Assessing asset management competency with focus on levels of service and climate change

Abstract

This paper aims at exploring the practice of municipal asset management (AM) planning in Ontario, Canada, and discovering the needs of municipalities. The study is based on conducting a survey of 58 municipalities, studying their AM plans and interviewing municipalities and experts. The findings show that the state of awareness and practice of AM in Ontario has progressed well. Almost all municipalities in Ontario are involved or working on AM systems, and some have reached advanced levels of AM practices. However, several issues persist. Capacity building is at the core of the gaps. There is a need for training professionals on AM concepts and tools. Also, providing guidelines and support for change management in decision-making practices is needed. Smaller municipalities are still facing issues defining the levels of service and linking them to decision making. The next need for AM in Ontario is to link it to climate change strategies and programmes. While some of the municipalities are aware of climate change, they mostly have taken no practical steps regarding adaptation or mitigation. Among key challenges to the success of the Ontario AM strategy is the management of data. There is inconsistency in the specifications for data and limited quality assessment or interoperability guidelines.