OPS Overview

The Ontario Provincial Standards for Roads and Public Works (OPS) organization is owned jointly by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and the Municipal Engineers Association. Of equal importance is the involvement and support of many other organizations representing contractors, consulting engineers, manufacturers, and their associations.

OPS have been in use since 1984. Alliances between the noted organizations and the OPS Advisory Board have allowed OPS to evolve into an excellent model of construction standards development, now characterized by consistently well built, cost-effective, safe, and dependable highways and roads in the province.

The Ontario Provincial Standards Unit at MTO provides administrative support for the OPS organization which includes:

• Implementing OPS policies and coordinating the efforts of the OPS Advisory Board, OPS Standards Management Committee (SMC), and the OPS specialty committees.
• Coordinating the development, administration, review, and publishing of OPS Specifications (OPSS) and Drawings (OPSD), and other associated documents.
• Providing expertise and interpretation of OPS standards, and ensuring the consistency of OPS.
• The unit is also responsible for channelling Ontario road products evaluation through external agencies and liaising with an external sources registry holder.