Public-realm metalwork that holds up to the public, the weather, and the audit.

Public safety and accessibility you can stand behind

Every grate in a sidewalk, plaza, or transit corridor is a liability question waiting to be asked. We fabricate to eliminate the answers you don't want to give: heel-proof, cane-detectable openings that meet AODA and your accessibility standards, flush seating with no proud edges to catch a toe, and slip-aware surfaces for high-traffic public spaces. When a resident, a council member, or your risk department asks why a surface is safe, you'll have a defensible spec instead of a guess. We design out trip hazards before they become incident reports.

That same discipline carries into transit stations, community centres, and parks buildings, where accessibility standards apply to grates, floor covers, and site furnishings the same way they apply to ramps and door hardware. We build openings and gaps to the AODA design of public spaces standard, coordinate with your accessibility advisory committee's requirements when one is in place, and keep a record of the spec behind every part so it can be pulled up the moment someone asks.

Drainage infrastructure that fits what's already in the ground

Most municipal drainage problems aren't new installs, they're failed and odd-size legacy grates that no catalogue still carries. We measure your existing catch basins and trench structures and fabricate replacements to match, so you're not re-pouring a structure to accommodate a stock part.

Load-rated for pedestrian or vehicular service to suit the location, our catch basin grates and trench drain grates drop into the openings you have. When the geometry is unusual or no longer standard, custom metal grates close the gap, frames included, so the fix is complete the first time.

Streetscape and site furnishings that earn their place

A well-built streetscape signals a cared-for community, and it has to survive everything the public does to it. We fabricate tree grates that protect root zones while carrying pedestrian and vehicular loads, plus benches, bike racks, and bollards built for parks, BIAs, campuses, and civic plazas. Whether you're matching an established furnishing program across a corridor or standing up a new one, we hold finishes and details consistent from the first unit to the last, so a phased rollout still reads as one coherent streetscape years later.

Durability and compliance, documented

Public assets live outdoors for decades under freeze-thaw, road salt, snow loads, and constant traffic. We build for that reality with heavy-gauge steel, proper load ratings for the application, and corrosion-resistant finishes like hot-dip galvanizing that don't quit after a few winters. As a licensed, insured, and WSIB-covered shop with a 5.0 Google rating, we work the way public institutions need a supplier to work: documented, accountable, and inspection-ready. You get the load ratings, materials, and finish details your records and your inspectors require.

That documentation follows the part for its full service life, not just at handover. If an audit, a freedom-of-information request, or an insurance review needs the fabrication file on a specific catch basin grate or streetscape run years after installation, we can produce the original spec, load rating, and finish so your department isn't left guessing at what's actually in the ground.

Built to work with procurement

We know municipal buying doesn't happen on a handshake. We supply the detailed quotes, drawings, material and load specifications, and documentation your tenders and purchasing process depend on, and we'll work to your timelines and site requirements rather than ours. Whether it's a single emergency catch basin replacement or a multi-phase capital streetscape program, you get a responsive fabrication partner who answers the phone, hits the dimensions, and delivers a part that fits, performs, and passes.

We can also quote against an RFQ or RFT package directly, break a large streetscape or capital works order into phased deliveries that match your construction schedule, and coordinate with your general contractor or parks operations team on site access, staging, and installation windows so the work doesn't disrupt public use of the space any longer than it has to.

How The Grate Guys works with municipalities

Public-realm work runs through a consistent process, because a defensible spec depends on it being repeatable across every catch basin, tree grate, or streetscape phase. We start with a site visit or a submitted photo and drawing set, then work through:

1. Measurement. We measure the existing structure, opening, or frame in the field, or from your drawings, so a replacement catch basin grate or tree grate fits the concrete you already have.
2. Load-class specification. Pedestrian, cyclist, or vehicular service each carry a different load class. We size bearing bars and openings to the correct rating and to AODA heel-proof, cane-detectable requirements where the part sits in a pedestrian corridor.
3. Fabrication. Grates, frames, tree guards, bollards, and furnishings are cut and welded in our Toronto shop, with quotes and drawings built for your procurement file.
4. Galvanizing and finish. Hot-dip galvanizing and corrosion-resistant coatings are specified for decades of freeze-thaw, road salt, and constant public traffic.
5. Installation. We install across the GTA on the timeline your works order or capital program requires, from a single emergency replacement to a phased multi-block rollout.

What municipalities and public works teams typically order

• Catch basin grates and frames sized to match existing structures
• Trench drain grates for roadways, parking lots, and pedestrian plazas
• AODA-compliant tree grates and root-zone protection
• Bollards, bike racks, and benches for parks, BIAs, and civic plazas
• Custom metal grates and covers where no stock size still fits
• Access covers and frames for utility and drainage structures

Ontario public works teams also need the standards context on file: AODA design of public spaces requirements for accessible surfaces, pedestrian and vehicular load ratings referenced against AASHTO H-20/HS-20 where a grate carries traffic, and Ontario Building Code coordination when a structure requires a permit or an engineer's seal. We supply the material, finish, and load documentation your tender and inspection process needs, without overstating what any single part is certified to.

Why municipalities trust The Grate Guys

Public assets get scrutinized by residents, council, and your own risk department, so the fabricator behind them has to hold up to that scrutiny too. We measure before we fabricate, document load ratings and finishes for your records, and build every part to the accessibility and durability standards a public asset is held to. As a licensed, insured, and WSIB-covered Ontario shop rated 5.0 on Google, we work the way public institutions need a supplier to work: responsive, accountable, and ready for an inspection at any point in the part's service life.