relevant and important to both our
members and to municipalities.
This year, for example, I presented
on asphalt quality and the results
of the latest ORBA member
survey. The presentation on asset
management and how it relates to
road improvement was also extremely
useful to show our members how
municipalities select roads for work.”
David Shelsted, Director of Roads
and Transportation Services, City
of Greater Sudbury, is a long time
PIQ attendee and attended this
year along with a number of his city
colleagues. “The benefit to attending
PIQ for a municipality is to find out
what is current in the industry, the
changes that are happening, and
hearing about the issues as they
are occurring. The presentations
are really good for getting updates
on information that are relevant to
municipalities,” he says.
Another consistent component of PIQ
directly relevant to municipalities is
the regional forecasts from MTO and
other government updates. “At the
most recent PIQ, it was very beneficial
to municipal staff to hear MTO talk
about the audit. Their presentation
provided insight into where we can
look at our own municipalities and
see where possible improvements
can be done,” says Robert Burlie,
Manager of Road Operations,
Etobicoke/York District, City of
Toronto and 2016 president of OGRA.
“It was also helpful to hear from MTO
on the new specifications. We look to
MTO for their insight into emerging
issues and so it’s helpful to see where
they are heading,” he adds.
Adds Shelsted, Greater Sudbury:
“There is a strong MTO presence,
and they present their current work
programs and specification changes,
so if you attend you get first hand
information and updates from them.”
Hearing directly from MTO can
also help municipalities with their
planning. “Municipalities can find
out from MTO what they are doing
in the regions and how it may directly
impact local municipalities,” says
Chris Bradley, Director of Public
Works, Peterborough County. “For
example, in my region there are only
three paving companies. With a small
number of suppliers, a big MTO job
can directly impact the timelines of
any municipal jobs and how we might
schedule them.”
Bradley made two presentations at
the PIQ stop in Ottawa, one on the
Ottawa and eastern region municipal ››
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SUMMER 2017 19