Horticulture Review - December 2009

Chapter events

For more chapter event listings, visit www.horttrades.com.

January 19 Ottawa AGM and elections RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Dr., Ottawa LO’s president and executive director will look for your input on association initiatives for the coming year, as well as outlining the details of the 2010 LO Plan. The meeting will take place from 10 a.m. to 12-noon. For information on directions to the location, call 613-733-5100, or

contact Lynn Lane at llane@landscapeontario. com. There is no cost to attend this event.

January 28 Prosperity Partners – Waterloo introductory seminar Knights of Columbus Hall, 145 Dearborn Place, Waterloo The introductory Prosperity Partnership seminars will get you started on to the road of success.

This program is intended to help green industry members clarify what they excel at and what components of their business needs attention and

improvement. A seminar workbook will be provided. Cost of workshop includes lunch. Register at www.horttrades.com/ prospart.

February 9 London Chapter meeting Lamplighter Inn, Royal Palm Room, 591 Wellington Rd. S., London Join the chapter for a buffet lunch and open forum meeting with a representative from the Ministry of Labour. The buffet lunch is at 12-noon, followed by the meeting at 1:00.

Cost is $25 per person, with lunch included.

Pre-registration is required. Contact Wendy Harry at wharry@landscapeontario. com. Meeting sponsor is Landscape Safety.

February 12 LO’s Snow Day Alpine Ski Club, Collingwood Proceeds from the Georgian Lakelands Chapter Annual Snow Day will go toward the Gilda’s Club project in Barrie. The price of $90 is the same as last year, and includes lift ticket, breakfast, lunch, fun race and après ski snack and prizes. The student rate is $75 and the rate for children, four to six years, is $50. Snowshoeing is $40, plus rental charge for shoes. A number of sponsorship venues are available. For information, or to take advantage of sponsorship opportunities, contact Nick Solty at 705-458-9111, or nsolty@ landscapeontario.com.

February 17 GreenTrade Expo 2010 Landsdowne Park, Ottawa Don’t miss the Ottawa Chapter’s annual trade show and seminars for the green industry. Sponsorships are available. Contact Lynn Lane at 613-796-5156, or email llane@ landscapeontario.com, or visit www. greentrade.ca.

February 17 Prosperity Partners introductory seminar Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, 4890 Victoria Ave., N. Lincoln The introductory Prosperity Partnership seminars will get you started on to the road of success. This program is intended to help green industry members clarify what they excel at and what components of their business needs attention and improvement. A seminar workbook will be provided. Cost of workshop includes lunch.

Cover photo by Corporal Tanya Tobin, CFSU(O) Photo Services

2 HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009

Landscape Ontario and industry events

For more Landscape Ontario and industry event listings, visit www.horttrades.com.

January 11 45th IPM Symposium (Toronto) Doubletree Hotel, 655 Dixon Rd - Plaza Ballroom, Toronto The first IPM Symposium of the year will start at 8 a.m. on Jan. 11. Entitled, Successful Plant Health Care: Roots of Success, the day-long event costs $70 per person for those who pre-register, and $95 for on-site registrations. For full details and a registration form, visit www.horttrades.com/ ipm2010.

January 12 Awards of Excellence ceremony Doubletree Hilton Hotel, 655 Dixon Rd., Toronto The annual Landscape Ontario Awards of Excellence ceremony, from 5:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., will honour the top landscape contractors, designers and maintenance contractors in the Ontario horticulture industry. Tickets may be purchased at www.loawards.com. Contact awards@ landscapeontario.com, 1-800-265-5656 for more information.

January 12 - 14 Congress 2010 Toronto Congress Centre Congress, Canada’s largest horticultural lawn and garden trade show, covers more than seven acres of exhibits that feature all of the equipment, hard and soft goods required for the construction and maintenance of commercial, public and residential landscapes. A four-day educational conference is held in conjunction with the show, and the Green Forum. .More information is available at locongress.com.

January 13 LO Annual General Meeting Doubletree Hilton Hotel, 655 Dixon Rd., Toronto Have a say in the direction of your association.

All are welcome to attend the AGM, but only LO Active and Interim members are able to vote.

Breakfast is at 7:30 a.m. and the meeting starts at 8:00 a.m. Rsvp Kathleen Pugliese, kpugliese@ landscapeontario.com, or 905-875-1805, ext. 309.

February 8 Prosperity Partners - Roundtable Direct Landscape Supply, 935 Bloor St. E., Oshawa This professional development day offers a moderated networking opportunity which will focus on improving your business in each of the five prosperity pillars. Lunch is included. To register visit www.horttrades.com/prospart.

February 17 - February 19 Sustainable Horticulture for the 21st Century Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington Pre-register now for a three-day symposium on sustainable horticulture, designed for a wide audience. Themes being addressed include sustainability of horticultural practices, roles of horticulture, innovations in design and practice, gardens and biodiversity, water management, integrated pest management. Pre-register for free to Queenie Yee, symposium coordinator at qyee@rbg.ca, 905-527-1158 ext. 309.

4HE COMPLETE "OOK OF 4REASURES WHERE PLANT TREASURES ABOUND

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4O ORDER A PRINT VERSION OF THE $IRECTORY "UYERS 'UIDE CALL

800.342.6401 SHIPPING HANDLING

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HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009  3

Landscape Ontario staff LO staff members are committed to member service. Please call with your questions or concerns.

Tel: (905) 875-1805 or 1-800-265-5656 Fax: (905) 875-3942 Web: www.horttrades.com

Landscape Ontario’s mandate is to be the leader in representing, promoting and fostering a favourable environment for the advancement of the horticultural industry in Ontario.

Suffix for all e-mail addresses below: @landscapeontario.com

Executive board

Windsor Chapter

President

President: Mark Williams Board rep: Garry Moore

Past president

Landscape Design

Robert Adams, robertadams@ Bob Tubby CLP, bobtubby@ First vice-president

Tom Intven, tintven@

Chair: Tony Lombardi Board rep: Beth Edney CLD, bedney@

Garden Centre

Second vice-president

Chair and board rep: Bob McCannell, bmccannell@

Secretary/treasurer

Grounds Management

Provincial Board

Growers

Tim Kearney CLP, tkearney@ Phil Charal, pcharal@

Durham Chapter

President: Greg Scarlett Board rep: Mark Humphries, mhumphries@

Georgian Lakelands Chapter President: Michael La Porte Board rep: Mark Goodman

Golden Horseshoe Chapter

President: Tim Cruickshanks, tcruickshanks@ Board rep: Walter Hasselman

London Chapter

President: Tim Cradduck, tcradduck@ Board rep: Peter Vanderley CLP

Ottawa Chapter

Chair: Mike DeBoer, CHT Board rep: Brian Marsh

Co-chairs:Bart Brusse, Dave Braun Board rep: Dave Braun

Interior Plantscapes

E-mail suffix for all staff members: @landscapeontario.com Executive director Tony DiGiovanni CHT, ext. 304, tonydigiovanni@ Executive assistant Kathleen Pugliese, ext. 309, kpugliese@ Controller Joe Sabatino, ext. 310, jsabatino@ Administrative assistant Jane Leworthy, ext. 301, jleworthy@ Membership and chapter coordinator. membership services team Stephanie Smith, ext. 354, ssmith@ Membership coordinator, Ottawa Chapter Lynn Lane, 613-796-5156, llane@ Membership coordinator, London and Windsor Chapters Wendy Harry, 519-488-0818, wharry@ Manager, information technology Ian Service, 416-848-7555, iservice@ Manager, Pesticide Industry Council Tom Somerville, tsomerville@

Chair and board rep: Stephen Schell CHT

Nursery technical analyst Francesco Pacelli, ext. 377, fpacelli@

Irrigation

Manager, education and labour development Sally Harvey CHT, CLP, ext. 315, sharvey@ Education and labour development Kathy McLean, ext. 306, kathym@ Education and labour development Paul Ronan, ext. 349, pronan@ Project coordinator, Education and labour development Rachel Burt, ext. 326, rachelb@ Trade show manager Paul Day CDE, ext. 339, paulday@

Chair: Chris Le Conte Board rep: Steve Macartney CIT, smacartney@

Landscape Contractors Chair: Peter Guinane Board rep: Bruce Warren

Lawn Care

Chair: Steve Tschanz Board rep: Alan White, awhite@

President: Sarah Johnston Board rep: Bruce Morton CLP, CIT

Lighting

Trade show sales Lorraine Ivanoff, ext. 366, lpi@

Toronto Chapter

Snow and Ice Management

Trade show coordinator Linda Nodello, ext. 353, lnodello@

President: Fiona Penn Zieba Board rep: Ryan Heath CLP

Chair and Board rep: John Higo Chair: Ed Hewis Board rep: Gerald Boot CLP, geraldboot@

Sales and business development manager Gilles Bouchard, ext. 323, gbouchard@

Upper Canada Chapter

Members at Large

Director of public relations Denis Flanagan CLD, ext. 303, dflanagan@ Publisher Lee Ann Knudsen CLP, ext. 314, lak@

Waterloo Chapter

CNLA Board Rep

Editorial director Sarah Willis, ext. 313, sarahw@ Editor Allan Dennis, ext. 320, aldennis@

President: Diana Cassidy-Bush Board rep: Paul Doornbos CHT, CLP, pdoornbos@ President: David Wright Board rep: Mike Hayes

Jacki Hart CLP Gregg Salivan

Gerald Boot CLP, geraldboot@

Web editor Robert Ellidge, ext. 312, rob@

Horticulture Review

Art director Melissa Steep, 647-723-5447, msteep@

The Voice of Landscape Ontario

December 15, 2009 • Volume 27, No. 12 Views expressed in Horticulture Review are those of the writer concerned. Horticulture Review and Landscape Ontario assume no responsibility for the validity or correctness of any opinions or references made by the author. Copyright 2008, reproduction or the use of whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited. Published 12x per year. Rates and deadlines are available on request. Subscription price: $40.43 per year (GST included).

For subscription and address changes, please e-mail subscriptions@landscapeontario.com

4 HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009

ISSN 0823-8472 Publications Mail Agreement No. PM40013519 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses To: Circulation Department Horticulture Review 7856 Fifth Line South Milton, ON L9T 2X8

Graphic designer Mike Wasilewski, ext. 343, mikew@ Sales manager, publications Steve Moyer, ext. 316, stevemoyer@ Communications assistant Angela Lindsay, ext. 305, alindsay@

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Contributions of our members are noticed

By Robert Adams LO president

“R

emuneration comes in different ways.

No amount of money can pay for the smiles of the elderly enjoying flowers, or couples pensively reading the various displays, or watching a video in our booth.

“You can’t pay me enough, compared to when a student thanks me for providing an opportunity, and says that he thought it was ‘really cool.’ He then tells me that he will Robert Adams bring his parents when the show opens.

“We all need to look around and thank all the volunteers who year-in and year-out give of their time and make things better for all of us.”

This is a quote from Tim Kearney of the Ottawa chapter. Thank you, Tim.

One tree planted at a school, and one small garden cleaned up in your community. A small gesture sometimes does not seem too important in this big bad world, but when you gather all of those small gestures together, the message is and needs to be very clear: We are the original green industry.

We are Landscape Ontario.

We are PROUD OF IT! I have had the privilege to represent you, the members, for a long, but what now seems a very short time. I have attended many of your great events and enjoyed great conversations and camaraderie. We are family. Thank you for this great opportunity.

If you are not yet involved in Landscape Ontario, please step forward. Get involved. Ask me how. Tell me your interests and passions regarding our industry. This is your association.

Make sure you speak up and have a say, because we do listen.

Also, mark Jan. 13, at 8 a.m. on your calendar for your AGM. Come out, say hi and participate. I will see you at Congress 2010.

I will close with a quote from Henry Ford, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

Thank you. Please have a safe and very merry Christmas.

Robert Adams may be reached by email at robertadams@landscapeontario.com.

Are you getting all the news?

Sign up to receive a copy of LO’s weekly e-mail update

Contact Angela Lindsay alindsay@landscapeontario.com, or call 1-800-265-5656, ext. 305.

Come visit us at Congress Booth# 1336

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HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009 5

Hillen Nursery Inc Botanical Name

Vines - 1, 2, 3 gal.

Akebia quinata ‘Silver Bells’ Ampelopsis glandulosa ‘Elegans’ Aristolochia durior Campsis ‘Balboa Sunset’ Hydrangea anomala petiolaris Lonicera japonica ‘Halliana’ Lonicera X ‘Mandarin’’ Lonicera per. ‘Belgica Select’ Lonicera per. ‘Serotina’ Polygonum aubertii Parthenocissus quinq ‘Engelmannii Parthenocissus tri ‘Veitchii’

1 gal 2 gal 3 gal price price price

6.00 6.00

6.00 6.00 6.00

8.00 8.00

8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00

Evergreens - 1, 2, 3 gal.

Azalea ‘Golden Hi Lights’ Azalea ‘Orchid Hi Lights’ Buxus microphylla Buxus semp. ‘Green Mound’ Buxus semp. ‘Green Gem’ Buxus ‘Green Mountain’ Buxus ‘Green Velvet’ Buxus micr.’Faulkner’ Chamaecyparis pis ‘Filifera Aurea Chamaecyparis pis ‘Aurea Sungold’ Cotoneaster adpressus ‘Compactus’ Cotoneaster ‘Coral Beauty’ Cotoneaster dammeri ‘Major’ Cotoneaster microphyllus Cotoneaster salicifolius ‘Repens’ Euonymus fortunei ‘Canadale Gold’ Euonymus fort.’Emerald Gaiety’ Euonymus fortunei ‘E.T.’ Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald n Gold Euonymus fortunei ‘Goldtip’ Euonymus fortunei ‘Sunrise’ Euonymus fortunei ‘Sarcoxie’ Euonymus fortunei ‘Surespot’ Euonymus fortunei ‘Vegetus’ Ilex meserveae ‘Blue Prince’ Ilex meserveae ‘Blue Princess’ Juniperus media ‘Mint Julep’ Juniperus media ‘Pfitz.Compacta’ Juniperus procumbens nana Juniperus communis ‘Repanda’ Juniperus conferta’Blue Pacific’ Juniperus hor ‘Blue Horizon’ Juniperus hor ‘Blue Prince’ Juniperus hor ‘Icee Blue’ Juniperus hor ‘Andorra Compact’ Juniperus hor ‘Torquoise Spreader Juniperus hor ‘Wiltonii’ Juniperus hor ‘Yukon Belle’ Juniperus hor ‘Youngstown’ Juniperus sabina Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Carpet’

13.50 13.50 11.00 11.00 11.20 11.00 11.20

5.00 5.00 5.20 5.00 5.20 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00

5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 6.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00

11.00 11.00

7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00

11.00 11.00 9.00 9.00

11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 13.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00

Botanical Name Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’ Juniperus virginiana ‘Grey Owl’ Larix laricina Microbiota decussata Metasequoia glyptostroboides Myrica pensylvanica Picea abies Picea abies ‘Nidiformis’ Picea glauca Picea glauca ‘Conica’ Picea pungens ‘Baby Blue’ Picea glauca ‘Densata’ Picea omorika Picea pungens kiabob Pieris jap ‘Mountain Fire’ Pinus mugo mughes Rhododendron ‘Northern Starburst’ Rhododendron Aglo(PJM) Thuja occidentalis Thuja occidentalis ‘Brandon’ Thuja occidentalis ‘Danica’ Thuja occidentalis ‘Hetz Midget’ Thuja occidentalis ‘Little Giant’ Thuja occidentalis ‘Nigra’ Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’ Thuja occidentalis ‘Wintergreen’ Thuja plicata ‘Spring Grove’ Tsuga canadensis Tsuga canadensis ‘Jeddeloh’ Tsuga canadensis ‘Pendula’ Taxus cuspidata ‘Aurescens’ Taxus cuspidata nana Taxus media ‘Densiformis’ Taxus media ‘Hicksii’ Taxus media ‘Hillii’ Taxus media ‘Wardii’ Yucca filamentosa Yucca flaccida ‘Golden Sword’

1 gal 2 gal 3 gal price price price 5.00 5.00 5.00

5.00

5.00

5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00

7.00

11.00 11.00

11.00 7.00 11.00 7.00 7.00 11.00 7.00 11.00 13.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 7.00 11.00 13.50 13.50 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00

Deciduous Shrubs - 1, 2, 3 gal Acanthopanax sieboldianus Acer campestre Acer ginnala Alnus rugosa Amelanchier laevis Aronia melanocarpa Aronia melanocarpa ‘Autumn Magic” Aronia melanocarpa ‘Viking’ Buddleja davidii ‘Black Knight’ Buddleja ‘Ellen’s Blue’ Buddleja davidii ‘Ile de France’ Buddleja davidii ‘Nanho Purple’ Buddleja davidii ‘Pink Delight’ Buddleja davidii ‘Petite Plum’ Buddleja davidii ‘Purple Prince’

6 HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009

7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00

8.00

Botanical Name Buddleja davidii ‘Royal Red’ Buddleja davidii ‘White Profusion Berberis thunbergi’Rose Glow’ Betula papyrifera Caryopteris cland. ‘Dark Knight’ Cephalanthus occidentalis Cercis canadensis Cercidiphyllum japonicum Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Nivalis’ Chaenomeles superba’Texas Scarlet Clethra alnifolia ‘Paniculatum’ Clethra alnifolia ‘Pink Spire’ Cornus alternifolia Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’ Cornus alba ‘Ivory Halo’ Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ Cornus amomum Cornus kousa chinensis Cornus racemosa Cornus stolonifera (sericea) Cornus stolonifera ‘Bud’s Yellow’ Cornus stolonifera ‘Kelseyi’ Corylus avelana Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’ Corylus avellana ‘Red Majestic’ Cotinus coggygria’Royal Purple’ Cotoneaster acutifolius Cotoneaster horizontalis Diervilla lonicera Deutzia crenata ‘Nikko’ Deutzia gracilis Deutzia x ‘Strawberry Field’ Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’ Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’ Forsythia X int. ‘Goldtide’ Forsythia int.’Lynwood’ Forsythia ‘Northern Gold’ Forsythia ‘Kumson’ Forsythia ovata ‘Ottawa’ Hibiscus syr.’White Chiffon’ Hydrangea arbor. ‘Annabelle’ Hydrangea macroph.’Forever Pink Hydrangea macroph.’Nikko Blue’ Hydrangea’Endless Summer Blushing Hydrangea mac.’Endless Summer’ Hydrangea macroph.’Glowing Embers Hydrangea macroph.’Merritt’s Beau Hydrangea macr’Princess Beatrix’ Hydrangea macroph.’Penny Mac’ Hydrangea pan. ‘Grandiflora’ Hydrangea pan. ‘Kyushu’ Hydrangea pan. ‘Little Lamb’ Hydrangea pan.’Limelight’ Hydrangea pan.’Pinky Winky’ Hydrangea pan. ‘Tardiva’ Hydrangea serrata ‘Bluebird’ Hydrangea serrata ‘Little Geisha’ Hamamelis virginiana

1 gal 2 gal 3 gal price price price 7.00 7.00 6.00 9.50 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.45 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 16.00 17.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 5.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 5.00 8.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 5.60 7.00 7.00 7.00 14.00 14.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.30 7.00 7.00 7.60 7.60 7.60 7.00 7.00 7.60 7.00

8.00 8.00

8.00

9.00

8.00

c.

