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Long-time road construction member John MacKay is the 2024 recipient of the Ontario Asphalt Pavement Council’s (OAPC) Bleeds Black Award.

A vice-president at Green Infrastructure Partners Inc., MacKay was presented with the award at OAPC’s recent fall seminar in Mississauga.

He accepted the award from OAPC chair Steve Manolis and Ontario Road Builders’ Association CEO Walid Abou-Hamde.

In three different video clips, associates praised MacKay’s commitment to- and rise-in the industry, which began when he walked “right out of school” and found work with KJ Beamish in 1992.

Intended to recognize industry members who demonstrate extraordinary passion and commitment towards promoting asphalt paving, the award is bestowed annually at the fall seminars and is major highlight of the day-long events.

This year the council also received nominations for two of its other awards.

Now a partially-retired Beamish Construction employee after 51 years with the company, John Thomas was presented with the Joe Bunting Mentorship Award. The award recognizes the importance of mentorship in the industry.

Miller Paving’s GTA asphalt plant manager Mate Jurkin was the third recipient. A member of two OAPC committees, the plant and paving committee and the municipal liaison committee, he was presented with the Earl Kee Volunteer of the Year Award.

Other award winners were also recognized. In a PowerPoint presentation, OAPC plant and paving committee chair Mike Deckert noted six asphalt plants received Trillium Awards during 2024.

Another 15 plants received renewal certifications.

Asphalt plants that exceed industry operational requirements are eligible for Trillium awards. Applicants must complete a rigorous assessment process to meet high standards in a number of different areas such as appearance, operations, safety and permitting and compliance.

Currently, the program is administered by the plant and paving committee, but the OAPC is in the process of transitioning to third-party certification.

The title of the seminar was Pathways to a Sustainable Future for Asphalt technology and that was the focus of several presentations.

Ministry of Transportation senior bituminous engineer Dariusz Wodalal provided an overview of the ministry’s warm mix asphalt test trials. Conducted in different parts of the province, the trials are part of the ministry’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The benefits of using warm mix asphalt include improved compaction and better joint construction on highways and potentially lower asphalt plant operating costs due to lower fuel usage, said Wodalal.

Attendees were also given a primer on how asphalt specifications impact quality specifications.

“Asphalt should perform well under varying temperatures and traffic loads, maintaining its structural integrity over time,” said the Asphalt Institute’s Canadian regional engineer Amma Agbedor.

In another seminar, attendees were told progress is being made in addressing the many challenges facing the industry and its partners.

“We’re starting to make a difference,” said Asphalt Technician Symposium (ATS) co-chair Chris Campbell.

Sponsored by OAPC, the symposium is an annual event where a broad cross-section of representatives from the Ministry of Transportation, academia, suppliers, road contractors, researchers, refineries and other industry players discuss issues affecting the industry. This year’s event was at the Scarborough Convention Centre.

With a number of core objectives such as providing a platform for “unbiased technical discussion and sharing” the ATS continues to act as a platform to encourage and improve dialogue among asphalt industry stakeholders, said Campbell.

Seminar participants were also told it isn’t just performance and technical issues where progress is being made. Increasingly, women are making their mark in the asphalt industry. That was the message delivered by Women of Asphalt Canada communications manager Leslie Dibling and its mentorship liaison director, Selena Lavorato.

Similar to its U.S. counterpart, the Canadian branch of Women of Asphalt has a number of key goals including increasing female representation in the industry, they said.

Later in the day in her role as the Canadian Technical Asphalt Association’s Ontario director, Lavorato reminded the audience the association will be holding its 70th anniversary conference in Toronto next November.