February 4, 2010

New president of Ontario Road Builders’ Association to keep focus on infrastructure

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

While 2010 is shaping up as a good year in terms of work volumes, the job going forward will be to keep governments focused on infrastructure, says the newly elected president of the Ontario Road Builders’ Association (ORBA).

“We must make it crystal clear that even as the economy begins to pick up again, the infrastructure job is not nearly done,” says Paul Quinless, executive vice-president of Carillion Canada Inc.

“We have an aging infrastructure and decades of neglect and massive infrastructure deficits to catch up with. We cannot fall back from the growing commitment we have seen in the past several years to rebuild this valuable asset base.”

Quinless, who succeeded Tom O’Callaghan of Fowler Construction Co. Ltd. as head of ORBA, said in a speech to the association’s annual convention that the bulk of the federal stimulus funding is expected to hit the municipal streets early this year.

“We trust that the province will maintain its commitment to infrastructure investment,” he said.

“The private sector is still hurting, but there are indications that it is starting to recover.”

Quinless, who was born in England and raised and schooled in Ireland and came to Canada in 1980, said one of ORBA’s priorities for the coming year will be to increase the association’s “involvement and effectiveness” in the municipal contracting arena.

“Members have made it clear that they would like us to be as effective on issues like tendering and specifications in the municipalities as we are in our work with the Ministry of Transportation.”

The association recently completed a strategic planning process that identified ORBA’s top five priorities over the next five years. These are infrastructure promotion, health and safety, environmental regulation and best practices, management education and promoting the industry to young people.

Quinless said of the specific objectives for the coming year is to establish one or more scholarships for high school or college students.

“I would like the scholarships to carry the names of individuals who have stood out as Ontario’s road building leaders in order to inspire our next generation of road builders,” he said.

The association held its 83rd annual convention in Toronto this week.

Print | Email | Comment