Many More Cultivars and sizes available

Botanical Name Ilex verticilata Ilex vert.’Afterglow’F Ilex vert.’Winterred’F Ilex vert.’Southern Gentleman’M Kolkwitzia amab ‘Pink Cloud’ Kerria japonica ‘Pleniflora’ Lonicera tatarica ‘Arnold Red’ Lonicera xylost.’Clavey’s Dwarf’ Lonicera xylost.’Emerald Mound’ Magnolia loebneri ‘Leonard Messel Magnolia stellata ‘Royal Star’ Philadelphus coronarius ‘Aureus’ Philadelphus ‘Innocence’ Philadelphus ‘Natchez’ Philadelphus schrenkii ‘Snowbelle Philadelphus ‘Minn.Snowflake Dwar Physocarpus opulifolius Physocarpus opulifolius’Coppertin Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’ Physocarpus opulifolius’Dart’sGol Physocarpos opulifolius ‘Luteus’ Physocarpus opulifolius’Summer Wi Populus tremuloides Prunus cistena Prunus virginiana Potentilla frut ‘Abbotswood’ Potentilla frut ‘Cor.Triumph’ Potentilla frut ‘Dakota Sunrise’ Potentilla ferrari ‘Gold Drop’ Potentilla frut ‘Goldstar’ Potentilla frut ‘Pink Beauty’ Potentilla frut ‘Tangerine’ Quercus bicolor Quercus robus ‘Fastigiata’ Quercus rubra Ribes alpinum Ribes aureum Rosa Bonica Rosa Carolina Rosa Henry Kelsey Rosa X ‘J P Connell’(ex) Rosa ‘Pavement Scarlet’ Rosa rugosa Rosa rugosa ‘Hansa’ Rosa x ‘Champlain’ Rosa X ‘The Fairy’ Rubus odoratus Rhus aromatica Rhus aromatica ‘Low Grow’ Rhus typhina Salix bebbiana Salix discolor Salix eriocephala Salix exigua Salix gracilis ‘Purpurea Nana’ Salix integra ‘Flamingo’ Salix integra ‘Hakuro-nashiki’ Salix matsudana ‘Tortuosa’

1 gal 2 gal 3 gal price price price 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00

5.00

5.00

7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.85 7.60 7.00 7.00 7.85 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.50 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00

11.00 11.00

8.60

8.00

Botanical Name Salix nigra Sambucus canadensis Sambucus canadensis ‘Aurea’ Symphoricarpos chenaultii ‘Hancoc Spiraea alba Spiraea arguta Spiraea bumalda ‘Anthony Waterer’ Spiraea bumalda ‘Crispa’ Spiraea bumalda ‘Froebelii’ Spiraea bumalda ‘Goldflame’ Spiraea betulifolia ‘Tor’ Spiraea fritschiana Spiraea japonica ‘Alpina’ Spiraea japonica ‘Dakota Goldchar Spiraea japonica ‘Dart’s Red’ Spiraea japonica ‘Goldmound’ Spiraea japonica ‘Golden Princess Spiraea japonica ‘Little Princess Spiraea japonica ‘Magic Carpet’ Spiraea japonica ‘Manon’ Spiraea japonica ‘Neon Flash’ Spiraea japonica ‘Shirobana’ Spiraea japonica ‘White Gold’ Spirea tomentosa Spiraea vanhouttei Sorbaria aitchisonii Sorbaria sorbifolia Sorbaria sorbifolia ‘Sem’ Syringa hyac. ‘Pocahontas’ Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’ Syringa patula ‘Miss Kim’ Syringa vulgaris Syringa vulgaris ‘Beauty of Mosco Syringa vulgaris ‘Monge’ Syringa vulgaris ‘Sensation’ Tilia cordata Tamarix pentandra Viburnum dent.’Chicago Lustre’ Viburnum ‘Emerald Triumph’ Viburnum lantana Viburnum lentago Viburnum opulus ‘Nanum’ Viburnum recognitum/dentatum Viburnum trilobum ‘Bailey Compact Viburnum trilobum ‘Compactum’ Weigela florida ‘Alexandra’ Weigela ‘Elvira’ Weigela florida ‘French Lace’ Weigela florida ‘Minuet’ Weigela florida ‘Purpurea Nana’ Weigela florida ‘Rumba’ Weigela florida ‘Victoria’ Weigela florida ‘Nana Variegata’ Weigela ‘Red Prince’ Weigela ‘Polka’ Weigela ‘Tango’

1 gal 2 gal 3 gal price price price

5.00

5.00

7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.25 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.60 7.60 7.60 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00

8.00

8.00 8.00

Botanical Name

Evergreens - 5 gal.

5 gal price

Chamaecyparis nootk ‘Green Arrow’ Chamaecyparis nootkatensis’Pendula’ Juniperus chinensis ‘Spartan’ Juniperus scop. ‘Blue Haven’ Larix laricina Metasequoia glyptostroboides Metasequoia glyp. ‘Goldrush’ Picea abies ‘Acrocona’ Picea glauca ‘Conica’ Pinus mugo mugo Thuja occidentalis ‘Brandon’ Thuja plicata ‘Green Giant’ Thuja occidentalis ‘Holmstrup’ Thuja occidentalis ‘Little Giant’ Thuja occidentalis ‘Nigra’ Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’ Thuja occidentalis ‘Wintergreen’ Tsuga canadensis

36.00 36.00 19.00 16.00 17.00 25.00 40.00 35.00 28.00 19.00 19.00 19.00 19.00 19.00 19.00 19.00 19.00 33.00

Deciduous Shrubs - 5 gal.

8.00

8.00 8.00 8.00

Acer palmatum’Bloodgood’ Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum Acer palmatum ‘Garnet’ Acer rubrum Cercis canadensis Cotinus coggygria’Royal Purple’ Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’ Hydrangea mac.’Endless Summer’ Hydrangea pan. ‘Compacta’ Hydrangea pan. ‘Grandiflora’ Hydrangea pan. ‘Kyushu’ Hydrangea pan.’Limelight’ Magnolia loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ Magnolia ‘Susan’ Magnolia stellata ‘Royal Star’ Populus tremuloides Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’ Spiraea bumalda ‘Flaming Mound’ Spiraea bumalda ‘Goldflame’ Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’ Syringa prestoniae ‘Donald Wyman’ Syringa pres’James Macfarlane Tilia cordata Viburnum ‘Emerald Triumph’ Viburnum trilobum ‘Compactum’

Botanical Name

Evergreens - 15 gal.

Chamaecyparis nootkatensis’Pendula’ Metasequoia glyptostroboides Thuja occidentalis ‘Brandon’ Thuja occidentalis ‘Nigra’ Thuja occidentalis ‘Wintergreen’ Thuja plicata ‘Spring Grove’

51.00 51.00 51.00 25.00 19.00 18.00 35.00 21.70 17.00 17.00 17.00 17.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 16.00 25.00 13.00 13.00 16.00 16.00 16.00 17.00 18.00 16.00

15 gal price 49.00 41.00 41.00 41.00 41.00 41.00

RR 2, Mount Brydges, ON N0L 1W0 Tel: 519-264-9057 • Fax: 519-264-1337 HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009 7

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Will the green infrastructure movement reinvent the horticultural industry?

Tony DiGiovanni CHT LO executive director

A

number of years ago we ran a promotion campaign with the message, “Our members make you look good.” This phrase reflects the reality of why most people hire our industry. We make properties look great. We sell beauty. We sell colour. We sell pride.

In the words of James Thompson, our industry is “a green force for beauty.”

This year our campaign is Green for Life.

Tony DiGiovanni This phrase illustrates the new reality. The public is already aware of the aesthetic (beauty) benefits of our industry, but few people are aware of the environmental benefits. Our industry is now selling carbon sequestration to counteract climate change, oxygen production to cleanse our air, energy conservation, water purification, erosion control, heating, cooling, water retention, etc. There is a major change coming.

We believe that the interest in green infrastructure and the emotion and passion that it generates will translate to huge benefits for our industry. Young people relate to the benefits of green infrastructure, where they do not seem to

relate to the words horticulture or gardening.

In a way the green infrastructure movement is a reinvention and repackaging of the horticultural industry. It is an opportunity to take back ownership of the word green. We live in an era of unprecedented growth potential for our industry, as more people become aware of environmental benefits of green space, landscapes, gardens and plant material. You can accelerate this awareness activity by using the Green for Life brand.

Tribute to Jane Stock It is with sadness that I learned of the passing of Jane Stock, the former executive director of British Columbia Landscape and Nursery Association. Jane was a unique person, who was completely dedicated to the industry and more importantly the people in it. Over the years, Jane and I shared many experiences. She was a colleague, an associate, fellow schemer (in a good way) and a friend. She was a very positive influence, always looking at the bright side of all situations and continually expressing sincere goodwill towards just about everyone.

Jane was a role model to me. She cared passionately about her association and community.

She was a woman of integrity, credibility and trust. I feel very fortunate to have known and worked with her.

When her passing was announced in November, it sparked an email exchange among some of her friends. These excerpts

8 HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009

speak for themselves: “……..the more I knew her, the more she awed and inspired me.”

“I spent part of my day thinking of her fantastic attitude and genuine friendliness and concern for... well... as far as I can tell.... everything.”

“Jane was a strong presence in our industry.”

“She made such a contribution to our discussions and deliberations, and best of all she was truly a decent and loving person.”

“She was a gem for sure!”

“She was very influential and really made a major contribution to the development, not only the BCLNA, but all our associations across Canada.”

“She had a very positive outlook and took on what seemed like insurmountable tasks and broke the challenges down to the art of the possible.”

“Jane’s response was always positive. She never saw faults in anyone, only positives. It was never about her, it was about family and her huge dedication to BCLNA and CNLA. She truly was an amazing person, who will dearly be missed by all who were fortunate enough to meet and be inspired by her.”

Jane is gone, but she left a positive legacy that lives on.

Tony DiGiovanni may be reached at tonydigiovanni@landscapeontario.com.

PROFESSIONAL AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Prosperity abounds at Congress 2010 Sally Harvey CHT, CLP Education and Labour Development

L

andscape Ontario team members take your success seriously. An example of that is the conference and symposium line-up at Congress 2010. The focus this year is on the Prosperity Partners program, which is built on pillars of business professionalism that includes: • Sales success • Financial health • Developing customers for life • Professional operations • Leadership excellence • Technical expertise Thirty-two seminars and a jam-packed Warm-Up Monday promise to be a motivating and educational experience for all attendees from January 11 to 14, at the Toronto Congress Centre.

Warm-Up Monday is a day full of preconference symposia, education and social programs, such as the landscape designer conference, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) symposium, the irrigation symposium, Certified Landscape Professional seminar on corporate financial management and Prosperity Partners energy workshop.

Also on Monday, Congress 2010 will host, for the first time, the Ontario Parks Association’s 54th Annual Education Forum. The exceptional program of OPA’s forum is tailored to the professional development needs of both senior parks and public space management and operational staff. Sessions offer opportunities to learn and share best practices and expertise and

exchange ideas.

Congress 2010 is a great place to discover hundreds of new products, see the latest ideas and technology for design, construction, parks and maintenance, and to attend numerous workshops and network with industry experts and professional peers from all sectors.

Seminar opportunities offered have something for all audiences. I encourage employers and employees to review the conference guide today, and start planning to ensure you balance your time between the trade show and the conferences. Don’t forget to look over your performance reviews from the past year to ensure each staff member attends seminars or symposia that will help fill the gaps in your business. The four days will be filled with learning opportunities aimed at technical staff, supervisors and foremen, managers and owners.

Make sure you include in your agenda, the Awards of Excellence ceremony, even if you did not enter any projects. The inspiration that you will take away from those visuals is huge. For award recipients, what better way to reward and motivate your staff than by allowing them to be presented with their awards? And there is the marketing potential that these awards provide for years to come.

Make sure you attend the AGM on Wed., Jan. 13. Learn about the performance and leaders of this great association and become informed on how you might become involved.

There are many learning opportunities that are available from the peer-to-peer networking that comes with volunteering. It is second to none.

My years spent volunteering with LO on the provincial board, the interiorscape sector group

and the various committees, helped us take our business to a more professional and prosperous level.

Another way to become involved and network with members is to volunteer at Congress.

Each year, we celebrate Congress’s success, due to the hard work of our show committee and our dedicated volunteers. Volunteers can help by greeting visitors, scanning conference room passes, handing out surveys and introducing speakers. Volunteers who work more than four hours receive a three-day conference admission pass for the following year’s Congress.

To register as a volunteer, go to www.locongress.com, and click on the volunteers opportunities tab.

Our team looks forward to Congress, where we will create another engaging learning environment that offers prosperity development opportunities to our valued members. I hope to see you there!

Sally Harvey may be reached at sharvey@landscapeontario.com.

Certification has a new look Certified individuals in Ontario and across North America alike will now proudly call themselves Landscape Industry Certified, beginning January 2010!

Landscape Industry Certified speaks very clearly to the end user. No longer will you have to go into lengthy explanations about the definition of the acronyms CLP, CHT, CLD, etc. that are behind your name.

The simple recognition of Landscape Industry Certified will speak volumes to your clients and prospects.

This new brand will be consistent and

recognized across North America, where in the past there were different logos for the same certifications both sides of the border.

The message we intend to communicate to the world outside the industry is that the certified individual or company has met a rigorous national standard.. See the new logo, below.

HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009 9

PUBLIC RELATIONS

It is the season of giving

Day of Tribute volunteers.

By Denis Flanagan CLD Director of public relations

W

e are often reminded at this time of year to be generous with our contributions to various charities and other groups in need of help.

My job is to hopefully get the media to recognize the great contribution you, our LO member, makes to society. Last month members from the Ottawa Chapter volunteered their time to do

a fall clean-up at the National Military Cemetery in honour of service personnel who died in the line of duty. The morning began with a short, but very moving, presentation from members of the military. They thanked the LO members for the amazing contribution, and emphasized how grateful the families are when they spend time visiting the beautifully maintained cemetery. See page 13 for a complete story on the special day.

We did manage to get some media coverage in the newspaper and on CBC, which is impor-

tant to let people know what an amazing industry we belong to. It was a poignant moment when a member asked, “Please don’t ask me to go on camera. I’m not here to promote my company.

I am here because we care.” What a wonderful sentiment, and one that is echoed throughout our chapters. Enjoy the coming season. You deserve it.

Denis Flanagan may be reached by email at dflanagan@landscapeontario.com.

Training Pays.

500% ROI on new employees, first 6 weeks. Ask us how.

We guarantee it.

Fly your colours at Congress!

Pick up your ribbon at LANDSCAPE ONTARIO Booth 5.

Ribbons are available for:

s ,ANDSCAPE /NTARIO MEMBERS s ,ANDSCAPE /NTARIO VOLUNTEERS s ,ANDSCAPE )NDUSTRY #ERTIlED s 0ROSPERITY 0ARTNERS s #)4S

And enter to WIN a

Contest is open to all 10 HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009

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SYSTEMS FOR SUCCESS

Dan starts his own company

By Mark Bradley

The following is the first article in a series that follows one landscaping company’s struggle to improve operations, profitability and quality of life. Names, or incidents referenced in the article, are fictitious and for instructional purposes only.

Any resemblance to actual persons, companies, or events is entirely coincidental.

E

xactly ten years ago, Dan quit his job as foreman at a local landscape business and started his own landscape company, Danscaping Inc. Dan was certain that if he was the one calling the shots, things would run smoothly and he’d reap the rewards. To help him achieve this vision, Dan built a small crew of five employees, who worked long, hard days, and were productive and profitable.

Over the next few years, Danscaping really started to grow and things got busier than ever.

Dan was determined not to make the same mistakes his former boss made, so he spearheaded morning planning and job monitoring. At the same time, Dan’s evenings were filled with chasing leads, refining designs, tracking invoices and trying to plan the next day’s work. It was exhausting, but Danscaping’s growth kept him motivated.

Soon Danscaping was winning more jobs, bigger jobs, and bigger snow contracts. It was exactly what Dan thought he wanted, but reality was about to make a wake-up call. Dan regularly worked 90 hour weeks. If he wasn’t selling jobs, he was fixing problems. His foremen had

lost interest in productivity. Dan would often visit a site to find work half-finished, labourers wandering aimlessly, materials scattered everywhere, and a homeowner complaining that the paving stone patio just installed was not the colour selected.

When Dan was busy putting out fires, his sales pipeline fell apart. Dan would arrive to sales meetings late, unprepared, unkept, and inattentive. While clients tried to communicate their garden visions, Dan’s thoughts drifted back to the project he just left.

Dan was losing control over Danscaping.

Half-finished milestones on every project created serious cash flow problems. Danscaping had several accounts frozen and credit cards maxed out. Sales were up from last year, but the bank balance was down, because profits were being wasted on inefficiencies. Things were completely the opposite of what Dan had envisioned. He was working harder for less profit and still nothing was getting done right!

Dan faced a difficult crossroads. He was either going to fix Danscaping’s problems, or he was going to dissolve half of his business, keep a few of his key guys, and go back to the old way of running things. While contemplating this difficult decision, Dan thought of the only person who could help him decide what to do — Bill Sanders.

Dan admired Bill, who was 15 years older than Dan and had built himself a great landscape company. Bill barely had to work anymore; he kept up some relationships with his best clients and helped mentor his new managers, but otherwise came and went as he pleased. His company, it seemed, ran itself.

As he pulled up to Bill’s place, Dan found Bill tinkering with his boat behind the shop. After exchanging pleasantries, Dan began to talk about his troubles with Danscaping, his life, and now his marriage. “I need your help,” said Dan. “The stress and frustrations of running Danscaping just aren’t worth it anymore. I know you don’t have the same problems. You’ve figured this industry out. I need your help, Bill—I won’t last one more year without it, I just know it.”

Bill looked thoughtfully at Dan. He pulled out a pair of cigars, passed one to Dan, and began to think about what he was going to say.

Bill knew he couldn’t fix Dan’s ailing business himself, nor did he have the time to do it. Bill also knew he was scheduled to spend the next month at his cottage. It was a trip he had promised his wife at the start of the season, and Bill

never broke a promise to his wife.

“Listen — there’s no secret to the way I run my company. We use a simple set of systems and tools that ensure our people work efficiently and make the right decisions. But this doesn’t mean I can fix your company. Heck, I might even make things worse!” stressed Bill.

“You won’t,” pleaded Dan, “It can’t get much worse. I just need you to look at Danscaping for a week and point me in the right direction.”

“A week?” gasped Bill. “I’m bound for the cottage this month.”

Bill paused. After owning a business, selling work, and building relationships for many years, he’d become good at reading people. Dan was a beaten man, and Bill just couldn’t let a friend down. Bill leaned over and looked Dan squarely in the eyes.

“I’ll tell you what, Dan. I can’t give you a week of my time right now, but I’ll give you my cell number and you can call me in the evenings.

I’ll talk to you from the cottage and I’ll see what I can do. But you need to understand that the only person who can fix Danscaping is you, Dan. I can’t fix your company for you.”

The wrinkles on Dan’s forehead relaxed.

Neither man said anything for a while, and after finishing their cigars Dan extended his hand out to Bill. “I can’t thank you enough for your help,” he said. “You won’t regret it!”

Next issue: Everything starts with an operating budget.

Wish you knew a Bill to help steer your company in the right direction? Join LMN and Landscape Ontario for the Seize Control: your Operating Budget workshop series. Bring your company’s numbers, and leave with an operating budget and pricing system built specifically for your company. At only $100 for three full days of education, guidance, and advice, there has never been a better opportunity to improve your business. For more information, go to www.horttrades.com, or www. landscapemanagementnetwork.com, email at workshop@landscapemanagementnetwork.com, or call 1-888-347-9864.

Mark Bradley is president of The Beach Gardener and the Landscape Management Network (LMN), providing education, tools and systems built to improve landscape industry businesses.

HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009 11

Committee using survey to help build membership A survey by LO’s newest committee has revealed five goals to increase membership and improve recruitment. The online survey saw 178 members respond to questions concerning membership benefits, marketing and communication.

The Membership Recruitment and Retention Committee has identified five goals, which include: • Chapter meetings need to be reinvented to become more relevant, better marketed and therefore better attended, which in turn increases networking opportunities.

• Investigate the local endorsed supplier concept.

• Promote LO boldly at all events (Canada Blooms, trade shows, training, etc.).

• Members understand brand, but consumers not yet aware of the benefits of LO members. It’s not self-evident.

• Develop recruitment using supplier, head office and chapters first, before extending to members and consumers.

The top three reasons for being a member of LO, given by those taking the survey, were having a voice, education/publications and networking. Those areas listed as requiring more work are chapter meetings and supplier benefits.

Results from the survey showed the top three endorsed suppliers are Esso, GM and Petro Canada. Reasons listed for the lack of use by members of some suppliers, included lack of relevance and poor marketing. The committee also noted a 2006 survey which outlined

missing suppliers in the areas of office supplies, propane, nursery supplies, pension and clothing.

Survey results showed that chapter meetings are the best way to network for the local value with importance given to regular frequency of the meetings. One of the recommendations to encourage new members to attend chapter meetings was through personal invitations. It was felt that the current marketing program is not effective. Another issue with

Survey results showed that chapter meetings are the best way to network for the local value with importance given to regular frequency of the meetings. the chapter meetings was the lack of relevance to members. The committee noted it is the same program year after year, hence decrease of attendance over time.

