Research
Building Asset Management Capacity in ontario - A FRAMEWORK FOR SUCCESS
AMO engaged Asset Management Ontario (AMONTario), a centre of excellence for public sector asset management practitioners across Ontario, to provide additional insights on into the adoption of asset management practices and the implementation of asset management plans. This involved interviewing dozens of municipalities of different sizes across Ontario.
AMONTario's report provides an integrated framework for sector engagement based on three interrelated pillars: performance guidance, resourcing, and capacity-building. Each of the pillars identifies key findings, themes, opportunities, and recommended actions.
Read the full report here.
The State of ASSET MANAGEMENT IN ontario IN 2022
Building on the 2015 Roads and Bridges, and 2018 State of Ontario’s Infrastructure studies, AMO engaged PSD Citywide Inc. to assess asset management maturity based on a sample of 84 Asset Management Plans.
Based on this work PSD Citywide determined that AM sector progress has been steadily improving over the last decade, especially with regards to completing asset inventories and in the overall acceptance of AM practices by both municipal staff and councils.
While the report notes a growth in acceptance in asset management and improvements in data quality, it points to limits with data quality that often correlates with weak data governance frameworks. Municipalities require better condition data and estimation of replacement costs to improve quality of their AMPs, particularly for non-core infrastructure. Asset categories with the most accurate replacement cost data include roads, bridges and culverts.
Read the full report here.
Municipal Infrastructure Investment and Financial Sustainability
Municipalities own infrastructure assets to provide services to our communities. Financial sustainability is the ability to continue to provide existing levels of service in the future. To better understand how Ontario's communities can sustainably invest in infrastructure, AMO partnered with York Region to develop a framework to guide municipal infrastructure investments. Some of the key findings of this research include:
- Ontario municipalities are diverse based on their fiscal capacity, infrastructure intensity, and infrastructure investment needs.
- Municipalities need a fiscal strategy that articulates the long-term relationships between the capital plan, reserve management and debt management.
- Good asset management planning is essential in achieving financial sustainability.
Review our research report to learn more about the financial sustainability framework. Results of the research were presented at the 2016 AMO Conference.
The State of Ontario's Infrastructure in 2016
AMO demonstrated the municipal sector’s progress in asset management planning in its 2018 Outcomes Report. To inform this work, AMO partnered with Public Sector Digest to assess the current state of infrastructure and the evolution of municipal asset management plans based on a sample of 60 municipalities across Ontario.
The case study suggests that the scope of asset management plans - in terms of the number of asset classes covered - more than doubled between 2013 and 2016. Additionally, municipalities have been tackling their infrastructure backlog and improving their asset management plans but more work is required to meet the requirements of the asset management planning regulation.
Review the full research report to learn more about municipalities' progress in asset management.
The State of Ontario's Roads and Bridges in 2013
Municipalities are required to demonstrate progress in asset management under the Canada Community-Building Agreement. To establish a baseline, AMO conducted a comprehensive analysis of the state of Ontario's roads and bridges across 93 Ontario municipalities.
The study provides a clear understanding of the state of our largest infrastructure assets and offered key insight into what steps the sector could take to move forward and improve asset management planning.
Read the full report or take a quick look at our backgrounder to learn more.