1350.04.01.01.01 General…

1350.04.01.01.01 General
Requiring that concrete be durable “including but not limited to resistance to salt scaling on concrete surfaces exposed to de-icers and/or anti-icers” is unreasonable. Scaling is as much a result of the environment and exposure conditions than it is a material property or issue. The higher the salt concentration, the more likely scaling tends to be. Scaling is also affected by the type of salt used as de-icer. Producers and Contractors cannot meet this requirement without information about what salts will be used during the lifetime of the structure, what concentration, mode of application (rock or brine), a detailed test method and acceptance criteria for “adequate durability” among other factors that will affect scaling over the life of that concrete structure.
As proposed, this clause reads like an arbitrary “blanket” clause, with no qualifying acceptance method. Such a clause can have a severe impact in the quantity and quality of bids on provincial work, going against the intent of the recent legislative changes in both “Protect Ontario by Building Fast and Smart Act”, and “Fighting Delays, Building Fast Act”.

1350.04.02.01.02 Changed to Mix Design Submission
I suggest adding which forms need to be sent when there is a removal of a material from the mix. It currently only says “requires submission of a new mix design but does not require resubmission of mix design supporting documentation”. I suggest including in this paragraph which forms are required to be resubmitted.

1350.04.02.02 Certification of Ready Mixed Concrete Production Facilities
The requirement for annual submission of a certificate was removed. The RMCAO certification is only valid for a year, therefore I suggest reinstating the requirement for yearly submission of the certificate, or specifying a timeline for submission.

1350.05.04.02 Plastic Concrete Requirements
The MTO approach to slump has a fixed variation of ±30 mm, which can make it challenging if the requested slump is high. Suggest adopting a second slump variation of ±40 when slump is above 180 mm, as already specified in CSA A23.1.

1350.07.05.06 Visual Acceptance of Plastic Concrete
“The Contractor shall visually inspect plastic concrete during discharge and placement to identify the presence of any excessive bleeding, segregation or lumps”. What is considered “excessive bleeding”? This term is not defined anywhere else in the document. No test method or acceptance criteria is listed. Is this arbitrary to the Contractor to judge? And if it is, what are the requirements for whoever will judge this condition (certification or background otherwise), as they must do so visually.

1350.08.01.01 QUALITY ASSURANCE General
Referee testing requests must be done within 3 business days under the new proposal, a reduction from 5 days on the current document.
Referee testing is likely to be requested when there is the possibility of a remove and replace order, potentially impacting schedule and cost to all parties involved. These decisions demand time and coordination between contractor, suppliers, and possibly CA/Owner. Reducing the allotted time to request referee testing may unnecessarily hinder this coordination.
Is there a technical reason this reduction from 5 to 3 days was proposed, or is this change arbitrary?

Tables 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
Some of the penalties have been increased by more than 500%, is there a study or technical justification for these?
While I understand that falling short on performance may come with financial penalties, some of these increases might be enough to drive away bidders to MTO work. This comment is related to my initial comment, in that some of the changes proposed by the MTO go against the intent of the recent legislative changes in both “Protect Ontario by Building Fast and Smart Act”, and “Fighting Delays, Building Fast Act”. It is my understanding that the Province is trying to cut red tape and allow faster construction, but if the new requirements in provincial specifications drive away potential suppliers, it goes against the recent push by the Province.