A surprising result from the survey was the fact that nearly one-third of members of LO for greater than two years, believe nonmembers receive the same benefits, and that members who have been in LO for years are not seeing the benefits. The committee recommends that LO needs to always articulate the value/differential of being a member.

A question in the survey to determine

the favourite mode of communication by LO members, show the publications still ranked at the top. Horticulture Review was used by over 80 per cent of the membership, while Landscape Trades saw well over 70 per cent use. Other methods used were the websites and LO This Week. It was felt by the committee that the website is used by newer (younger) members. Other potential networking techniques suggested by the committee were Twitter and Facebook. It was felt that these would become more important in the future among younger members.

On the issue of logo use, survey results showed that 40 per cent of older members are not using the logo, while the use of the tree logo and girl on the swing logo was close to 50/50. Survey participants felt that the top three messages given by the logo were professionalism, sense of belonging and green. An interesting comment highlighted by the committee stated, “Amongst my peers, it (logo) identifies me as a member and supporter of my industry association.” Negative comments about the logo concerned the lack of consumer understanding of the logo.

Members of the committee include, Warren Patterson, chair, Hank Gelderman CHT, Brian Lofgren, Bruce Morton CIT, CLP, Frans Peters, Michael Van Dongen, David Wright, and staff members, Tony DiGiovanni CHT, Kristen McIntyre CHT and Stephanie Smith.

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DAY OF TRIBUTE IN OTTAWA

Amazing things happen when we all come together!

By Lynn Lane

O

nce again, members of LO showed that amazing things do occur when everyone steps up and works to achieve a common goal. Such was the case, when 77 volunteers in Ottawa came together on Oct. 30 for the annual Day of Tribute.

The special day saw industry volunteers manage the grounds at the National Military Cemetery (NMC) in Ottawa’s Beechwood Cemetery. In good spirits, they aerated, fertilized, over-seeded, raked, trimmed, pruned and planted. For these Ottawa Chapter volunteers, the Day of Tribute was a way to show their respect to the Canadian Forces men and women who have and do serve Canada, some making the supreme sacrifice. Currently 25 Canadian Forces men and women who were killed in Afghanistan are buried at the national cemetery.

The work prepared the site for Remembrance Day ceremonies.

National historic site Beechwood was named the National Cemetery of Canada in April 2009 by an Act of Parliament.

It is the home of the NMC, the RCMP National Memorial Cemetery and is a national historic site. It is owned and operated by The Beechwood Cemetery Foundation, a not-for-profit organization and a registered Canadian charity.

The morning began with a ceremony that included acting executive director of Beechwood Cemetery, Roger Boult, chief warrant officer Dan Bradley, Canadian Forces manager for the NMC, Bob Adams, president of Landscape Ontario, and Tony DiGiovanni, executive director of Landscape Ontario, all

saying a few words.

DiGiovanni recounted some of the first LO tribute days. He concluded with a statement that what we do here is very important, and that LO’s contribution truly touches people. “We have something important to give,” he said.

This year, industry volunteers were joined by the horticulture students from Sir Guy Carleton and Bell high schools. It bodes well for the future of the industry, when such giving and talented young people eagerly pitch in for a great cause. Even some local neighbours brought their rakes to lend a hand, after reading about the event in the newspaper.

Volunteers Sincere thanks go to all those who took part: Bob Adams, Alan Abbey, Matt Agnel, Mustafa Ahmed, Rifat Al-Chadigi, Amann Al-Zafiri, Araz Aminin, Sarah Ardis, Trevor Ardis, Faisa Awil, Aaysha Babaria, Carson Bennett, Bill Bitz, Kaylagh Bizzell, John Bloskie, Colin Brand, Glen Campbell, Lynn Campbell, Simon Carlson, Kyle Clark, Andrew Conroy, Tony DiGiovanni CHT, Andrew Doherty, Hubble Doug, Jameson Ekdahl, Tory Farr, Denis Flanagan, Kimberly Francis-Pierre, Daniel Freed, Jane Gafney, Tristan Goodwill , Richard Groen, Martin Hanzel, Ken Hiem, Sonia Hirsig CHT, Jim Hooper, Mariam Ismail, Ricky Jiang, Sarah Johnston, Ryan Kearney CHT, Dave Kirkey, Lynn Lane, Eric Laporte, Mike Larocque, Abby Levent, Sylvain Levesque, Christian Levesque, Mattieu Levesque, Trevor Luck, Mitchell Lui, Saaya Machino, Jody MacInnis, Dwayne Macleod, Ahmed Mader, Fred Minduik, Hank Mollema, Trinh Nguyen, Helen Palocios, Brendan Palocios, Andrew

Partington, Tam Phuong, Kamal Shahzad, Brian Shane, Michael Skeggs, John Smit, Anthony Stargard, David Stewart CHT, Dylan Stone, Kyle Symes, Sharon Urquhart, Chris Urquhart, Martha Walsh, Harry Wei, Christopher Witt, Susan Wong, Welwyn Wong, Asma Worsajee and Tony Zegers.

The following companies generously donated staff and/or product for the Day of Tribute: Adams Lawncare, Bell High School, Bytown Lawn Experts, Campbell Tree Experts, Custom Lawn Care, Garden Creations of Ottawa, Green Unlimited, Greenlife, Greenspace Canada, Hirsig Landscapes, Lynn Lane and Associates, Nutri-Lawn Ottawa, Peter Smit and Sons, Sir Guy Carleton, Skeggs Landscaping and Design, TerraPro Corporation, Weed Man Ottawa, and Welwyn Wong Landscape Design.

The LO Ottawa Chapter board of directors thanks the organizers, Sharon Urquhart (Green Unlimited) and David Stewart CHT (Custom Lawn Care) who created a great opportunity for the industry to give back to the community.

Thanks also go out to coffee/lunch sponsors Norleans Technologies and Manderley Sod, and product donors Agrium Advanced Technologies, BJE Distri-Organic and Plant Prod.

Sharon Urquhart, who has organized the event since 2005, said, “I’d like to offer a personal thank you to each and every person involved in the Day of Tribute. That includes those onsite, providing labour, and those who made donations. They were all instrumental in the success of this special event. Our industry was at its finest and the community took notice.

The military personnel on-hand were especially thankful for our effort and commitment and want to spread the word about our annual event.”

HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009 13

Chapter News Ottawa cultivates future industry leaders

By Lynn Lane

Ottawa volunteers Patricia Stanish, Darrell Kekanovich and Welwyn Wong recently spoke to local students about careers in horticulture.

They staffed a booth at the two-day WRK 4U2 career fair, where over 8,000 students, within the jurisdiction of the two Ottawa School boards, attended the event.

LO Ottawa board member Welwyn Wong, has written the following review of the day.

“It was a pleasure speaking with all of the wide-eyed and young faces of the next generation. There was an excellent turnout of schools.

Some students were very interested in what a landscape career entails and the broad range of education our sector supports, as well as LO’s role in continued education for all our members.

“In speaking with one organizer, the purpose of this fair was to get the grade eight stu-

dents to start thinking about what sector they would like to work in. Once they make that decision, they can focus on courses and/or high schools they should attend that would streamline them into their area of interest. We agreed this may be a very lofty goal. However, at the very least this fair should get them thinking about the area or areas of interest they may have and would like to pursue in-depth.

“We were there to answer many questions

and open the eyes of our future generation to a career in landscaping. Patricia Stanish added that events such as this one allow us to illustrate to kids early on that horticulture is a viable option in so many different ways.

“Many thanks go out to all who take the time and effort to cultivate future industry leaders, and to help them see the value and reward to a career in horticulture.”

SIMA joins chapter for snow night Over 80 LO members greeted Martin Tirado of Milwaukee, Wis., executive director of SIMA, and Jim Hornung, a Buffalo snow contractor and SIMA member, when they visited the Waterloo Chapter meeting on Nov. 4.

Invited as guest speakers, the SIMA representatives spoke about products on

the market and updated everyone on the salt supply, which they say looks about the same as last year’s level. There were lots of thoughts and questions directed toward both the speakers and sponsors, Kissner Products and Thawrox.

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14 HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009

Keeping your chapter connected Windsor Chapterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Awards of Distinction The Windsor Chapter presented its 2009 Awards of Distinction during a ceremony on Nov. 7. The winning entries announced at the event are: Landscape Maintenance: Commercial Gold, Garlatti Landscaping Silver, Topgrade Landscape and Garden Solutions Bronze, Topgrade Landscape and Garden Solutions Landscape Maintenance: Residential Gold, Topgrade Landscape and Garden Solutions Silver, Garlatti Landscape Bronze, Garlatti Landscape Landscape Construction: Large Commercial Gold, Munger Lawnscape

Landscape Construction: Large Residential Gold, Bellaire Landscape Silver, Bellaire Landscape Bronze, Lakeshore Landscaping Landscape Construction: Small Residential Gold, Bellaire Landscape Silver, Bellaire Landscape Bronze, Garlatti Landscaping Landscape Construction: Water Feature Gold, Bellaire Landscape Silver, Lakeshore Landscaping Honourable Mention Commercial Maintenance: Garlatti Landscaping

Large Residential: Lakeshore Landscaping, Topgrade Landscape and Garden Solutions Small Residential: Lakeshore Landscaping

Fall Freeze-up Nov. 20 was the 30th anniversary of the popular Fall Freeze-up for the Waterloo Chapter. Guests dined like royalty, and the prize table was loaded with great items.

Everyone danced to their favourite hits!

Both Paul Grobe and John Wright were in attendance to celebrate the event that they started 30 years ago.

Once again a great event that had a little something for everyone!

HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009 15

Annual Report 2009 President’s message

A year or two in the life of the Landscape Ontario president I have experienced the opportunity of a lifetime. A lifetime that ended momentarily four years ago. If there is anyone under the Landscape Ontario umbrella who I missed with my thank you, then THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

For this year’s mesRobert Adams sage, I decided to create a record of my time in office.

Perhaps this type of record keeping might become a habit for future presidents. This would be beneficial for our archives.

This snapshot of my two years as your president is not complete, as I did not record everything I did, or everywhere I have been. However, it is what I can recall. Believe me, the memories are wonderful.

Jan. 2008, Congress four days, taking office Jan. 14 to 16, off to Ottawa, then down to Napanee for chapter meetings Feb. 5, Guelph AAC conference, then over to Oshawa to speak at Durham chapter Feb. 7, Georgian Lakelands meeting at Deerhurst Resort Feb. 12, London chapter meeting Feb. 19, Congress meeting at the Doubletree Feb. 20, Finance meeting Mar. 5, To London for IPM Symposium, then over to Waterloo for the evening chapter meeting.

Mar. 6, Hamilton chapter meeting the next morning (MTO) Mar. 11-14, Canada Blooms Mar. 20, CNE board Mar. 27, Georgian Lakelands MTO meeting Mar. 28, Windsor for Winter Blooms at St. Clair College Mar. 29, Stop at Canadale open house and then Waterloo Home Show on the way home Apr. 17, Sheridan Nursery open house in Unionville June 11, TBG meeting June 17, Retirement party for Terry Murphy July 3, AAC meeting July 12, LO member’s retirement celebration in Acton July 24, Toronto golf tournament

Aug. 2, Humber Nursery’s 60th anniversary Aug. 13, CNLA meetings in Toronto Aug. 14, CNLA, and then over to CNE for opening night festivities Aug. 20, Grounds Management meeting Aug. 25, CNE Sept. 8, Garden Club Sept. 9, Canada Blooms and then Grounds Management Sept. 11, Canadian National Exhibition Association (CNEA), contractors meeting and Hamilton chicken roast Sept. 12 to 14, Community in Blooms Awards in Gravenhurst Sept. 23, Durham chapter meeting Sept. 24-26, Great Lakes meetings in Indianapolis Oct. 2, London meeting Oct. 3, Windsor meeting Oct. 5-8, Greening the Industry conference in Las Vegas Oct. 16, CNE Oct. 20-22, Garden Expo Oct. 27, Canada Blooms meeting Nov. 4, Durham chapter meeting Nov. 11, London chapter Nov. 14, London ribbon cutting for Banting House Nov. 20, David Suzuki presentation Nov. 21, Waterloo Fall Freeze-up Jan. 1, 2009, The week that Congress started, and my second year as president. First day consisted of finance, past presidents’ meeting, designers’ social and then Prosperity Partners meeting. Glad this is considered a holiday, and not work.

Jan. 20, Ottawa chapter meeting.

Jan. 21, Upper Canada meeting in Napanee Feb. 5, Meeting for special funding disbursement Feb. 10, Congress meeting Feb. 11, Growers meeting Feb. 12, CNE Mar. 4, Vineland meeting Mar. 10, London meeting Mar. 11, Irrigation meeting Mar. 17-20, Canada Blooms Mar. 27-28, Windsor Winter Blooms, Canadale open house and Waterloo garden show Apr. 1, Toronto chapter meeting

Apr. 7, Publishing Committee meeting Apr. 22, Arbor Day in Kitchener May 6, CNE May 21, CNE June 17, Vineland meeting June 25, Windsor AAC meeting July 23, Toronto Golf Tourney Sept. 3, Vineland, greening highways Sept. 10, Growers’ Auction Sept. 17, Chicken roast in Hamilton Sept. 22, Durham chapter Sept. 30-Oct. 2, Hershey, Pa., Great Lakes meetings Oct. 2/3, Community in Blooms, Vaughan Oct. 13, CNE Oct. 15, CNE AGM Oct. 19-21, Garden Expo Oct. 28, Vineland dinner meeting Oct. 30, Ottawa for Day of Tribute at national cemetery Nov. 4, Waterloo meeting Nov. 5, Growers dinner Nov. 10, London chapter These events were in addition to the regular governance and finance meetings that are held throughout the year. I was privileged to attend open houses, retirements, celebrations of life, golf tournaments and anniversaries. I was also honoured to meet the ambassadors of Thailand and Ireland. I have no regrets about what I have done, or the time I have given. I only wish everyone involved with Landscape Ontario would have the opportunity to experience what I have over the past two years.

I hope that I have represented you, the members, in a way that makes you as proud, as I am in the fact that we are LANDSCAPE ONTARIO. Thank you to Tony for all that you have taught me and thank you to all of the staff at Landscape Ontario who helped me on this great journey. It has truly been a privilege to have served this great association.

Respectfully submitted, Robert Adams, President 2008-2009

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

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Treasurer’s Report

Good Stewardship and responsible leadership leads to another great year Landscape Ontario had another great year from a financial perspective.

However, this was mainly because of the sale of a small parcel of land to Union Gas. In reality, the association was not immune to the decline in the economy.

Phil Charal We experienced a reduction in trade show and membership services revenue.

The Congress Committee and staff increased sales activity, slashed costs and partnered with the Fence Institute and Ontario Parks Association, in order to reverse this trend. We believe that this trend will cycle as the economy improves and exhibitors become aware of the huge benefits in face-to-face relationship building in the impersonal world of the Internet.

Revenue in Landscape Trades and Horticulture Review also dipped slightly, however, we experienced net growth because of expense reductions.

In times of economic difficulty, it is more

important than ever that the association stimulates demand by investing in member promotion and business education opportunities. We have done this by allocating substantial funding for the new Green for Life branding program. The potential to stimulate demand and raise awareness for the societal benefits of our industry is huge, as long as all members use the Green for Life co-brand to communicate to our collective points-of-contact. We also invested in the Prosperity Partners Program, designed to help members focus on their business skills and thrive through any economy.

Once each year the surplus is allocated to various funds. This year we put $18,000 in the Horticultural Centre Improvement Fund, $373,567 in the Horticultural Industry Development Fund and $20,000 towards promotion.

Your association has always had a responsible and conservative attitude towards your money. The funds are utilized to support programs that reflect the priorities of the association. We only spend on extra activities, if we have the money in the bank first. The association is blessed with incredible members and competent staff who continue to work hard to build

Executive Director’s Report

Industry shows its resilience Annual reports are both reflections of the past, as well as attempts to glimpse into the future. This report is a chronicle of the activities and events of 2009, however, it is much more than that. It is a reflection of the spirit and enthusiasm of many amazing, Tony DiGiovanni hardworking, contributionoriented, principle-centred, forward-thinking members who care about the industry, the public they serve and each other.

Although it is a little presumptuous to predict the future, especially when the pace of change has never been faster and uncertainty is a normal part of life (especially for entrepreneurs), the association will continue to flourish as long as it remains a community for mutual benefit and improvement determined to build a prosperous, professional, ethical, recognized and trusted industry.

State of the economy In September 2008 and continuing into 2009, the economy rapidly declined after many years of unprecedented growth. The horticultural industry in Ontario was not immune, however, it was resilient. We also fared much better than most other jurisdictions.

Many members did what they had to in order to survive. Some even thrived. Some sectors did better than others. The two most challenged groups were irrigation and lawn care. Irrigation was hit by weather, as well as economy. It was one of the wettest seasons in recent memory. The lawn care sector was forced to react to a sudden ban on traditional pest control products. No transition period was allowed. Personally, I believe the government actions were callous and insensitive, and caused unnecessary hardship especially for smaller companies. It would have been far better to transition into the new rules.

Landscape companies serving the higher-end market reported much tougher competition, however as a group, they probably did the best. A recent Continued on next page

a prosperous, professional, ethical, recognized and trusted industry.

We are also blessed with financial stability, because of the prudent and conservative policies we have had in place for many years.

Respectfully submitted, Phil Charal, Treasurer 2008-2009

Landscape Ontario 2008/2009 Board of Directors PROVINCIAL BOARD: President: Robert Adams Past President: Bob Tubby CLP 1st Vice-President: Tom Intven 2nd Vice-President: Tim Kearney CLP Treasurer: Phil Charal Members at Large: Gregg Salivan, Jacki Hart CLP

CHAPTER BOARD REPRESENTATIVES: Durham: Mark Humphries Georgian Lakelands: Mark Goodman Golden Horseshoe: Walter Hasselman London: Peter Vanderley Ottawa: Bruce Morton CLP, CIT Toronto: George Urvari Upper Canada: Paul Doornbos CHT, CLP Waterloo: Mike Hayes Windsor: Garry Moore

COMMODITY GROUP REPRESENTATIVES: Designers: Beth Edney CLD Garden Centres: Bob McCannell Grounds Maintenance: Brian Marsh Growers: Dave Braun Interiorscape: Stephen Schell CHT Irrigation: Steve Macartney CIT Landscape Contractors: Bruce Warren Lawn Care: Alan White Lighting: John Higo Snow and Ice: Gerald Boot CLP

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LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

Executive Director’s Report Continued from previous page survey found a general downward trend of about 10 per cent, with some as low as 20 per cent. It was interesting to note that 15 per cent stayed the same and 36 per cent actually increased sales, although 56 per cent reported reduced margins. When asked how they felt the year went, six per cent reported a terrible year, while 11 per cent said they were disappointed, 53 per cent were satisfied and 19 per cent reported a terrific year.

In spite of this performance, we are blessed with optimistic members. A recent survey showed that 51 per cent feel that next year will be better, while 31 per cent feel it will be the same and 15 per cent are apprehensive.

Three main priorities At the beginning of the year, we set three main themes. These areas of focus are based on listening to the membership: 1. Help members improve business skills.

2. Educate the public about the benefits of our industry and using professional members.

3. Make Landscape Ontario relevant to each member right in his own community.

Priority 1(a) Focus on business skills We refocused the winter workshops, conferences, seminars and chapter meetings to reflect more business-related subjects. We now offer over 220 seminars. Business-related stories and profiles are featured in the magazines. We worked with Jim Paluch to offer free business webinars to members.

The highlight of the business improvement activity was the continuation of the Prosperity Partners program.

Prosperity Partners Program The concept was started by Bob Tubby two years ago. The program is managed by the Prosperity Committee and is coordinated by Jacki Hart. It has evolved over the last couple of years, but the principles are the same. We want the association to be a partner in your prosperity. This is broadly defined to include increase in financial position as well as improvement in the quality of life.

The program introduces a common language of business. It also aims to re-focus our association’s infrastructure to support and reinforce improvement in these five common areas. The program is now mandatory for all new members. It currently includes an introductory seminar, best practices seminar, templates and a prosperity forum. A roundtable seminar will be introduced in 2010. See Table 1 for a diagram of the concept.

