ASPHALTopcs | Summer 2017 | VOL 30 | NO 2

LETTERS
FROM THE ED
by Vince Aurilio
Executive Director, OAPC
Opportunity knocks
As our industry works hard to address a number
of shared challenges, one thing is well-defined – the
need for continuous improvement. I know I’ve spoken
about this topic before, but we can still do better.
I strongly believe that one of the areas needing
improvement is the working relationships with MTO
and the municipalities. This should collectively be
one of our top priorities – we need to be in a position
to trust each other. I see this as a real opportunity to
recognize that there are issues and to make every effort
to fix these problems.
Continuous improvement also means talking to our
colleagues across the globe about common concerns
and taking proactive steps to learn from each other.
In this issue of ASPHALTopics, we are taking the
opportunity to reach out to our friends in the U.S.
and in Europe at the Asphalt Paving Alliance and
Eurobitume to share information and hear what is
going on in their world. It is envisioned that this is
just the start and I hope that we can continue with
this outreach in future issues of our great magazine.
Speaking of friends in the U.S., I’m sure everyone is
very familiar with our partnership with the Asphalt
Institute. This relationship has been in place since
1999 and is an excellent example of how technology
transfer has benefitted our industry. The plan is to
continue to work with the Asphalt Institute to find
ways to address some of the challenges with concerns
about the quality of asphalt in Ontario.
There are great examples of how this outreach has
helped asphalt practitioners across North America
learn about new technologies. Stone Mastic Asphalt
(SMA) and Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) are two significant
advancements in hot mix asphalt technology over the
last three decades that now play an important role
in our industry. The increased use of RAP in Japan is
another example of how we have learned about what
other asphalt communities around the world are doing.
The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA)
has done a tremendous job of working with their
international partners in these areas with several
scan tours.
We’re not alone. It’s good to know that we can work
together with our friends and partners in Ontario, the
U.S and across the world to address our challenges
and find ways to continually improve.
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