Intended to promote and recognize excellence in hot mix asphalt plant operations, the Ontario Asphalt Pavement Council’s (OAPC) Trillium Awards may be in for some major changes.
While it could take from three to five years to implement, the council has begun the transition from the award’s self-regulated process towards a third-party inspection certification program.
On Nov. 24, it issued an “A Request for Quotations, Framework Plan for the Development of Asphalt Certification Program.”
The deadline for submissions is Feb. 16, 2024. The RFQ was formally announced at the council’s Nov. 30 fall seminar in Mississauga.
The council is using the term Ontario Asphalt Plant Certification to differentiate it from the Trillium Awards, which will remain in effect until certification is achieved.
Implemented in 2002 and based on very rigorous criteria, the Trillium Awards recognize asphalt plants that adhere to high operational standards such as appearance, safety and environmental measures. They are granted for a three-year period, at which point the plant must apply for re-certification. The recipients are formally announced at the OAPC’s annual fall seminar.
“Our members believe the program has value,” says Doubra Ambaiowei, director of technical services for the Ontario Road Builders’ Association. The OAPC is a council of the association.
Since the program was launched, 111 new Trillium Awards and 169 renewals have been issued. That figure includes nine new awards and 22 renewals for this year, he says.
Under the current system, downloadable applications can be accessed in late January. Interested operators have until the following October to submit the application, says Ambaiowei, explaining that time period allows them to complete the necessary documentation and create a video highlighting the plant’s operation.
In November, those submissions are reviewed by the OAPC’s plant and paving committee, which is the steward of the awards and has the ultimate responsibility of selecting the winners.
The recipients are then formally announced at its annual fall seminar in late November or early December.
However, about 18 months ago the council began seriously considering if the program would benefit from third party certification where an outside entity would oversee it, says Mike Deckert, chair of its plant and paving committee.
It created a Trillium ad Hoc committee comprising industry stakeholders and municipal partners to consider the opportunities and challenges with the current Trillium Award Program while examining the “pros and cons and approaches” to an asphalt plant certification, he says.
A number of issues were assessed including the potential municipal buy-in and owner expectations.
As part of that process, surveys were sent to municipal partners and the results were positive, says Deckert.
Based on its research, the committee developed a series of recommendations which were formally presented to the OAPC executives and directors this summer.
“They adopted the concept of certification.”
In an interview, Deckert was asked about the RFQ, which is a very brief one-page document.
He conceded it is “somewhat vague,” but that’s the intent. Rather than dictating the substance and content, the council is looking for ideas and input from interested parties. The submissions will probably have to be “shortlisted.”
Under the Trillium Award system, new Trillium Award applicants pay $375, while renewals are $200. Deckert was asked if those costs would increase with third-party certification and if that might lead to plant owner objections.
“We don’t know. We’re breaking new ground here.”
However, the OAPC will be keeping its members fully informed as the move to third-party certification progresses, says Deckert.
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