Priority 1(b) Professional development Your association has evolved as a professional development school and mutual mentorship network.

Education opportunities abound.

There is no horticultural association, nor formal education institution, in the world that offers as many programs. In addition, informal professional development Table 1 happens at each event and meeting. Here is an approximate attendance list: • 1,800 enrol in over 220 seminars • 800 in the IPM symposia • 2,000 at conferences at Congress, Garden Expo and Green Trade Expo • 1,000 attend chapter meetings • 12,000 attend Congress • 1,200 at Green Trade Expo • 4,000 at Garden Expo • 220 attend Growers Short Course • 1,000 take part in golf and ball tournaments, chicken roast, auction and other events • 24,020 industry members engage directly in Landscape Ontario activities. These are impressive numbers and give relevance to our purpose and value.

Priority 1 (c) Human resource development What a difference a year makes. Since 1991, the availability of skilled labour has been a perennial problem. We tackled this situation through longand short-term strategies. Although priorities have shifted because labour is easier to attract, there is an ongoing need to develop our future. It is interesting to note that the industry in Ontario generates over 70,000 full-time equivalent jobs. By comparison, Chrysler employs 5,000. Combined, horticultural programs might graduate a total of 200 per year. This means that the vast majority of training happens at the employer and company level. No wonder there is a shortage of skilled labour!

In order to improve the competence level of our industry, we must focus on providing tools for employers to train their own employees. We must focus on the apprenticeship program.

This year has seen a major breakthrough in the apprenticeship system. Thanks to the efforts of CNLA, Sally Harvey, Terry Murphy, Abate Wori Abate of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, and many others, horticulture has

become a Red Seal trade. This means that federally we will no longer be seen as an insignificant seasonal occupation and that the road to improved image, credibility and professionalism will be greatly accelerated. It also means that employers need to step up and take advantage of the apprenticeship system. Every employee should be provided training opportunities. All should be given the option of become an apprentice.

In addition to these highlights, we continue to be involved in many long-term future building activities including the following: • High school career promotion • Apprenticeship promotion • Partnership with Skills Canada • Youth chapter development • High school co-op programs • Ontario Youth Apprenticeship program • High school curriculum development • High school major in landscaping • Scholarship availability to high school graduates, etc.

• Certification programs • Working to integrate and ladder all skills training processes to incorporate high school, college, university and especially industry training certification and apprenticeship models Priority 2 Focus on branding LO to the public Branding Landscape Ontario to the public was identified as our second priority. The new Green for Life campaign was launched in March 2009 at Canada Blooms. The simple message of the brand is: • Green space enriches life • LO members form a special green force that contributes green for life benefits to their community.

Members have a choice of two images. The ‘little girl on a swing’ icon communicates the nurturing and legacy benefits of our occupation to women.

The tree communicates stability, longevity and beauty. Men relate better to it.

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

It was entirely appropriate to mark the launch of the new brand by building a spectacular garden that was centred on a 30-foot oak, donated by Paul Offierski.

Tim Kearney and his team at Garden Creations, with the help of many members, built the Green for Life garden, wowing the public and making members very proud. Like the message of the brand, the garden told the story of our professional members enriching their community by building public gardens that will confer Green for Life benefits for generations.

Members contributed over $500,000 worth of labour, material, expertise and goodwill in their chapter communities. This is astounding.

The new website www.landscapeontario.com was also launched at the same time.

The strategy is to drive traffic to the website through the members’ significant points of public contact. It is very important for all members to use the new landscapeontario.com Green for Life cobrand to create the amazing communication potential unleashed by working and acting together.

The more people visit the site, the more they will learn about the economic, environmental, aesthetic, health, lifestyle, tourism, therapeutic and spiritual benefits of our industry. Most importantly, they will also be exposed to the competent and trustworthy professionals in our membership.

Here are the statistics for the site: Month

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Total

Unique visitors 2009

8,026 20,595 27,284 16,845 14,660 11,816 11,017 8,961 119,204

Unique visitors 2008

11,590 22,450 22,735 14,376 11,944 9,293 9,049 8,025 109,462

Important note: The new Green for Life site was launched on March 19, 2009. This is the rea-

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The new website www.landscapeontario.com was also launched at Canada Blooms.

son that January and February are blank and March 2009 numbers are low. November and December are missing, because this report was written in early November. One thing is for certain, the more that members use the logo the better the results.

Telling our story As an industry we have been very modest. As a result, the public is not aware of the benefits our sector provides. Judith Willmott, executive director of Toronto Botanical Garden, recently introduced to me the term “plant blindness.” A research project in the U.S. asked participants to identify what they noticed in a series of pictures. Most people saw buildings, people, road and other features, but missed the plants. Many people are plant blind.

Recently, Tom Intven gave me a book entitled, Last Child in the Woods. It concerned a similar concept termed “nature deficit.” We are entering a world where the majority of people live in urban areas and their connection to the land and green space is limited. This means our industry has never been as important, especially in a world of plant blindness, nature deficit, climate change and pollution.

It is time to tell our story in more direct ways.

There is hidden wealth and value waiting to be exposed, when the public realizes the diverse lifebenefits of our green space industry. The Green for Life campaign can help, but only if you use it.

Collectively, we enjoy points of public contact that rivals any multinational advertising campaign. It is also heartening to know that other associations in Canada and the U.S. are interested in carrying the Green for Life branding. It is exciting to connect and unify the entire industry through a common message.

Focus on environmental stewardship Part of the Green for Life story is internal. We have a better chance at communicating a public Green for Life message by living it. The first job of the Environmental Stewardship Committee, chaired by

Nathan Helder, is to help members improve their environmental stewardship activities. The committee developed an excellent environmental scorecard to help members identify their strengths and weaknesses. It also provides a guide for improvement.

The scorecard is available on www.horttrades.com.

Find the scorecard under the Resources tab.

Green Infrastructure Coalition We are a founding member of the Green Infrastructure Coalition, which includes Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, LEAF (an urban tree planting organization), Toronto Region Conservation Authority, Evergreen Foundation and Ontario Parks Association. The coalition is an important initiative of Steven Peck, executive director of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.

We had one very interesting meeting, where we brought together 40 other groups. The information from the meeting resides at www.leaftoronto. org/gio.

We believe the interest in Green Infrastructure and the emotion and passion it generates will translate to huge benefits for our industry. Young people relate to the benefits of green infrastructure, where they do not seem to relate to the words horticulture or gardening.

In a way, the Green Infrastructure movement is a reinvention and repackaging of the horticultural industry. The movement will change the way most people look at gardens, landscapes and plants.

Right now, most people use plants for aesthetic purposes. The Green Infrastructure movement will encourage people to use plants for environmental, economic, health, community and therapeutic purposes. The movement is an opportunity to take back ownership of the word green from the energy and other industries to the “real green” of green infrastructure. An excerpt from the planning documents follows:

Continued on next page

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LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

Executive Director’s Report Continued from previous page Mission statement To develop a provincial vision and legislation to create green jobs, clean the air and water, conserve energy and increase access to local, sustainably produced food within our urban areas through significant investment in and protection of green infrastructure.

The coalition aims to broaden the definition of infrastructure in Ontario to include green infrastructure: natural vegetation and vegetative technologies in urban settings. Our definition of green infrastructure includes the following, urban forests, green roofs, green walls, green spaces (such as turf, meadows and manicured areas), rain gardens and bio-swales, community gardens, greenways, natural and engineered wetlands and stormwater ponds and porous pavement systems.

The benefits of green infrastructure are numerous, scientifically proven and include: local and regionally based green jobs creation in design, manufacturing, installation and maintenance; recharging our groundwater, cleaning surface water, reducing stormwater runoff, reduction of combined sewer overflows, improving soil quality; stripping particulate from our air; cooling our buildings; reducing the urban heat island effect; improving energy efficiency at the building scale and community wide scale; storing carbon from the atmosphere to reduce climate change; providing opportunities for renewable biomass and more efficient solar power; supporting biodiversity of both flora and fauna; helping communities adapt to climate change impacts such as severe heat and storm events; strengthening the beauty of communities and their liveability; improving the productivity of employees; reducing health care costs by facilitating active play for children; allowing children to have an experience of nature, thereby addressing the nature deficit; improving social cohesion in our communities; feeding our hungry and disadvantaged; reducing noise pollution; improving the marketability of buildings; increasing tax revenue from improved property values; energy conservation at a building and community-wide scale and reducing the capital and operational costs associated with traditional gray infrastructure.

Other public promotions and relations • HGTV Link with Denis Flanagan. He is a wellknow garden communicator and frequently appears on television promoting horticulture and LO. We have restructured our office to give Denis more time for promoting LO to the public.

• Global TV weekly spot by Denis Flanagan.

• Canada Blooms. This is our main public event. Our logo is featured prominently on all advertising. There are millions of public

LO’s garden at 2009 Canada Blooms.

impressions achieved through this venue.

• Garden Inspiration magazine. With 50,000 copies for distribution through Canada Blooms and garden centres. The themes of the magazine are new plant introductions and our awards program. It also includes a member directory.

• How-to sheets. Thousands of these are distributed through garden centres.

• Consumer website. Our new site, landscapeontario.com, continues to increase in popularity.

• Press releases. We now have a focused public relations campaign using a professional publicist.

• Links to promotional information. We maintain an archive of media mentions.

• There are a number of Landscape Ontario vignettes on YouTube.

• Support for Toronto Botanical Gardens.

• Support of Communities in Bloom National and Ontario.

• Project Evergreen involvement. We continue to be involved in this exciting project, which will eventually unite all of the industry’s stewardship projects under one banner.

• Bowden’s and Google News tracking. We track all instances when Landscape Ontario is mentioned in the news. We are mentioned frequently, resulting in millions of impressions.

• Windsor chapter developed a very successful Winter Blooms public show with proceeds supporting the Hospice of Windsor, as well as the St. Clair College Foundation.

• Ottawa chapter Julie Moir Messervy event with the Ottawa Botanical Gardens Society.

• Ottawa Ronald McDonald House landscaping.

• Ottawa Cancer Survivors’ Park.

• Toronto’s Evening with David Suzuki.

• Toronto also participated in building Rachel’s Garden. This Make a Wish Foundation project was spearheaded by Beth Edney and had wonderful support of members in her chapter and CNLA. • Sharon Urqhart and David Stewart organized the 5th annual day of tribute at the National Military Cemetery.

• Georgian Lakelands helped with the Gilda’s House project, which provides a place for cancer survivors and their families to heal.

• The Waterloo Chapter continued its partnership with Evergreen Foundation.

Special note There is no better way to brand the industry and members to the public than using our contribution ethic and horticultural skills to participate in community projects that improve the quality of life. The chapter community events reflect the best of the industry and make all of Landscape Ontario proud.

Priority 3 – Local relevance Local relevance is the third priority of Landscape Ontario. We are in the third year of executing a chapter renewal plan that is aimed at engaging members in their local communities. As part of the local relevance priority, the association is engaged in a membership recruitment program under the capable leadership of Warren Patterson and his committee of Hank Gelderman, Brian Lofgren, Bruce Morton, Frans Peters, Michael Van Dongen and David Wright. The committee has developed an exciting plan for reaching new members. They also surveyed existing members in order to better understand and communicate relevant benefits. We are investing more time in orienting and developing

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009 our volunteer leadership.

In addition to the focus on the three main priorities, we continue to work on many events and projects, and deal with hundreds of ongoing issues.

Industry sector Issues Following is a brief overview of the issues facing the specific sectors: Landscape Landscape contractors’ issues relate to improving business management, especially in the area of financial systems. We continue to encourage members to know their costs as the basis for becoming prosperous. We are also encouraging members to take the Prosperity Partners program. We have endorsed a number of consultants such as Jacki Hart, Jim Paluch, Paul Lamarche, Jeffrey Scott, LandscapeSafety.com and Mark Bradley with his exciting Landscape Management Network initiative.

Lawn care Unfortunately, the unwillingness of the province to offer a transition before a complete ban has hurt many of the small members. Larger members have the resources to make rapid changes. We are focused on helping members survive and eventually thrive in this new reality. Our role is to assist in the transition. Our members are survivors.

Garden Centre The group is focused on business improvement, understanding the unique value of independents in a market of box stores and in improving systems and communications to serve a new younger demographic group. The Garden Centre Symposium was an excellent well-attended event. There was a positive and optimistic buzz at Garden Expo this year.

Nursery There is a definite downturn in plant sales this year.

Growers have had to cut costs and improve processes. Over-production was made more challenging because the situation in the U.S. is worse and many U.S. growers are supplying the Canadian market with low-cost plant material. Even with these challenges, the general mood of the growers is optimistic.

We hired a new nursery specialist. The government also allocated over $80,000 per year for the next four years, targeted to member-directed research to grow the sector. This year the growers supported a project at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.

The project has a dual purpose. It is trying to create an expanded Ontario-based liner production market by growing liners in retractable roof greenhouses. It is also using the liners as part of the highway greening demonstration project that is documenting best practices to ensure survival of plants on highways.

The growers are also engaged in a project aimed at

finding new species of street trees. They continue to support the development of an online resource for identifying pests. This is under the supervision of Dr. Marshall at the University of Guelph.

A huge amount of work has been done to mitigate business risks associated with introduced regulated pests. The group has also supported a project that will help growers identify pests using online tools. They are also involved in encouraging the new Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.

We are also seeding the idea of creating a Centre for Highway Greening at Vineland. The group is experiencing widespread concern about the economy for 2009. A downturn will mean high inventory, which will put downward pressure on prices. We will need to focus on stimulating demand. The Green for Life program will help.

Grounds Maintenance Improvement of business and environmental practices drives the agenda of the Grounds Maintenance group. They are also engaged in a benchmarking exercise. It is interesting to note that this group has not been as affected by the pesticide ban. They are offering expanded services, especially over-seeding and aeration.

The annual trial gardens, organized by the group, were a huge success and attracted hundreds of members and media to an open house. The size of the gardens has doubled. This project is a partnership with the University of Guelph. John Hewson, Rodger Tschanz and Robert Ellidge deserve special recognition for their efforts building the garden.

Lighting The main activity is developing a certification program. The group is also launching the first lighting symposium in February.

Interiorscape The main focus this year is telling the story of Green for Life benefits to their customers. The interiorscape breakfast at Garden Expo was a huge success.

Landscape Designers The main activity of this group is centred on professional development. Members continue to host a very popular design symposium in conjunction with Congress. The newsletter, published four times per year, is an excellent communicational and promotional vehicle.

Snow and Ice Management Education and professional development is the primary focus of the Snow and Ice group. The snow symposium sold out for the third year in a row.

The trade show portion tripled in size. We will be developing another symposium and trade show in the Ottawa market next year. The special July snow

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issue of Landscape Trades continues to experience great success. The group has endorsed the Region of Waterloo’s Smart about Salt program. A new organization called the Smart about Salt Council has been created for this purpose. The council includes Landscape Ontario and BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association and the Region of Waterloo).

The program will elevate professionalism and stewardship in the snow services sector.

Irrigation Irrigation is often seen as wasting water. The group is focused on changing this image through education. The sector has also experienced a significant challenge this year, because of the abundant rain.

Government relations Government issues always affect the industry in positive and negative ways. We are involved in many levels and with many issues. This summary builds on the issues described in last year’s annual report.

Ministry of Environment • Promotion of a public information and relations campaign promoting responsible gardening • Encouragement for fast-tracking the approval of low-risk pest control products • Availability and quality of water • Green roof promotion • Green Infrastructure Coalition Agriculture and Agrifood Canada • Crisis and risk management for growers • Invasive species threat • Working with CNLA on the Nursery Certification Institute to mitigate the risk and facilitate traceforward activity in the event of an infestation of an exotic pest • Federal Identity Program funding of industry development projects • Promotion of a national botanical garden on the experimental farm in Ottawa Ministry of Labour • Occupational Health and Safety Act • Labour Relations Act • Labour Standards Act Canadian Food Inspection Agency • Plant protection issues Municipalities • Our activities respond to zoning and permit issues. The complex issue emerged this year in Halton Region. Most of our members in Halton are located on residential properties in rural and agricultural areas. The region considers these businesses to be illegal.

Continued on next page

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LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

Executive Director’s Report Continued from previous page Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs • Support through extension services • Safety Net Program inclusion • Inclusion within the agricultural umbrella • Commodity council • LICC (Labour Issues Coordinating Council) Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities • Apprenticeship development • OYAP (Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program) • Industry development planning work • Red Seal designation.

Ministry of Education • Develop a common horticulture curriculum for high schools. There has been great progress on this issue.

• The pilot high-skills major program provides high school graduates the opportunity to graduate with a major in landscaping. It worked so well, that it is now expanding.

WSIB • Safety training • Audits Special Note: There are five government relation activities of special note: 1. We are trying to convince the federal government to allocate the GST collected on plant material to a national planting program, aimed at reducing energy. If successful, this Landscaping for Energy Efficiency initiative will provide huge public and industry benefit. It will also encourage the horticultural sector of agriculture. Currently, all other agricultural crops are exempt from GST. We believe plant material, the largest farm gate crop in Ontario ($1-billion in farm-gate value), should be treated similar to other crops.

2. We are trying to convince the Ministry of Transportation to green our highways. We are working with Vineland and the ministry to develop a number of research and demonstration projects that we hope will stimulate this activity.

3. We are fighting the proposed HST. We do not believe that a general consumer tax on all services will stimulate the economy. Although we are not against the concept of a merged GST and PST tax, we are protesting adding tax on previously untaxed services. It is interesting to note that the Ontario Chamber of Commerce report, used by the provincial government as the rationale for introducing the tax, also suggests

consideration of an option to exempt serviceintensive industries.

4. We are promoting the idea that Green Infrastructure Coalition should also be considered when funding infrastructure (please see above).

5. Telling our story on the benefits of the horticultural industry is an attempt to end a well-kept secret. We are planning a major government relations campaign to inform all elected leaders about the immense societal benefits that our sector represents. We are using two very credible documents as a resource. One is the Deloitte study on the Impact of Ornamental Horticulture on Canada’s Economy. The other is a report entitled Documented Benefits of Plants, compiled by the George Morris Centre.

Other comments and highlights: CNLA The Canadian Nursery Landscape Association represents our federal interests, but most importantly it provides us the structure to align our common agendas and plans across Canada. CNLA gives us the opportunity to expand our team, community and results in the common work at business competency development, labour Issues, education/training/certification, apprenticeships, national government relations work, especially labour and risk management, green industry promotion and long term business development Landscape Ontario office The staff mission statement is, “To support our members and implement their vision of a respected and valued green industry.”

LO’s staff are an amazing group of talented and unique individuals, who care about the mission of the association and its members. We are blessed with amazing staff that “own the mission:” Gilles Bouchard, Rachel Burt, Paul Day, Allan Dennis, Robert Ellidge, Denis Flanagan, Wendy Harry, Sally Harvey, Lee Ann Knudsen, Lynn Lane, Francesco Pacelli, Jane Leworthy, Angela Lindsay, Kristen McIntyre, Kathy McLean, Steve Moyer, Linda Nodello, Lorraine Pigeon-Ivanoff, Kathleen Pugliese, Paul Ronan, Joe Sabatino, Ian Service, Stephanie Smith, Tom Somerville, Melissa Steep, Sarah Willis and Mike Wasilewski. I also want to acknowledge the contribution of Susan Therrien, who left us this year to pursue her passion for quilting.

Future The future of our industry continues to be bright, even though there may be a temporary downturn in the next few years. Opportunities flow from all cycles.

The greatest opportunity comes from the ben-

efits of green infrastructure, outlined above. Our industry has always been utilized, because we make customers look good, literally and from a pride perspective. People landscape their properties, because of beauty and pride. However, society is beginning to understand the profound connection we have with our living environment.

Other factors that will impact positively on our industry include: • The huge segment of baby boomers who will be retiring soon. They will transition from the work world to gardening and spending time in their gardens.

• Challenging economic times means less travel and more time to spend in the garden.

• Concern for the environment will cure some of the plant blindness, especially when the public becomes aware of the huge environmental benefits provided by plant material.

• Environmental stewardship is very important to the younger generation. We just need to tell our benefit story. People forget about the oxygen production and carbon dioxide fixing capacity of plants. They also need to be reminded about the energy and soil saving benefits as well as the water retention and cooling qualities of well designed landscapes.

