Three Toronto-area construction associations are calling for municipal governments to adopt standardized road-building specifications and procurement practices to reduce costs through efficiencies and economies of scale.

The Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA), the Greater Toronto Sewer and Watermain Contractors Association (GTSWCA), and the Heavy Construction Association of Toronto (HCAT) members build more than 75 percent of the total capital infrastructure construction portfolio across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) each year.

The associations are sounding the alarm about the critical transportation and house-enabling infrastructure projects that will be put at risk with rising construction costs and continued economic uncertainty created by the escalating tariff dispute between Canada and the United States.

“This is a pivotal moment for infrastructure development in Ontario,” said Patrick McManus, Executive Director of the GTSWCA. “By standardizing construction specifications and contracts, we will reign in rising construction costs and lay the groundwork for sustainable growth and cost-effective infrastructure solutions without fundamentally altering how we design, build, finance, or maintain our critical core infrastructure in the region.”

Ontario’s municipalities own and manage more public infrastructure than the federal and provincial governments combined, with more than 50 percent of their budgets allocated to construction and infrastructure.

While provincial standards exist, municipalities have discretion in their implementation and have instead amassed hundreds of varying requirements for how to build and procure similar use projects, like roads, bridges, sewers and watermains.

The associations say these differences cost taxpayers millions of dollars more, while reducing quality and productivity and increasing waste and carbon emissions.

“There are more than 300 different asphalt mix designs in the GTA alone, with each municipality having different requirements on how a road ought to be paved,” said Raly Chakarova, Executive Director at TARBA. “We’re talking about breaking down interprovincial trade barriers, but just as important is harmonizing practices across municipal boundaries, especially in an economically significant region like the GTA. This is a real solution that will bring in faster construction timelines and create significant cost savings for taxpayers, particularly through initiatives such as the standardized and enhanced use of recycled crushed aggregates.”

To safeguard infrastructure projects while addressing the significant red tape and associated business costs of having hundreds of road specifications and procurement specifications across Ontario, the associations are asking the provincial government to consult with municipalities to develop a comprehensive strategy to enhance efficiency and reduce construction costs.

They suggest the strategy implement uniform technical standards for road construction throughout the province to ensure consistency, efficiency, and performance in infrastructure projects, streamline and standardize procurement processes to shorten tender timelines, provide clearer guidelines and timelines for permitting processes, and establish a common framework and approach for reimbursement for cost increases caused by new tariffs to limit project disruption.

“This is the time for the provincial and federal governments to step in and ensure that municipalities have predictable and continuous infrastructure funding to get projects out the door, shovels in the ground, and keep everyone employed,” said Peter Smith, Executive Director at HCAT. “But municipalities need to drop their own barriers. There is no reason that a different asphalt type or watermain fitting needs to be used simply because a project crosses over Steeles Ave.”