Here is a relevant quote from: The impact of Ornamental Horticulture on Canada’s EconomyDeloitte (2009): “Use of ornamental horticulture presents consumers with a number of natural advantages which address some very relevant challenges of the 21st century (i.e. pollution, the urban heat island effect, rising heating and cooling costs, etc.). Moreover, well-considered investments in ornamentals have also demonstrated financial benefits to homeowners, vis-à-vis appreciating resale values. Firms within the sector need to improve upon how they communicate these benefits to consumers, to fully exploit this advantage, especially at consumer key purchase decision points.”

We are in a great industry that provides profound societal benefits. We need to communicate better about what we do.

Have a great 2010!

Respectfully submitted, Tony DiGiovanni, Executive director 2008-2009

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

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Chapter reports The regional needs of the members are served through a network of nine chapters. Through monthly meetings and promotional activities, the chapters represent an ideal way for member companies to keep abreast of local industry concerns. The two most sought after membership benefits — education and networking opportunities — are provided through the association’s regional chapter structure.

Durham

President: Brian Marsh Past president/provincial board representative: Mark Humphries Vice president: Ed Hewis Secretary/treasurer: Carol Fulford Directors: John Fulford, Greg Scarlett CHT, Ian Andrews, Norm Mills, Phil Bull The Durham Chapter held meetings on the first Tuesday night of each month at the Holiday Inn in Oshawa.

September 2008: We held our first annual barbecue, and it was a great success. A total of 50 members attended this meeting. Ten vendors showcased their products, which was followed with everyone enjoying a supper of roast beef-on-a-bun, corn and salad.

October 2008: We had a great presentation by Mark Bradley. He spoke about setting up a budget for a company. We also had the Investment Guild at this meeting. This meeting was attended by 24 members.

November 2008: During this meeting, we had representatives from Landscape Ontario attend to inform everyone about resources that are available to the membership. Our Durham Chapter also received a letter thanking us for the help with the Whitby Mayor’s Gala. We had 16 members in attendance.

February 2009: Jacki Hart from Landscape Ontario attended this meeting. She introduced chapter members to the Prosperity Partners Program.

It was a very informative and interactive meeting, with an attendance by 22 members. The outcome of this meeting was that we were able to organize the first Prosperity Partners session for the Durham Chapter.

March 2009: We had a representative from the Ministry of Transportation speak to 65 members.

This meeting is always well attended. The Durham Chapter sponsored the photography for the Parkwood Estates 16th Gala. We also had our board elections during this meeting. I stepped down as president, but am not leaving the executive.

I enjoyed my time as president of the Durham Chapter, and I am excited to be part of an ever-

growing and evolving industry. It takes dedicated members to make a board of directors run successfully. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the board members for their continuous support.

Also, I offer a big thank you to all the companies that donated items towards door prizes at our meetings. The Durham Chapter thanks Fred Young from the Farm Safety Association. His knowledge on health and safety issues is a great resource for our chapter. A big thank you to Carol Fulford for keeping me organized over the past five years. I also would like to wish Greg Scarlett all the best as incoming president of the Durham Chapter.

Respectfully submitted, Brian Marsh President, 2008-2009

Georgian Lakelands President: Michael LaPorte CHT Vice president: David Emms Secretary: Ken Adair Treasurer: Sheila Allin Past presidents: Robert Adams, Nick Solty, Earle Graham, Mark Goodman Provincial representative: Mark Goodman Directors: Terry Kowalski, Owen Burmania, David Holmlund We began September with a journey to Thornbury, for a chapter meeting at Lora Bay Golf and Country Club. It was an introduction to the association for most attendees. An overview explained the association’s operation. Tim Morrison and Unilock sponsored the meeting, with displays of new products. Rob Vogel discussed the unique area of Collingwood, and the possibilities of growing our industry if we can work together. Thanks to Gary Nordeman of The Landmark Group for his work organizing this meeting.

In November, we hosted Brad Rice with Central Credit. Unfortunately, we had poor turnout, competing with the David Suzuki presentation for attendees.

However, we gained valuable knowledge regarding small claims and how to deal with them.

In December, the chapter visited the horse races at Georgian Downs. It was part of our annual Christmas party. After a great meal, we were entertained by the horse races, and the terrible dancers, trying to keep to the beat of the DJ. Nick Solty out-did himself with our Ski Day. We had the best participation ever for this event. George Urvari joined us for the skiing, and also helped members understand the economic environment

as we prepared for the upcoming season. Although he stepped up our attendance, Nick lost a step on the slopes, as Rob Vogel claimed the fastest time in the fun race.

As usual, the MTO meeting in March was the best-attended of the year. Hank Dubee, with MTO enforcement, helped members again this year become compliant with the rules of the road, so to avoid any unnecessary situations.

Sharing in our community doesn’t always mean planting a tree or installing a patio. On Easter weekend, we held a food drive to benefit the Elizabeth Fry Society. We collected nearly 2,000 pounds of food. Many of our local politicians and media joined in our efforts. We hope to see them out again next Easter. Thanks to Warren Patterson for hosting at Barrie Botanix and Lexi Dearborn and Sheila Allin for organizing the event.

With our Gilda`s Club project fast approaching, our golf committee got into fundraising mode, and put together a fantastic tournament that raised nearly $8,000 for this large and deserving project. Nearly 80 golfers took to the links for the afternoon. Just after we sat down to dinner, the rain began. We were lucky seeing just rain, as many surrounding areas had tornadoes.

I thank all the directors and volunteers who helped put on the events of the past year. I would also like to thank all of our sponsors for their support. I look forward to working with all in the future to build trust, image and many more green spaces in and around the communities that make up our Georgian Lakelands Chapter.

Respectfully Submitted, Michael LaPorte CHT President, 2008-2009

Golden Horseshoe President: Tim Cruickshanks Provincial board representative: Walter Hasselman Treasurer: Bruce Wilson Secretary: Michelle Cocks CHT Directors: Erik Kuijvenhoven, John Bos, Patrick Evangelisto, John Harsevoort, Brad Malton, Jeff Smith,Deanna Van Varik, Fiore Zenone The past year was an interesting one for the Golden Horseshoe Chapter, with a number of social events, educational opportunities and great networking.

Our report begins with September 2008, when Hamilton Sod hosted the Chicken Roast. The turnout

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LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

Golden Horseshoe Chicken Roast.

was great with many children in attendance. The event has become a memorable and very successful event for the chapter.

The November meeting took place at the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture. Highlighting the meeting was Haig Sefarian.

The chapter’s Christmas social took place at the Dundas Valley Golf and Curling Club. It was wellattended with everyone enjoying food, refreshments and great social interaction.

Mark Bradley gave a popular presentation on business practices. It ended with rave reviews from those taking part in the February meeting at the Dundas Valley Golf and Curling Club.

One of the most popular and informative meetings of the year was held in March at Connon Nurseries NVK, with MTO officials. Members were able to hear all about the current and ever-changing rules of the road. Board elections also took place at this meeting.

The next chapter event was in June, when the annual golf tournament was held at the Willow Valley Golf Club. The sold-out event saw golfers not just battle the course, but also the extreme heat of the day. Everyone still had a great time, and great appreciation is given to everyone who worked on organizing the event. A special thank you to Bruce Wilson who went over and above to ensure the tournament was a successful chapter event.

I would personally like to thank all the board members for their efforts this past year. We look forward to next year’s meeting schedule.

Respectfully submitted, Tim Cruickshanks, President, 2008-2009

London President: Tim Cradduck Past president: Kees Govers First vice president: Grant Harrison Second vice president: Daryl Bycraft CHT Treasurer/provincial board representative: Peter Vanderley Directors: Darcy DeCaluwe, Jerry Hakkers, Nicola Kamp, Jay Murray CLP, Michelle Peeters, John Perriman, Stephen Sutcliffe, Jason Zehr Once again, the London Chapter’s year was one of many achievements.

The chapter partnered with the London Home Builders Association to provide a feature garden at the show. This allowed the chapter to bring exposure to all of the members in the various sectors.

The home show was also the media launch for the Gardens of Distinction Tour, which took place on July 11. This one-day garden tour saw nearly 400 people pass through 12 private and community gardens across London. With a wide variety of specialties at every site, tour participants were able to visualize many aspects of these backyard retreats at their own homes. Our hope is to expand the tour in 2010 to include several communities near London. The members who took part in the tour, said that being at a landscaped garden they created for a client, generated a considerable number of leads and several landscape jobs were sold as a result of this event.

The Banting House Project is drawing to a close.

Without the support of the members of the chapter and a large number of donations made by various vendors and suppliers to assist in the completion of this very worthwhile community garden, this project would never have happened. The community garden that has been created, as a result of these efforts, helped rejuvenate a small section of the Old East Village. It has brought people back to the park

to reflect. The completion of the garden will see a globe statue erected as the focal point. A time capsule, dedicated over 20 years ago by the Queen Mother, will once again be enclosed until a cure for diabetes is found.

The annual London Chapter Golf Tournament, held at Pine Knot Golf Club, was a resounding success. A total of 144 golfers took part. This year, for the first time ever, we had a waiting list. The weather was cool and the rain held off during play. The prize table was plentiful, with several big items donated by local suppliers drawing a lot of interest of everyone in attendance.

Our chapter meetings are also drawing record numbers, with a variety of topics that have covered a number of hot issues. We hope to provide our members with the tools to be proactive in the future in addressing these issues. Subjects included green roofs, rainwater harvesting, an open forum with the MTO to address areas of concern, as well new and interesting perennials for 2009. We hope to attract a variety of interested members with topics that relate to the success of their business.

For 2010, the International Plowing Match is being hosted by Elgin County. This is right in our own backyard, with over a quarter-million people passing through the gates over the course of the entire event.

The London Chapter has been asked to design and construct the main entrance to the plowing match.

Once again, it’s a huge opportunity for this chapter to promote the LO brand to not only the local community, but the province and the nation.

We have also seen a huge boost in the involvement of members on the board of directors. The London Chapter has not had a board of this size or diversity in many years. Without the many volunteer members on the board, we would not be able to achieve all of the projects or events that we do each year. I want to applaud these members for taking time from their very busy businesses to make the chapter the success it is today.

Respectfully submitted, Tim Cradduck President, 2008-2009

Ottawa President: Sarah Johnston Vice president: Welwyn Wong Past president/secretary: Tim Dyer Treasurer: Hank Mollema Provincial board representative: Bruce Morton CLP, CIT Directors Chris Burns CIT, Jean-Paul Gervais, Sonja Hirsig, Darrell Kekanovich, Patricia Stanish, Dave Stewart CHT

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009 The past year proved a challenging one for many of our members. The grounds maintenance sector faced the cosmetic pesticide ban, irrigation companies coped with as much rain this year as last, and commercial landscapers, nurseries and designers dealt with dwindling client budgets resulting from the downturn in the economy.

The Ottawa chapter fashioned its seminars around these challenges, starting in December and continuing into April.

Education Going Greener in the Industry and the Integrated Pest Management symposium in February gave members information on the new regulations and alternatives available.

Focusing ON your company and not just working IN your company was the message of the Prosperity Partners program seminar in December. Leonard Lee of Lee Valley Tools spoke to owners about Growing your Business at GreenTrade in February. Three local business owners also discussed their challenges and solutions during downturns in the economy.

WHMIS, First Aid and SCIP programs ensured member companies had the opportunity to fulfill annual requirements and employees were updated and acquired new skills on the skid steer and chainsaw training programs.

Monthly chapter meetings focused on how to reduce insurance claims, the ins and outs of vehicle leasing and an update by Bob Adams and Tony DiGiovanni on issues facing the industry as a whole.

Accreditation Members tell us they want to increase professionalism in the industry and each year the Ottawa chapter has made it a priority to offer accreditation programs.

More than 12 apprentices took courses at the Kemptville campus of the University of Guelph and continued on-the-job training this summer with their employers. There are 16 students enrolled in the program this November.

Workshops provided owners and the irrigation and horticulture sectors with business courses on the five pillars of the Prosperity Partners program.

A total of 15 new Certified Horticulture Technicians graduated from the evaluations held in August at Kemptville College.

Promotion Green Trade Expo in February attracted almost 1,000 attendees. This is the stellar event of the Ottawa chapter when it comes to promoting our industry suppliers to members. Over 100 exhibitors showcased their products and services this year.

Many member companies volunteered their time to community projects, including the Ottawa Cancer

Survivors Park and the Ronald McDonald House.

Many LO members showed up to do fall clean-up at the annual Day of Tribute at the national military cemetery at Beechwood.

In February, 500 people attended a public lecture and industry workshop by Julie Moir Messervy, an award winning designer.

The weekly electronic and the monthly printed newsletter continues to update our members on chapter activities, such as the golf tournament and this year, past presidents updated new board members on the proud traditions of the chapter.

Future activities Several new activities are planned for the coming year, including a Christmas party for members and their families in December, the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association AGM in Ottawa during February, a tour of the Governor General’s gardens in April and a snow symposium in August.

As I finish writing this, I am amazed at how much is achieved by all our volunteers and board members.

Kudos to everyone. Many hands make light work, so if you are interested in volunteering your time to any of these activities, please contact our member services coordinator, Lynn Lane, at 613-796-5156.

We welcome your help.

Respectfully submitted, Sarah Johnston President 2009

Toronto President: Fiona Penn Zieba First vice president: Arvils Lukss Second vice president: Lindsay Drake Nightingale Past president: George Urvari Secretary/treasurer: Sabrina Goettler Provincial board representative: George Urvari Directors: Dennis DelVecchio, Janet Ennamorato, Allan Kling, David Nemeth, Caroline DeVries My goal as president of the Toronto Chapter is to have interesting events for our members at least six times per year. These events could be social or educational, but all are with an aim to benefit the members.

October 2008: Darren Bosch’s subject was Branding and the Company Image. It was a wellattended chapter meeting.

November 2008: The annual November special event was fortunate to have David Suzuki as the guest speaker. Suzuki spoke at the trades-only luncheon, held at the Toronto Botanical Garden. After the luncheon, Suzuki took a few moments to plant a tree on the grounds of the TBG with a group of school children, who were full of enthusiasm to meet him. The evening event, along with a book signing, was held at

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the John Bassett Theatre. Suzuki was introduced by Rachel, a recipient of a Toronto Chapter-built garden through the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Suzuki spoke on general environmental issues. Both events were very informative.

February 2009: Information concerning bylaws and permits, right-of-ways and transportation, trees and ravines were the topics of the February day-long educational session and panel discussion for the Toronto Chapter. This informative day was very well attended by our membership.

March 2009: The Contractors’ Lecture Series was held at Canada Blooms this year.

April 2009: The focus of the April chapter meeting was safety and the bottom line, with guest speaker George Urvari. We also held elections for the 2009-2010 term of office. Toronto Chapter held its first, and hopefully annual, Green Day Park Clean Up. This year, we were in High Park in central Toronto to clean the north side of the park. A chill was in the air, but the enthusiastic chapter members and community volunteers were out in full force.

July 2009: This year’s golf tournament was held at Glen Eagle Golf Course. Despite a very wet day, the event raised approximately $12,000 with the proceeds going to Sick Kids Hospital Foundation. Everyone enjoyed the golf, lunch and prizes. Michael Pinball Clemons gave a motivational address during the lunch, that was well received by all in attendance.

August 2009: Again this year, the baseball tournament was held on a balmy summer Sunday at Richmond Green in Richmond Hill. The tournament trophy was won by Sheridan Nurseries in a tiebreaker game, with the runner-up team, Arbordale/ Moonstruck. Everyone enjoyed a great day and a delicious barbecue.

The annual past presidents’ barbecue was held at the current president’s abode in August. It was a good networking experience for all in attendance, as it allowed the torch to be passed to the future, while learning from the past.

Respectfully submitted, Fiona Penn Zieba President, 2008 - 2009

Upper Canada President: Paul Doornbos CHT, CLP Past presidents: Russ Loney, Terry Childs Provincial representative: Paul Doornbos Vice president/secretary: Pam McCormick Treasurer: Eugene Lazier Directors: Diana Cassidy-Bush CLP, Stuart Sprout At the completion of another year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank members of the chapter

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LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

board and all those who gave of their time and talents to help run the events of 2008-2009, and thereby continue to grow and promote our industry throughout the chapter area.

January 2009: Chapter members enjoyed a visit from LO president Bob Adams and executive director Tony DiGiovanni, along with a presentation of the new brand of LO and how members could begin to use it to promote their companies.

February 2009: Green Trade show in Ottawa.

March 2009: There was a huge promotion of LO through participation in Canada Blooms by building the display garden. As well, LO was promoted at the Quinte Home Builders Show through the sponsorship of a speakers’ series.

April 2009: A successful meeting was held with MTO creating a mock-up roadside inspection in order to provide answers to common questions and more clarity to requirements on vehicles.

July 2009: A successful golf tournament was held at Briar Fox Golf Club in Marysville.

October 2009: Members kicked off the meeting and seminar schedule with a presentation from Ontario One Call and a profile of Garden Creations of Ottawa by owner Tim Kearney CLP. November 2009: Dan Clost CHT was in town to talk about sustainable landscapes and plants, versus native species and how to utilize them for stewardship, along with marketing and promotion ideas.

December 2009: Enjoy time to refocus and prepare for a new season.

Respectfully submitted, Paul Doornbos CHT, CLP President, 2008-2009

Waterloo President: Dave Wright Vice president: Randy Adams Provincial representative: Mike Hayes Treasurer: Rob Tester Directors: Cor Bultena, Todd Schwindt, Helmut Zgraja, Jason Dietrich, Jeff Thompson, Dale Schiek, Don Prosser September 2008: Our first meeting of the year was held at the Waterloo Knights of Columbus with a good showing by the membership. Guest speaker, Sean James, talked about sustainable landscapes as a selling feature. Our sponsor for the evening was Elmira Farm Service and the company profile was presented by Rob Tester from TNT. The Sept. 7 ball tournament was rained-out, so there was no winner this year.

October 2008: The second meeting was well attended and Dave Schnarr from the Centre for Family Business talked about the challenges

Waterloo Earth Day

of succession planning in a family business and the resources that the Centre provides during the process. Sponsors were Tri-City Bobcat and MDKS (productivity software). Gary Heble from York Nursery presented his company’s profile, showing how things have changed over the last 60 years.

November 2008: During November’s meeting, Rob Witherspoon of the Guelph Turfgrass Institute discussed changes in turf varieties. Kissner and HortProtect were sponsors for the evening and Chris Moser from Moser Landscape Group presented the company profile, showing a love for big toys.

Our 29th annual Fall Freeze-up dinner/dance was well-attended and had lots of great door prizes.

The chapter board met with Tony DiGiovanni for a strategic planning session in late November and aligned chapter goals with those of the rest of the association.

December 2008: This meeting was more of a social event, with speaker Deb Lloyd talking about humour in the workplace. Our meeting sponsors were Duke Equipment and Ontario Marketing Productions.

January 2009: Our January meeting is never well attended, due to time conflicts with Congress. Jo Taylor is a great speaker, who talked about developing employee handbooks to better manage HR issues within our companies. The meeting was sponsored

by CRS and the company profile was presented by

John Cruickshank of Outdoor Services. Everyone was encouraged to find opportunities for growth during a down economy, as John did in the 1980s.

February 2009: Mike Hayes presented a talk on How to Kill a Tree, which was very well received.

Mike showed the top 10 ways on how the lack of maintenance or misguided practices will kill a tree.

Meeting sponsors were Nisco and Santerra.

Our business workshop, presented by Michael Lewis, was well attended.

March 2009: The March meeting is always jam-packed with activity. We started with the usual business meeting, followed by elections. Our feature presentation was by Ginny Dybenko, dean of the school of business at Wilfrid Laurier University.

He spoke about the state of the local economy.

Meeting sponsors were Envirobond and Coleman Equipment.

The Kitchener Waterloo Home and Garden Show was presented by Ontario Marketing Productions at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on March 27 through the 29. The Chapter manned a small booth that showcased our school yard greening projects and the Green for Life program. Members built beautiful displays that pulled in the crowd.

April 2009: Our first April meeting in years was the best attended of 2009. Compact Sod hosted the meeting at its new facility. Ron Schiedel and his crew took everyone on a tour, followed by a great barbecue.

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009 Denis Flanagan spoke about new trends in plants and landscape for 2009. Dave Wright presented the newly-drafted Chapter Strategic Plan.

May 2009: Mike Hayes led volunteers through a successful school yard greening project at J. W. Gerth Public School in Kitchener. Trees and rocks were placed by an army of volunteers in less than half a day, creating a great outdoor learning environment.

We received great media attention and the Green for Life logo became better known.

August 2009: Don Prosser led another army of volunteers to build a new landscape at the KitchenerConestogo Rotary Dream Home. The landscape included rainwater harvesting, a bioswale and permeable pavers. A Green for Life display was set up for the duration of ticket sales in the showroom of the home.

In summary, I would like to add that as a chapter, we are excited about the continuation of Green for Life initiatives in our community, and hope that this is a trend that leads to greater community projects and even more exposure in years to come.

Respectfully submitted, Dave Wright President 2008-2009

Windsor President: Karl Klinck Vice president: Vacant Past president: Dan Garlatti Treasurer: Don Tellier Provincial board representative: Garry Moore Secretary: Jay Rivait Directors: Chris Power, Nino Papa, Chuck Pronger Another year gave witness to the typical fluctuations by the usual suspects: the regional economy and the local weather. The old adage about making lemonade when handed lemons is apt now more than ever. Business success is always achieved by adapting to our current situation, while at the same time charting a course for the future. The economic challenges of Windsor-Essex-Kent are serious, but our most successful companies focused on their own reality and not on the hyperbole of the media.

The local challenges are well-known to all and don’t deserve to be re-hashed here. But, there were also some real bright spots in our region.

An unusually snowy winter gave some contractors their best year in a number of years. The Home Renovation Tax Credit also helped to push some consumers off the fence and into ordering work.

Staycationing seemed to be more than a buzzword.

Some of the uncertainty regarding the future of Chrysler was alleviated when the president of Fiat recently referred to the Windsor-produced minivan

as a sacred cow. Ford has promised new investment in local facilities. As well, there is evidence of slow but sure progress by the federal and provincial governments in preparation for new access roads to the American border.

Volunteer renewal Our all-volunteer local executive board provides leadership in organizing all of our events and meetings. New blood is crucial to maintaining a fresh perspective and to expanding our partnerships in the community. Congratulations to Nino Papa and Chuck Pronger for joining the board of directors this past year. We are also excited to welcome Mark Williams to the board for the coming year. Thanks, as well, to the numerous members who volunteered at Winter Blooms, the golf day and chapter meetings Meeting highlights Attendance at chapter meetings was steady this year with a typical crowd of 12 to 20. Not a bad turn-out for our small chapter. Thank you Dan Garlatti and Wendy Harry for coordinating an interesting speaker program at our chapter meetings.

October 2008: Williams Nursery hosted an afterwork barbecue in conjunction with an open house at the farm in Leamington. On display was quality nursery stock produced by one of LO’s founding members, and also some interesting vintage and custom equipment and artefacts from the barn.

Over 100 people visited over the course of the day, including provincial board members Bob Adams and Tom Intven.

November 2008: The November meeting took the form of a reception to honour the Awards of Distinction winners. The event was held at the St. Clair Student Centre restaurant, Gryph’s. The student centre manager has always been a strong supporter of Winter Blooms. Thanks again to judges Jay Terryberry and Don Tellier for making this event a reality.

December 2008: In December, we welcomed Michael Lewis, who led a discussion on the subject, Typical Business Blunders and How to Avoid Them!

February 2009: One of our newest members, Santerra Stonecraft, hosted a strong contingent that turned out to hear Dan Bissonette speak about the native plant movement of Essex County.

March 2008: Tracey McAllister of Valleybrook Gardens visited the Windsor Chapter in March to talk about new introductions. Tracey also spent significant time sharing her recent experiences in retail and discussing changing demographics, as they relate to the garden centre consumer.

Special events and other activities Bursaries: Once again, the Don Klinck Memorial Bursary was awarded to a St. Clair College horticul-

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ture student. The funds raised from Winter Blooms and donated to the St. Clair College Foundation have allowed for the creation of a new bursary, the Lex Kraft Legacy Award. In fact, the first award was given out in February 2009.

Newsletter/calendar of events: The newsletter continues to be an excellent communication tool for advertising events, meetings and sharing business and industry insight. Thanks to Jay Rivait for all the hard work.

Winter Blooms: Landscape Ontario Windsor Chapter again partnered with St. Clair College to produce Winter Blooms IV. This consumer show and garden symposium in March attracted over 1,000 people again this year. Returning features included a whimsical children’s garden, a clown, and cooking demonstrations. New this year was a spectacular display, assembled by the local orchid society. The LO display featured the new-look Green for Life branding and booth. Staff reported a keen interest in the tax credit hand-outs. All speakers were excellent and sessions were well-attended. As usual, many attendees showed up early just to watch the live broadcast of the CKLW garden phone-in show.

Once again, over 20 different members’ companies participated. The volunteer support of our members (especially Chris Power), St. Clair College staff (especially Don Tellier, Jay Terryberry, Jason Milling, John Lien and Shannon Arnold) and the horticulture students was invaluable. Proceeds from the silent auction and gate receipts allowed us to donate $3,000 to the St. Clair Scholarship Foundation.

President’s message On behalf of the Windsor Chapter, I want to thank all the volunteers and members whose time, effort and input allowed us to promote the green industry in the Windsor, Essex and Chatham-Kent areas. Serving LO as a volunteer often requires a large personal commitment of time and energy. It is a very rewarding experience, because volunteers get back far more than they put in. We have had excellent participation by members again this year. I encourage all of our members to continue to step up and volunteer in this coming year. The outcome can only be positive, when we work together.

On a personal note, thank you to all who have volunteered on the board over the past five years, during my extended term as president. You are a passionate, determined and honest group of leaders.

I have learned a lot from all of you and look forward to continuing to serve the chapter from a different vantage point, as your past president.

Respectfully submitted, Karl Klinck President 2008-2009

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Sector reports The scope and mandate — and therefore the needs — of the various industry sectors served by Landscape Ontario are distinctly different. The specific requirements of each of these groups are facilitated by the association’s sector group structure. The objective of each sector group is to respond to current concerns resulting from marketplace pressures and government legislation.

Garden Centre Chair and Provincial Board Representative: Bob McCannell Members: Barry Benjamin, Perry Grobe, John Hawkes, Alice Klamer, George Kohnen, Robert Kuepfer, Chas Lawton CHT, Shannon Lindensmith, Norm Mills, Robert Richards, Susan Richards, Tony Sgambelluri, Ben Vaan Holt, Michael Van Dongen, Art Vanden Eden CHT Garden Centre Symposium: The 2008 symposium was held October 13 at the Toronto Congress Centre, in conjunction with Garden Expo. The symposium covered topics such as staffing issues, consumer and industry trends, sales, technology, loyalty programs and more.

There was also a networking reception and a chance to see Garden Expo before the show officially opened.

Environmental stewardship: Plastic pot recycling remains a major concern of independent garden centres. An in-depth study was done for LO by a group of MBA students at Wilfrid Laurier University on the possible development of a national recycling initiative. Upon completion, it was brought to the CNLA. The study concluded that each province should tackle recycling on its own. There are a number of independent plastic recyclers in Ontario, and many independent garden centres are working with these companies.

Branding to the consumer: The branding committee launched the Green for Life icon and consumer website www.landscapeontario.com this year. The garden centre committee created a pilot program to encourage and support our 240 independent garden members to create their own profile and have it linked to this website. To date, approximately 30 per cent of our members have created profiles. We encourage all members to take advantage of this co-branding opportunity to connect with the consumer.

Strategic plan: On July 7, the committee devoted a full session to strategic planning for the

Growers Auction.

future of the garden centre industry. Issues and opportunities were identified and then prioritized.

This session addressed the top six issues and the solutions. The strategic plan creates a roadmap for the committee going forward. These same strategies could be adopted by an independent business. I encourage you to contact LO to obtain a copy of this paper.

Garden Centre Inspection Program – Garden Centres Canada: The CNLA Garden Centre Group, known as Garden Centres Canada (GCC), under the leadership of chair Anthony O’Neil, brought Eve Tigwell to Canada. She performed inspections on 18 garden centres across the country, including three in Ontario.

The program was well received with 100 per cent positive feedback. The cost of $750 included all travel expenses, and was viewed as a very fair investment by the garden centres that participated in the program. The GCC is preparing to bring this inspector back to Canada in 2010.

I would encourage Ontario garden centres to participate in this program. Strong participation this year will encourage the development and training of a home-grown trainer to carry on this valuable method of evaluating your independent business.

Projects for 2009-2010 Employee manual – The garden centre committee commissioned the creation of a generic employee manual, which will be available free online to all LO members. The manual will outline company standards, policies and procedures in the workplace. It will also include government standards

that all employees must abide by. This manual is scheduled for completion in March 2010.

Garden Centre Symposium – The annual symposium at Garden & Florial Expo, 2009 had an excellent speaker program, with Tom Shay, Kip Creek and Jeff Morey. A panel discussion was about building your business.

Respectfully submitted, Bob McCannell Chair 2008-2009

Grounds Management Chair: Mike DeBoer CHT Provincial board representative: Brian Marsh Members: Robert Adams, Carmine Filice, Jacki Hart CLP, John Hewson, Sarah Johnston, Anthony Kampen, Russel Loney, Jeff McMann CHT, Rodger Tschanz In 2009, the trial gardens at LO’s home office continued to expand. We completed the circle, as well as added the boulevard bed. The irrigation group became involved this year by using the gardens as an irrigation trial. Since this has grown so much over the last couple of years, we decided as a group to start a sub-committee to run this. Rodger Tschanz from the University of Guelph is chairing this sub-committee.

We looked into organizing a symposium again this year. We started compiling a list of topics to

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009 cover and found most of them fit very well with a lot of the topics found at the IPM symposium.

We contacted Mark Goodman regarding cobranding the IPM symposium and the grounds maintenance symposium. This was welcomed enthusiastically, and we hope to be able to do this again.

We decided to put together a bi-annual newsletter covering some of the hot topics in the grounds maintenance industry. Our first one went out in mid-July and we will be doing the next one late November. Thank you to Anthony for all the work he put into this project.

The grounds management sector group has also supported the Prosperity Partners program by submitting templates that we feel would be helpful to other companies.

We have grown this year as well, with four new members joining our group. These new additions are welcomed as we plan for the future.

Right now we are using the SWOT analysis to help us narrow down some good topics to cover in the coming year. It should help us in the grounds maintenance industry deal with some of the tough day-to-day issues we encounter.

Respectfully submitted, Mike DeBoer Chair, 2008-2009

Growers Co-Chairs: Bart Brusse, Dave Braun Provincial board representative: Dave Braun Members: Gerwin Bouman, Tim Dyer, Jeff Gregg, Chris Langendoen, Jennifer Llewellyn, Glen Lumis, John Moons, Keith Osborne, Mark Ostrowski, Fred Somerville, Melissa Spearing, Youbin Zheng, Bill Putzer, Alex Verbinnen, Dave Tillaart The growers created a strategic plan that developed goals for the year. These goals included, summer tour, fall auction at Mori Nurseries, regular winter meetings, a growers short course (February, 2009), invasive alien pests nursery certification and government relations.

The Growers Research Auction in September 2008 was held at Mori Nurseries in Niagara-onthe-Lake. It was a great success, with beautiful weather and a great turnout. The group raised $21,000 for horticultural research. It was decided that Somerville Nurseries would host the September, 2009 growers auction.

A number of information and training events were held throughout the year. These include: • In February, 2009, another successful Growers Short Course was held at the Royal Botanical

Gardens, organized by Glen Lumis. Approximately 180 people attended the seminar.

As part of the strategic plan, the group began to organize the Feb. 10, 2010 short course.

• The fall dinner meeting in November, 2008, had guest speakers, Susan Dyer of PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Jim Wheeler of Wheeler Group.

The topic covered the scientific research and experimental development program.

Approximately 45 attended the event.

• A seminar entitled, Thriving in any Economy, took place at the Copetown Community Centre. Guest speaker was George Koziarz of George Koziarz and Associates. He spoke about making a profit and also understanding your Trial Gardens. banker. Approximately 45 members enjoyed the presentation.

• A special presentation, Understanding Soil, was given by Jen Llewellyn and Christoph Kessel, both of OMAFRA. In March, 2009, Francesco Pacelli became the new grower technical analyst. One of his main priorities is to help growers implement the certification program.

This past summer, Jen Llewellyn and Keith Osborne organized a tour to southwestern Ontario. The group visited Sloan’s Nursery and Christmas Trees, Downham Nurseries, Elgin Farm, Heritage Country Gardens, Pieper Nurseries and Agrium Advanced Technology. A special thank you is given to Agrium Advanced Technology for sponsoring the lunch and Forterra for sponsoring the breakfast. The tour was a great success with 100 participants taking part.

The group held a special meeting to review priorities of all research projects. A number of the projects involve working with Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.

New members welcomed to the committee are Bill Putzer, Dave Tillaart and Alex Verbinnen.

Respectfully submitted, Bart Brusse, Dave Braun Co-chairs, 2008-2009

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Interior Plantscapes Chair: Stephen Schell CHTI Vice chair: Peter Tigchelaar Provincial board representative: Stephen Schell Members: Hella Keppo CHTI, Bill Peel, Fred Prescod CHTI, Peter Tigchelaar, Liane Unwin CHTI, Phil Van Alstyne CHTI, Nanthankumar Paramanathan, Dave DeVries, Robert van Aerts On Oct. 20, 2008, the commodity group held its fifth annual Interior Landscape Symposium.

This year our symposium was held at the Toronto Congress Centre in conjunction with Garden and Floral Expo. The conference was an unparalleled opportunity to meet and learn from some of the industry’s best. Keynote speakers were McRae Anderson of McCaren Designs, a top interior landscaping firm, who provided valuable information on pruning tips and techniques, selecting the right orchid varieties and many more, and Roy Prevost, a business coach. Though attendance was down, the conference was a success because of the networking and information sessions.

To ensure success for the 2009 conference, the group reviewed the options of holding a fullday conference, or a half-day luncheon event, or a breakfast session.

In order to make other industry sectors aware of the Interior Plantscape group, a booth was designed and manned in the educational section of Congress 2009. Handouts were given to attendees, providing information on

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the mission of the interior group and who they represent, etc.

Sally Harvey and Stephen Schell attended a meeting in Atlanta of the Interiorscape Industry Coalition. They learned about many great networking opportunities. A coalition was formed by U.S. and Canadian members to increase industry awareness of interiorscaping.

Other items of interest the sector group is pursuing include: • an educational breakfast at LO for technicians in June, 2009 • a supplier evening in March, 2009 to communicate and provide networking opportunities • change of name, to reflect the industry, from Interiorscape to Interior Plantscape • review of the strategic plan Committee members feel they are making steps in the right direction and look forward to a successful year in 2010.

Respectfully submitted, Stephen Schell Chair, 2008-2009

Irrigation Chair: Chris Le Conte CIC, CLIA Provincial board representative: Steve Macartney CIT, CHT Members: Walter Afanasiew, Christian Brunet, Brian de Caluwe CIT, Andrew Gaydon, Kara Gibbons, Gillian Glazer, Lorne Haveruk CWCM-L, CID, CIC, CGIA, CLIA, Steve Hernandez CIT, Kevin Jensen CIT, John Lamberink CIT, Mike Ross, Paul Schnarr CIT, Chuck Yates CIT, Harald Zorn CIT It has been a challenging year for the Ontario irrigation industry. The recession resulted in reduced demand for irrigation systems and another year of wet weather virtually eliminated service and even use of existing systems. Coupled with the fact that water rates continue to climb, one can say that 2009 was the ‘Perfect Storm.’

It is not all doom and gloom out there.

There are many stories of new opportunities for our industry. Mainly, there is an opportunity to innovate, learn new techniques, learn about new products and the new ‘green consumer.’ The irrigation sector group is continuing its efforts to offer new educational opportunities for its members and be the voice for our industry. Currently, the group is focusing on improved communication, using our website as a tool to help consumers make intelligent choices about how to select

an irrigation contractor, and the industry’s best management practices.

In water news, it has come to light that the Canadian government is moving forward with investigating the adoption of the U.S. EPA Watersense program. Currently this program speaks to irrigation system installation on single family homes. The EPA is investigating development of an Industrial, Commercial and Institutional program. At this point, it appears very likely that the Watersense program will be adopted for use in Canada. To familiarize yourself with Watersense, visit www.epa.gov/ watersense.

The Ontario Ministry of Environment is currently developing Ontario’s Water Conservation and Efficiency strategy with consultation from various stakeholder groups. As sector group chair, I was able to participate in these stakeholder meetings and give comment on strategy development, concerning the landscape irrigation industry. Stay tuned for progress reports.

I am excited to report that the Town of Wasaga Beach has instituted an evaptranspiration (ET) controller rebate program. A $125 water bill rebate is provided if an ET controller is installed by a CIT (Certified Irrigation Technician) or a CIC (Certified Irrigation Contractor). Wasaga Beach is one of the first municipalities to officially recognize and offer financial incentive for SMART irrigation.

One vigorously debated topic this year was the CIT program. Many comments have been made about the criteria of the program and some concern was expressed about a missing “ongoing education component” to the certification. After lengthy discussion and debate, there are currently modifications being made to the education and exam components associated with this certification.

The irrigation sector group is in the early stages of investigating the potential to make landscape irrigation contracting a licensed trade.

There will be many ramifications, both positive and negative, of this potential shift. For as long as most of us can remember, the most common beef is that that there are many fly-by-night installers ruining the excellent work and reputation of an entire industry. All it takes is one “watering in the rain” complaint to a city representative and we all look bad. Would a licensing requirement fix this? Probably not, but it would allow for a higher standard of work and fair pricing, which would be good for everyone. Currently a licensing sub-committee is gathering preliminary data from regions throughout North America.

Recently, I have been in touch with the IIABC and ACIA (British Columbia and Alberta irrigation associations). They have expressed interest

to work with groups like ours across Canada to develop a potential national strategy for our industry. This is something that will be worked on in more detail into 2010.

Continuing on from a successful 2009 irrigation symposium and AGM, the Irrigation Sector group has once again organized a great event for anyone interested in looking deeper into North American water challenges, or who wants to learn more about green business strategies and rainwater harvesting projects in Ontario.

Attendees will hear from industry-leading companies in Canada and the U.S. As a special guest, the 2008 EPA Watersense Partner of the Year (Irrigation), Tim Malooly of Irrigation By Design, will deliver an update from the Irrigation Association and share experiences gained from years of consulting in the U.S. This event is a must for irrigation contractors interested in growing their business and who want to learn about the challenges and opportunities before us. The event is Jan. 11, 2010. Register today!

Finally, I would like to thank the 10 or so dedicated volunteers who comprise the irrigation sector group and make it to meetings, even when they probably should be out running their businesses. In my opinion, they are doing a great job at representing our industry and have made significant contributions to “raising the bar” in our industry. We welcome more volunteers to sit, share and assist us in speaking out and up for the irrigation industry. We especially need contractors to increase their presence and input at these meetings.

Respectfully submitted, Chris Le Conte Chair, 2009

Landscape Contractors Chair: Peter Guinane Board representative: Bruce Warren Members: Harry Gelderman CHT, Ryan Heath CLP, Dave Turnbull CHT, Brian Clegg, Barry Hordyk, Brian Marsh, Arthur Skolnik, Charlie Dobbin Designer group representative: Janet Ennamorato I would like to thank all of the members of our committee for contributing their time.

The annual lecture series was held in conjunction with Industry Night at Canada Blooms on Mar. 19, 2009. Speakers were Joe Murgel of Stonetech Corporation and Real Eguchi, a landscape architect. The focus of the talks was

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009 about how landscape architects and contractors can work better together. Special thanks to the sponsors of the event: Beaver Valley Stone, Dufferin Aggregate, Eloquip and Unilock. Over 70 attendees at the event enjoyed the presentation and then joined the Industry Night celebration and Canada Blooms awards. Plans for 2010 are now being developed.

The Landscape Contractors group assists with the feature gardens at Canada Blooms by reviewing all entries to ensure they meet industry standards and quality. With the assistance of LO staff and Tim Kearney’s vision, the wow factor returned to the show in the Landscape Ontario garden. The group is looking forward to the 2010 Canada Blooms show at the new location, the Direct Energy Centre.

Items of interest during 2009: • Landscape Contractors newsletter is being sent out via email on a quarterly basis. It focuses on issues pertaining to contractor sector.

• The number of members on the group increased. We would like representatives from all chapters, in order to ensure that the landscape contractors group is capturing the needs of the sector. It was decided to visit all chapters and make a presentation to LO members.

• We reviewed issues and developed a strategic plan. The Landscape Summit focused on common problems, such as labour, permits, etc.

The Contractors support the new Green for Life initiative. We are the green industry and need to get the message out to the public.

Respectfully submitted, Peter Guinane Chair, 2008 - 2009

Landscape Designers Chair: Beth Edney CLD Provincial board representative: Beth Edney Members: Tony Lombardi CLD, Janet Ennamorato, Jennifer Hayman, Paul Brydges, Don Chase CLD, Harry Gelderman, Sabrina Goettler, Judith Humphries, Alice Klamer, Ron Koudys OALA,CLD, Fred Post CLD, John Scanlon, Greg Scarlett CHT, Haig Seferian CLD, Patricia Stanish CLD, Ron Swentiski CLD The Landscape Designers hosted the annual conference at Congress on Jan. 4, 2009. It was a very successful event with over 175 people in

attendance. All speakers and topics were well received by the audience. Added to the conference was a special area, where sponsors of the event had tabletop displays and were able to network with participants. The group also hosted its first designers’ breakfast at Garden Expo. It was close to being a sold out event. Plans for 2010 are well underway, which includes a breakfast seminar at Garden Expo and another great conference in January.

The designer newsletter continues to be a great success and has been widely circulated. It is available on the landscape designers’ sector page on www.horttrades.com.

Certification issues include a founders’ luncheon and the CLD committee. A special founders’ luncheon, for those who initiated the CLD certification program, was held during Congress.

The topic under discussion asked questions about how to stimulate certification, and where do we go from here? It was well received and provided a great networking opportunity. The CLD committee continues to work on reviewing the examination and portfolio. Discussions involve the process, standards and ongoing education opportunities.

An Awards of Excellence sub-committee was formed to look at the criteria of the awards and the review process, to determine how it may be improved and streamlined. The designers’ new presentation criteria: black foam board 24” x 36”, one board, coloured plans only, must indicate north on plan and the name of the city where the project occurred.

A tour of the Ottawa area was planned in August, 2009. Unfortunately, due to other commitments of members and the committee, the tour had to be cancelled. The group will look into hosting a tour in 2010.

Respectfully submitted, Beth Edney Chair 2008-2009

Lawn Care Chair: Gavin Dawson Provincial board representative: Alan White Members: Robert Adams, Thom Bourne CIT, Phil Bull, Pam Charbonneau, Paul Gaspar, Mark Goodman, Rohan Harrison, Martin Horsman, John Ladds, Don McQueen CIT, Nancy Mulhall, Darcy Olds, Danny Passmore, Richard Reed, Dave Soepboer, Tom Somerville, Rod Splane, Kyle Tobin, Steve Tschanz, Bruce Van Haastrecht, Louis Van Haastrecht, Ryan Van Haastrecht, Don Voorhees, John Wright

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It has been a very frustrating and challenging year for the lawn care sector. We countered the government and activist concerns over pesticide use by elevating standards of professionalism.

We significantly reduced pesticide use by focusing on cultural and preventative processes. We also developed the most stringent and credible third-party-audited Integrated Pest Management accreditation program in the world.

With the escalation of many different municipal pesticide bans, we were hoping that the province would introduce legislation to harmonize bylaws. We were also hoping that the legislation would be phased in over a three-year period and that limited use of four low-toxicity products would still be allowed by licensed and IPM-accredited professionals.

In the end, the government introduced legislation in March and banned most pesticides for commercial lawn care in April. The industry was given one month to adapt. This was a very damaging, insensitive and callous action that has unnecessarily hurt many companies and individuals, especially the smaller companies.

To add to the unfairness, the government chose to exempt golf courses, but only if they were IPM accredited through the process that we developed and paid for.

After many years of growth, the industry definitely declined this year. Some of the larger companies had access to Sarritor, a natural fungus of broadleaved weeds, and therefore fared better than most. Many companies resorted to hand-pulling weeds. Others focused on offering additional over-seeding and aeration services.

The lawn care group examined possible legal remedies, however, three different legal opinions did not support legal action.

Another concern is potential cheating. It will be impossible to compete with companies that may be cheating. It is important that companies remain compliant with the legislation, otherwise honest companies will have a serious disadvantage.

Our strategy for next season includes: • Evaluation of the effects of the ban. A detailed credible survey is required.

• Raising awareness of the importance to comply.

• Expansion of Schedule 11 (exempt pesticides).

Hopefully, better products will become available in the near future.

• Asking the ministry to develop rigid, sciencebased criteria for the exempt list, so that viable alternative product development is encouraged.

• Develop sustainable business models for pest control on larger properties.

• Promote the benefits of turf.

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We are focused on helping members adjust to the new reality. We are doing this through education and communication. We also partnered with OTRF in producing a brochure on alternative products.

We will continue our efforts to educate and communicate with all regulatory bodies to foster a fair and realistic perspective. Despite a very challenging year, our members are resilient and hard working. It is these qualities that we will have to rely on to survive in today’s environment.

Respectfully submitted, Gavin Dawson Chair, 2008-2009

Lighting Chair: John Higo Provincial board representative: John Higo Members: Pamela Bingham, Frank DiMarco, Jim Ferguson, Jason Fleming, Gillian Glazer, Carl Hastings, Bryan Hobson, Leon Hordyk, Raymond Josephian, Susan Smith, James Solecki, Joe Willemse One of the main issues for this sector is the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) regulation. Our goal is to have ESA recognize the competency, credibility and professionalism of the certified landscape lighting industry. We continue to be active on this issue, and are awaiting information and confirmation, re the Act. Unfortunately, there has been little movement. Note: permits and inspections are now required for all jobs.

Training and certification were priorities this year. The group worked on developing a training manual for the writing test and practical test stations. This is an ongoing project.

Other priorities include communication through a newsletter, promotional material, ‘Selecting a Lighting Contractor’ brochure, and to develop a one-day lighting symposium, including a mini-trade show.

Respectfully submitted, John Higo Chair, 2008-2009

Snow and Ice Chair: Edward Hewis Provincial board representative: Gerald Boot CLP Members: Randy Adams, Vince Arone, John Buikema, Carmine Filice, John Fulford, Steve Hary, Mark Humphries, Keith McDow,

Snow and Ice Symposium.

Jim Monk CSP, John O’Leary CHT, Darren Rodrigues, Robert Roszell, Bob Tester, Willem Tiemersma, Martin Tirado SIMA This year’s focus was to create and implement standard record keeping forms, adopt and promote the Smart about Salt program as a benchmark for good practices, examine and revise the current Landscape Ontario Snow Contract, and produce the Snow/Ice Symposium.

Through hard work from the members of the committee, we succeeded in creating the standard record keeping forms, successfully ran training seminars on the Smart about Salt program, and by all accounts produced an exceptional

Snow/Ice Symposium.

The work on the Landscape Ontario Snow Contract is an ongoing process. It has proved a daunting task, because of the complexity involved in ensuring that all of the stakeholders are adequately protected. However, as a group, we are continuing with the task, and anticipate it will be ready for the 2010 season.

I offer my wishes to all members of Landscape Ontario, who provide winter maintenance services, a safe and prosperous season.

Respectfully submitted, Edward N. Hewis Chair 2008 – 2009

Committee reports All of Landscape Ontario’s affairs are governed by its members. Regional needs are met at the chapter level, while industryspecific issues are dealt with at the sector group level. All other affairs are conducted at the committee level. Some, such as Congress, Publishing or Finance, are long-standing committees that oversee the association’s very important, revenue-generating activities.

Often, committees are formed on an as-needed basis to deal with specific matters.

Once a committee has successfully completed its mandate, the committee is discontinued.

Branding Co-chairs: Bob McCannell and Paul Doornbos CHT, CLP Members: Robert Adams, Diana Cassidy-Bush

CLP, Phil Dickie, Tom Intven, Tim Kearney CLP, Shannon Lindensmith, Steve Macartney CIT, CHT, Jim McCracken, Mark Ostrowski, Alan White Members of LO’s Branding Committee are proud of this year’s achievements. Our volunteer committee guided the creation of a branding initiative that is catching on with Ontario consumers, and catching the attention of like-minded green industry associations across the continent.

To summarize our task, in 2008 we launched a three-year public promotion project to re-brand Landscape Ontario and its members. It was to be a co-operative effort among branding professionals, LO members and LO staff. Our financial resources prevent us from staging an effective promotion strategy through mass media buys, but we formulated a plan nevertheless, taking advantage of many resources in other forms. We

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009 started with market research to develop a new logo and tagline – Green for Life – that resonated with our female target market. The logo was also designed to drive traffic to our consumer website, www.landscapeontario.com, the centrepiece of the plan. While we cannot buy TV ads, we have a wealth of horticultural knowledge and stunning images to connect homeowners with our industry, and inspire them to enhance their families’ lives with the benefits our industry provides. The direct connection is the Find-a-Member page of the website.

Committee, consultants and staff worked diligently last winter to make the effort’s launch deadline, March 2009. We are proud to have succeeded. The new site saw an immediate traffic increase.

Our March launch date coincided with Canada Blooms, and we raised the bar considerably by building an ambitious Green for Life feature garden at the show. Even more impressive, the garden was built by Garden Creations of Ottawa – owner and committee member Tim Kearney believed so much in the effort, he brought his Ottawa design and construction team to Toronto.

The garden was a vibrant, colourful showcase of LO chapter projects across the province, underlining the life benefits our industry provides.

The committee continues its commitment to Green for Life after the program’s successful launch. We are mindful the horticultural content of our offerings must be kept fresh. We also have a great PR story to tell, and continue our efforts to spread the word on GFL through media and events. Member uptake of the program has been enthusiastic and gratifying, but getting even more members to use the brand is a priority.

The co-chairs sincerely thank all the participants on this branding journey. The stakes were high, the outcome was uncertain, and the effort required was exceptional. Thanks for helping create Green for Life, on behalf of our entire industry.

Respectfully submitted, Bob McCannell and Paul Doornbos Co-chairs, 2009

Canada Blooms Co-chairs: Peter Guinane and Janet Rowley Directors: Gerald Boot CLP, Mark Cullen, Jeff Olsen, Roz Titley, Michel Gauthier, Joyce Johnson, Jacqueline Tilford Clarke Canada Blooms is still a great opportunity for Landscape Ontario to showcase our best ideas,

our best builders, and our best products to the public. Congratulations and thank you to the builders, suppliers, staff and volunteers who created this amazing show. A special thank you to David Turnbull and Charlie Dobbin for organizing the materials and move-in again this year. Their enthusiasm has not diminished and their guidance for new builders is invaluable. David will be moving on to allow Kevin Foster to continue his role at future shows. Best of luck to David.

Gilles Bouchard has taken over the managing of the marketplace and increased the number of vendors, as well as securing a record amount of pre-booked returning vendors for 2010.

Each year, we are presented with new and unique challenges. This year’s event occurred at the depths of the media storm about doom and gloom over the recession. Our message of hope, growth, life, health, energy (and anything else your personal response to gardening evokes) was a welcome counterpoint. Attendance was down this year, however, Gerry Ginsberg, as general manager, was very effective in mitigating many of our expenses and brought the event close to self-sufficiency.

Another stunning opening night party, with phenomenal news coverage, gave Canada Blooms a good start. Special guests, the Lieutenant Governor, the Irish ambassador and the Minister of Tourism for Ontario gave the opening night a very high profile.

This year, Industry Night included the annual contractors’ lecture series. Speakers Joe Murgel from Stonetech and Real Eguchi, a landscape architect, shared their unique and interesting experiences, much to the delight of all in attendance. Real exposed a side of himself that was quite unexpected!

We continued with the special discounted ticket price for attendees arriving after 5 p.m., and in recent years promoted group tours.

Canada Blooms 2010 will take place at the Direct Energy Centre. We are very excited about this move, as it is expected to be much easier for the garden builders, as well as the public, to access the event. Many new features, as well as old favourites, will be on display. With your help, Canada Blooms will continue to increase awareness of horticulture and educate the public about our central role in the green industry. Please visit our website www.canadablooms.com to find out more about this great event. We look forward to seeing you there from March 17 to 21, at the Direct Energy Centre.

Respectfully submitted, Peter Guinane, Janet Rowley Co-chairs, 2009

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CNLA LO representative: Gerald Boot CLP The CNLA Board of Directors met at Winnipeg, Man., in February and in Calgary in August.

Our industry continues to move forward and a great contributing reason is the alliances that Landscape Ontario has with the CNLA. The Calgary meetings celebrated a change of the guard on the executive committee, as Paul Olsen stepped off the board after serving CNLA first as the Landscape Ontario representative and then for a number of years on the executive committee, including two years as president. Paul’s contribution to the CNLA was huge, especially in the area of fiscal responsibility and financial sustainability. CNLA continues to be represented

by Landscape Ontario members on its board and executive committee. Bill Stensson is the current first vice-president, while Rene Thiebaud CLP is the treasurer. Terry Nicholson CHT is the certification chair, Harold Deenen CLP continues as the human resource chair, while Gerald Boot CLP is the insurance chair.

In Winnipeg and Calgary, the board received reports from the provinces and the various CNLA committees. Some of the highlights are: • Membership benefit programs have seen revenue go down, due in part to GM and the economy. Some concerns were raised on the discount programs not being as good as they could be. The committee will touch base with the provinces to get recommendations.

• The environmental practices scorecard, developed in collaboration with Landscape Ontario, has been sent around the country and received close to 300 responses to date.

• Insurance programs are still performing well, despite the soft market.

• CNLA continues to do great work on the government relations side. Being a national association, it has the teeth to deal with government, as it represents the entire industry across the Canada.

• CNLA dropped out of Canadian Horticultural Council four years ago, as it was not doing much for us. We are now a part of Canadian Ornamental Horticultural Alliance (COHA), along with the Quebec association (FIHOQ) and Flowers Canada. Creating COHA was a response to this need for representation. COHA has since hired a part-time executive director and held a meeting in Ottawa to tell our story to over 40 government officials. The Economic Impact Study was a great result of this group working together. Funding is becoming an issue for the association; it needs $100,000 to $150,000 to

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move on. FIHOQ and CNLA are willing to put in more funds, but Flowers Canada has indicated that it cannot. We need to keep in mind that by supporting our partners, we are helping ourselves. A total of $30,000 is needed to help support COHA, and more funds may be needed to help compensate the shortfall from Flowers Canada. COHA has made an application for membership with the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC).

• Since the federal election, activity on the Political Action Committee has ramped up. The goal is to encourage our members to go meet their own MPs. We need participation from the provinces to help make this happen. Canada Revenue posted the exact wording that CNLA had suggested for the description of the Home Renovation Tax Credit. We need to be reminded that government relations is more than just growers’ issues, it is for all our sectors.

• Ornamental Working Group (OWG) noted that water is one of the main concerns. Other priorities include health, environment, safety, education and job creation. OWG is willing to fund a feasibility study on the issue of changing the name of our industry to environmental horticulture, to more reflect our activities.

• Garden Centres Canada held an inspection program for the first time in this country.

Feedback received from the 18 garden centres was good. Inspection criteria still need to be reviewed and adapted to Canada. The committee is considering creating a garden centre award, based on the results at the provincial awards.

• IGCA Congress in Vancouver last year received great feedback from all of the IGCA members.

CNLA is still administering the association, which is doing well. The board wishes to keep CNLA as the administrator. The largest Canadian delegation ever attended the Congress this past September in Manchester, England.

Next year’s Congress is in Japan.

• Growers Canada reported that the first DPCP certified nursery was in Alberta. Morden Research Station is not going to close completely, only the ornamental section. There is a great deal of enthusiasm around the country about this option to continue and for the industry to have control over this type of research, which has lead the growers committee to make a formal proposal for the rights on the genetic material.

• There are always lots happening with human resources. By now, everyone must know that we are a designated Red Seal trade, which means that apprentices are eligible for grants right away, even if the exam is not ready yet. The National Occupation Classifications

(NOC) Codes are being reviewed. Our Landscape Canada committee also assisted with this. For 2009, there was a decreased demand for foreign workers. This is no longer a priority for this year. Human Resources and Skills Development was receptive to having us involved on their foreign workers committee. On-the-job Congress. training (OJT) tools were developed in collaboration with CAHRC, but funding is needed to develop the train the master trainer portion. The OJT material is available through the CAHRC office, but it is only available to those who participated in the training session.

• Landscape Canada Committee continues to work on objectives identified at the Landscape Summit last year. It is starting to prioritize the initiatives and create alliances.

• CNLA was directed to become one of the stakeholders or partners of the Vineland consortium. CNLA’s national presence at Vineland is vital for our industry. The funds capitalized for the project will be used for research. In order to stay abreast of all the activities of our national association, please pay attention to the CNLA news briefs.

It continues to be an honour and pleasure to represent Landscape Ontario at the CNLA board.

Respectfully submitted, Gerald Boot CLP CNLA representative

Congress and Garden & Floral Expo Chair: Brian Lofgren Vice-chair, Congress: Brian Cocks CHT Vice-chair, Garden Expo/Florist Expo: Beth Edney CLD Members: Scott Beaudoin, Terry Childs, Doug Coote, Paul Degroot, Barry Dickson, Nathan Helder, Michael Laporte CHT, Bob McCannell, Klaas Sikkema, Nick Solty, Monica van Maris Last year started out well, as Garden Expo’s

revenue rose six per cent and net income was five per cent. Then the economy started to decline in Canada, after it had in the U.S. the previous year. As a result, Americans stopped spending in Canada and concentrated on their homefront. Subsequently, Congress fell three per cent and 12 per cent in revenue and net income, respectively.

Attendance at both events dropped marginally, as delegates stayed close to home to monitor the economic climate. Also, a snowstorm on the middle day during Congress didn’t help.

The show committee has asked staff to cut expenses by at least 10 per cent as we go forward in anticipation of further declining revenue.

Garden & Floral Expo was held Oct. 21 and 22, 2008 and Congress from Jan. 6 to 8, 2009; both at the Toronto Congress Centre.

Garden & Floral Expo 2008 Garden & Floral Expo is Canada’s retail buying show for garden centres, gift boutiques, florists and mass merchant retailers with seasonal departments. Flowers Canada’s Toronto chapter joined LO in producing the event and sponsors included Pick Ontario, Greenstar, Sester Farms, Fafard, Turf Revolution, Steam Whistle, Floralife, Wiilowbrook and Qualitree Propagtors. From the entire committee, a big thank you to all.

The staff welcomed Gilles Bouchard to the team in a sales capacity. In return, the LO show department staff helped him out at Canada Blooms.

The loss of the co-located National Hardware Show Canada hurt attendance in 2008. We are constantly looking for a replacement to increase traffic.

The Garden Centre symposium and the Interiorscape conference both ran the day before the show. The symposium attendance remained constant, around 100, but the Interiorscape numbers dropped dramatically due to buyouts and amalgamations within the industry.

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

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The New Product Showcase was once again a big hit as 89 per cent of the attendees said the number one reason for attending Garden & Floral Expo was to see new products. A survey conducted after the show indicated that almost 80 per cent came to source new suppliers, 75 per cent to upgrade their product knowledge, 60 per cent to discover industry trends, and 46 per cent planned to purchase.

From the exhibitor side, 87 per cent of those who answered the survey met their objectives, 73 per cent wrote orders and 73 per cent planned to return in 2009, the show’s 10th anniversary.

Congress 2009 Congress, Canada’s largest horticultural, lawn and garden trade show and conference, offered four full days of education, products, vendors and networking opportunities, running from January 6 to 8, 2009. Delegates from all industry sectors, landscape architects, designers, contractors, grounds maintenance pros and others allied to the trades participated in the show.

I thank our sponsors: Gold – Ariens, Kubota and Banas Stones; Silver- Doubletree Toronto Airport Hilton, Exmark, Sester Farms and SnowEx and Bronze – Bobcat, Radisson Suite Hotel Toronto Airport, Sittler Environmental, Vermeer Canada and Zen Spa. The year 2009 saw the launch of the Green Forum, which featured 40 leading green products, services and initiatives and was gratefully aided with the sponsorship of Turf Revolution and John Deere. A mayors’ breakfast kicked off the Forum, attracting about 20 prominent politicians and was covered live by Breakfast Television. A speaker’s stage was set-up on the show floor and coordinated by Project Evergreen, Communities in Bloom and the CNLA. Exhibit space declined for the first time, as Ford pulled out, GM drastically reduced its booth size and many U.S. companies cancelled at the last minute. However, for those exhibitors who did participate, 100 per cent who took part in the survey said their marketing objectives were met, 95 per cent generated new leads, and 81 per cent said the attendance was good to excellent, despite the snowstorm on the middle day.

The Conference again ran for four days, but attendance was down slightly. Many thanks to Plant Publicity Holland for sponsoring the keynote speaker Jan Habets from Holland, who spoke about the green initiative. Each year the conference is co-promoted with the help of 17 educational partners.

Congress 2009 was our first green show and conference, earning a Zero Waste Certificate. The report received after the show indicated that we

CHT testing - July.

saved 40 trees, 12,478 litres of oil, 29,866 kilowatts of energy, 64 kilograms of air pollutants, 61 cubic metres of land fill, and 132 cubic metres of biogas. Congratulations one and all.

Summary I take this opportunity to thank the LO staff, volunteers and committee members resolved to stay the course during a year of unprecedented change. It is my pleasure to have chaired this hard-working committee that helped to keep both Congress and Garden & Floral Expo in the top 50 largest Canadian trade shows at eight and 42 respectively.

Respectfully submitted, Brian Lofgren Chair, 2008-2009

Education/ Training and Human Resource Development Education and labour development was identified by the LO board of directors as a top priority for 2009. Using the five pillars of Prosperity Partners, the program is designed to help business owners and managers to be prosperous, and simultaneously develop work and life balance. All programming and services are aligned with our promise to LO members to partner with them in their prosperity journey.

Department activity Apprenticeship: • Basic in-class theory will be 12 weeks • New Apprentice Completion Grant received an additional $2,000 for apprentices who complete their C of Q exam • Continue to work with MTCU to expand programs • LO staff attending regional apprenticeship fairs Certification: • It was a very successful year for certification.

We have 54 new CHTs, three new CLDs and 18 new CLPs in 2009 • Candidates in the Specialist High Skills Major program came from five secondary schools.

• New logo “Landscape Industry Certified” to be launched in January, 2010.

• Four CHT written test dates provided candidates with the opportunity to challenge any written certification exam (CIT, CLD, CHT, Exterior/ Interior/Retail, CLP) • Landscape Ontario proctored the SIMA certified snow professional exam.

• Dates are set for 2010 for Milton, Ottawa, Kemptville College, London/Fanshawe College and St. Clair College Skills Canada: • LO working closely with both the secondary and post-secondary committees, providing support throughout the planning process and judging • Landscape Ontario will be the host provincial representative for the 2010 Canadian Skills Competition (post secondary school) and a support representative for the Ontario

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Technological Skills Competition (secondary school) Safety Group and SCIP: • Offer Introductory safety programs across the province that guide employers and representatives towards developing safety policies and procedures that comply with WSIB and the Ministry of Labour • 2009 Landscape Ontario Safety Group was very successful • 2010 registration is indicating a strong group • Rebate cheque totaled: $32,000 among 17 firms • Safe Communities Incentive Program dispersed rebates to the Ottawa Chapter • WSIB is developing a new program for new businesses and new owners within SCIP for 2010 Professional Development: • The Professional Development Workshops for 2008/2009 were very successful, with approximately 1,400 participants in the 150 seminars. Kathy McLean continues to strive to hear the needs of the industry and to cater to those development requests within the programming • Various symposia were developed and presented to the industry, including: Snow and Ice Symposium in September, 2008, included a mini-trade show with 15 suppliers and over 100 participants; Garden Centre Symposium, held in conjunction with Garden Expo, with 100 participants; Interior Plantscape Symposium, held in conjunction with Garden Expo, with 55 participants; IPM symposia with four locations, each well attended; Congress conferences included a pre-trade show symposium series, including the landscape designers’ conference, CLP seminar and irrigation conference, which were all very successful.

Specialist High Skills Major Programs The Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) allows students to focus on a career path that matches their individual skills and interests. Each major is a bundle of six to 12 courses in a selected field, such as horticulture and landscaping.

Students who choose a major learn on-the-job with employers, as well as in school and can earn valuable industry certifications. Students completing a major leave confident that they are prepared with the knowledge, skills, and industry-recognized qualifications desired by employers, postsecondary education and apprenticeship programs. In 2008/ 2009, 14 secondary schools offered the SHSM.

Human Resource Development Committee The committee concentration for 2009 continued towards alignment of programs available to the trade, and secondary and post secondary students. The goal is to promote an environment for continuous improvement in regards to all education and training opportunities. The underlying focus going forward is to develop a safe industry in possession of a higher competency level, led by business owners and managers operating prosperous companies that fulfill our association’s mission.

This committee is comprised of representation from Ontario Horticultural Educators Council, Horticulture Ontario School Teachers Association, Apprenticeship Industry Council for Landscape Horticulture, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, Landscape Ontario Education and Labour Development Department, the Certification Committee, and industry representatives. Future meetings will strive to include attendance by an Ontario Parks Association representative, as we continue to partner with OPA in education programs.

The Education and Labour Development Department looks forward to continuing to strive towards partnering with our members on their journey towards prosperity.

Respectfully submitted Sally Harvey CHT, CLP Manager of education training and human resource development

tee members were involved in seminars and presentations featured on the Green Forum’s staging area.

Throughout the past year, the committee diligently worked on developing the Environmental Report card. Drafts were sent out to the commodity groups for feedback and evaluation. CNLA continued to revise the format (Survey Monkey), each time improving it and making it easier to be completed. An email address was created (environment@landscapeontario.com) to gather comments and suggestions. Finally, on April 22, the first version of the Environmental Scorecard was launched. (www.horttrades.com and watch for the flashcard) The Environmental Stewardship Committee felt that creating environmental awareness was important, and so it was decided to share the report card with others. The report card was distributed across Canada with many provincial associations using it to further develop their own environmental activities. Articles have been written in Horticulture Review, Landscape Trades, and in the Condominium Manager magazine, promoting the industry’s efforts in creating an environmental report card.

I would like to recognize my fellow committee members, staff from LO and CNLA for their dedication and contributions and look forward in working with them in the upcoming year.

Respectfully submitted, Nathan Helder Chair 2008-2009

Environmental Stewardship Committee

Farm Safety Association

Chair: Nathan Helder Members: Susan Antler, Anthony Kampen, John Lamberink CIT, Chris LeConte, Keith Osborne, Art VandenEnden CHT, Alan White, Anna Van Maris, Tim Miotto, Sean James, Bob McCannell, Hugh Berry, James Solecki, Alex Zalewski

Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) has adopted the slogan “The Road to Zero,” which means ultimately the elimination of all injuries. In order to enhance the delivery of health and safety services throughout the province in a cost-efficient manner, the Ontario Service Safety Alliance (OSSA), Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA) and the Farm Safety Association (FSA), with the WSIB’s active encouragement, have formed a new Health and Safety Association (HSA). This new association, called Safe Workplace Promotion Services Ontario (SWPSO), forms one organization that will serve the industrial, service and farm sectors across Ontario, with workplacerelated occupational health and safety needs. A transitional board, comprised of OSSA, IAPA and

The year 2008 was busier than ever for the Environmental Stewardship Committee. The committee participated in the first-ever Green Forum at Congress, which was a huge success. The Green Forum, in partnership with Communities in Bloom and Landscape Ontario, brought together contractors, consultants, and municipal leaders to discuss best practices on sustainable green initiatives. Several commit-

Executive chair: Peter Olsen

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009 FSA members, has worked with the assistance of corporate governance advisors and lawyers on the organizational structure of the amalgamated corporation.

The board of directors is composed of knowledgeable and experienced individuals with a successful history of leadership and a commitment to the promotion of workplace health and safety. In addition to the board of directors, there will also be advisory councils. It is anticipated that the amalgamated company will have a minimum of three advisory councils, one for each of the previously-noted organizations. The advisory councils are to serve as a forum to provide sector-specific expertise to assist the new corporation to achieve its mission. The end goal is to enable the workplaces under the umbrella of the new association to be the healthiest and safest in the world.

This amalgamation is expected to improve efficiency at both the field and the office levels. It will give better geographical distinction, meaning more people on the ground to get the word out, and thus increasing the level of service. There will also be much better access to research and product development. Amalgamation will improve support of staff and the level of service, because of partnering with established workplace safety networks and programming.

The Guelph office and its staff will remain as is, although some job descriptions might change, possibly providing more specialization in the respective fields.

Respectfully submitted Peter Olsen Executive chair, 2009

Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation Chair: John Wright Members: Bob Allen, Barry Benjamin, Brian Cocks CHT, Hank Gelderman CHT, Ben Kobes, Dan Passmore, John Peets, Mike Thomas, Marc Thiebaud, Dave Turnbull CHT, Neil Vanderkruk, Monica van Maris.

The Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation is the research and scholarship arm of Landscape Ontario. The Foundation’s mandate is to ensure a healthy future for the horticultural industry. This is achieved through financial support of research and scholarships received from the interest generated on capital investments.

The capital in the Foundation has continued to grow, despite very few organized fundrais-

ing activities. Most of the funds are generated through association events and activities.

The Foundation would like to thank donors.

Donations received this year are from: John Wright, Monica van Maris, Joerg Leiss, Mario Stellato, Michael Gregorasz, P. Worgan, S. Hirsig, W. Hessenthaler, Ann Jakins, N. Paramanathan, A-1 Landscaping, Armstrong Landscaping, Barry Benjamin and Associates, Birds Creek Development, Blue Jay Sprinkler, Cambridge Landscaping, Cameron Landscaping, Denbok Landscaping, Eastbrook Contracting, Enviroscape, Forecast Landscaping, Forever Green, Garden Holistics, Green Canada, Green FX Landscaping, Griffith Property, Gunn Duncan, Hedgegrow Farms, Home Garden Solutions, Kings Valley, Maitland and Maitlands Landscaping, NutriLawn Durham, Nutri-Lawn Ottawa, OJ Muller Landscaping, Paysagement Trillium, Robert Allen Horticulture, Rosepar Landscaping, Royalty Landscaping, Stevens Large Tree Sales, Tumber and Associates, Underhill Landscaping, Walters Landscaping and Yorkshire Garden Services.

Providing scholarships is particularly close to the hearts of Foundation supporters, who point with pride to the many recipients who are now successful industry members. This year, we distributed $23,000 in scholarships to students enrolled in horticultural programs across the province.

The Foundation is especially pleased to encourage high school students to enter the landscape industry, by offering scholarship opportunities as they begin their careers. This year, the Foundation initiated a new scholarship program, Scholarships for New High School Graduates.

Congratulation to this year’s recipients Post Secondary Scholarship ($1,000): Amanda Barr, Algonquin Shane Benish, Humber Patrick Biller, Niagara Parks Tory Carmichael, Algonquin Richard Fournier, Fanshawe Kayleigh Holden, Fanshawe Jessica Horsburgh, St. Clair John Levesque, St. Clair Miriam Palmer, Fanshawe Katie Rettig, St. Clair Robert Toste, Sir Sandford Fleming Christine van den Bogerd, Niagara Parks High School Scholarship ($1,000): Jordan Albers, Niagara Parks Derek Brick, Univ. of Guelph David Charpentier, Algonquin College Telesphore Marie, Niagara Parks Sean May, Univ. of Guelph

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Matthew Owen, Algonquin College Delor Popplewell , Humber Shane Rea, Algonquin College Jackie van der Heyden, Niagara Parks asey van Maris Memorial Scholarship C ($1,000): Henry Sikkema, Niagara College Tony DiGiovanni Scholarship ($1,000) Sonny Parkes, Niagara Parks At Congress 2009, the Foundation hosted the Legacy Lounge for the pioneers of the industry.

Approximately 40 pioneers visited the lounge to talk about old times, what is happening now in the industry and what they hope to see happen in the future. The lounge was a way to thank them for the contribution to the industry. This year, the Foundation invited the Chapter Board and Industry Sector Group members. Approximately 20 visited the lounge, which was a friendly spot to sit, relax, talk with others and enjoy refreshments. The Foundation thanks the following companies that sponsored the Legacy Lounge: HortProtect Nutrite Draglam Developments Echo Power Equipment (Canada) Kubota Canada Stihl Vanden Bussche Irrigation Research programs The Foundation has also contributed to numerous research programs. In 2009, the Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation contributed a total of $51,519.51 to the following projects: • University of Guelph, $19,944.51, taxonomy and digital identification of insects • University of Guelph, $10,000, Biology and management of tar spot of maple in Ontario • University of Guelph, $9,375, Leaf and stem diseases of boxwood • Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation, $4,200, literature review of pesticide alternative project • Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation - $3,000 – turfgrass species display garden sponsorship • Fanshawe College, $5,000, Skills Canada Competition Fundraising programs • “In Memoriam” card for members can contribute a memorial gift to help support Ontario’s horticulture industry. Donors receive a charitable tax receipt.

• Donation card for members and others to contribute to sustain Ontario’s horticulture industry through research and scholarships.

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Donors will receive a charitable tax receipt.

• “Sustain the industry you love” donation card for members to leave a contribution to the foundation through their estate.

Thank you to all the members of the Foundation for their efforts and participation over the past year.

Respectfully submitted, John Wright Chair 2008-2009

IPM Symposium Chair: Mark Goodman Committee members: Monica van Maris, Doug Smith, Jeff Lowartz CHT, Kyle Tobin, Pam Charbonneau, Jennifer Llewellyn, Gerald Stephenson, Violet Van Wassenaer, John Wright The year 2009 brought many changes and challenges for the committee and the IPM Symposium.

First, I would like to thank our dedicated committee members who help to ensure the symposia are delivered to our members and others in the industry.

I cannot find enough words to express my sincere thank you to Monica van Maris, for her years of dedication and hard work developing the symposium for our industry. When Monica asked me to chair the committee, I felt honoured and very privileged.

One of the main challenges faced by the committee and the agenda plan for the symposium was the provincial pesticide legislation.

The committee realized that the focus for the symposium includes education, tools and legislation. With that in mind, a great agenda was created for the full-day symposia at four locations. Thank you to Pat Hillmer for helping the committee to organize and structure the events.

Attendance was very good in all four cities (approximately 750 attendees in total), with a record number in Toronto.

Thank you to our sponsors: JB&D Company, LandscapeSafety.com, Rittenhouse, Plant Products and Turf Revolution, whose presence added value to the event With a year of the provincial pesticide act behind us, we as a committee are very excited and look forward to bringing the 2010 IPM symposia with speakers and topics you will not want to miss.

Respectfully submitted, Mark Goodman Chair 2008-2009

Pesticide Industry Council Chair: John Wright Secretary: Tony DiGiovanni CHT Manager PIC-PTP: Tom Somerville Originally, the Pesticide Industry Council (PIC) was formed on behalf of the pesticide industry

by Landscape Ontario’s Lawn Care Commodity Group to administer the Pesticide Technician Program (PTP). The Pesticide Industry Council has worked with the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MOE) since 2000 to meet those new requirements of the Pesticide Act (Ontario Regulation 914). Under the new requirements at the time, anyone who applied pesticides had to either be licensed or have technician status.

Now all unlicensed assistants working with licensed exterminators must complete a basic pesticide safety course in order to legally apply pesticides. The PTP meets the new requirements.

It is a basic two-part safety program that incorporates both practical and academic components in the training requirements. Landscape Ontario is the administrator of the PTP, on behalf of the MOE. The Pesticide Industry Council has representation from Hydro One, Canadian Golf Superintendents Association, Ontario Golf Superintendents Association, Professional Lawn Care Association of Ontario, Urban Pest Management Council, Crop Protection Institute, International Society of Arboriculture, Ontario Parks Association, Ontario Vegetation Management Association, Structural Pest Management Association and Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association.

This year the PTP, and consequently, the PIC, were significantly affected by the Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act, 2009 (formerly Bill 64) that was passed in the Ontario Legislature on June 18, 2009. The Act amended the Pesticides Act to prohibit the use and sale of pesticides that may be used for cosmetic purposes. As a result of this new regulation, the numbers of people enrolling in the PTP were significantly lower and the program material had to be changed to reflect the new law.

The technician enrolment numbers dropped from an average of over 1,200 each year for the last six years to 840 this year. The total enrolment of technicians to date is 10,616. Most of

the decline in enrolment involved the lawn care industry. There were 17 new people who became qualified PIC Accredited Examiners, for a total to date of 640.

Due to the implementation of the Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act, the PIC has been working with the MOE to change the training and testing material to reflect the new regulation. The technician training manual and the question bank now reflect the new regulations.

Members of Pesticide Technician Advisory Council who have contributed significantly to changing the PTP training materials to reflect the changes set out in the Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act include Wanda Michalowicz, Crystal LaFrance, Suzanne Durst of the MOE, John Wright, Tom Somerville from PIC, Gary VanderHeide and Gerald Vander Ploeg of PIRC. Respectfully submitted John Wright Chair, 2008-2009

Prosperity Partners Chair: Bob Tubby CLP Members: Gerald Boot CLP, Bill DeLuca, Kevin Ford, Hank Gelderman CHT, Jacki Hart CLP, Michael Van Dongen and Robert Wilton The successes we celebrate from the past year’s efforts include: 160 level one (Intro) and 30 best practices participants, ongoing mentoring relationships between industry members, 28 Prosperity candidates who completed the level one through BCLNA, a template library online with 90-plus templates for best practices candidates to use and corporate sponsorship of the program. There have been countless testimonials from participants of the program that shows it is teaching them to think differently about business.

The program continues to be developed and expanded. Plans for the 2010 professional development season include: • The addition of a new roundtable seminar, which focuses on networking and creative solutions to business challenges in each of the five Prosperity Pillars: Financial Health, Sales Success, Customer Loyalty, Professional Operations.

• The addition of a new web-based Prosperity Forum, which will enable participants to ask questions and post solutions to their business challenges.

• The delivery of the Prosperity Program information session and each of the three

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009 Prosperity Partners seminars in every chapter (minimum registration of 10 per seminar).

• Training and introduction of additional instructors to help us expand the Prosperity Partners network.

The pillars of the Prosperity Partners program form the foundation on which all Landscape Ontario’s professional development programs and resource articles are organized and help guide us on a continuous journey of business development toward a prosperous career and lifestyle.

Respectfully submitted, Bob Tubby CLP Chair, 2008

Publishing Chair: Hank Gelderman CHT Members: Gerald Boot CLP, Laura Catalano, Marty Lamers and Bob Tubby CLP LO’s publishing initiatives continue to serve Canada’s green industry and LO members well, despite a challenging year. Advertising sales were definitely down in 2009, since promotion budgets are the first to get cut when things get tight. However, our sound publication policies and market leadership proved their value during the downturn.

Landscape Trades continues its role as the most respective and authoritative trade maga-

zine for Canada’s horticulture industry. While its content has always supported the Prosperity Partners’ pillars of business success, the editors are taking special pains to help readers see that connection. The Landscape Trades Source Book, now in its 20th year, remains the only product directory for Canada’s green industry. LO’s custom online database management system has helped dramatically to promote the efficiency and accuracy of this massive project.

As the community that brings members together, Horticulture Review continues to shine. We are pleased that a sustainable electronic communications vehicle has grown out of HR’s success. The LO This Week e-broadcast highlights events and timely news, in an easyto-read format. It also distributes a link to the digital version of Horticulture Review, extending its reach to students, employees or anyone else interested.

Members have also been brought closer together by the successfully-revamped www.horttrades.com. Be sure to bookmark this site to keep in touch with your sector and your chapter.

LO’s publishing team was integral to LO’s Green for Life promotional initiative, which launched at Canada Blooms. Staff worked hard, along with member volunteers, on brand development, and continues with web and print support. Results of the program have been very successful, and our sister associations across Canada may brand their consumer outreach with Green for Life as well.

At the same time, the team stepped up to the plate and published the Canada Blooms official show guide. In a unique flip format, the full-colour Garden Inspiration also featured homeowner-targeted spreads on award-winning landscapes, new plants and how to connect with LO members. The project was self-supporting; no association dollars funded it, and 50,000 free copies of the piece were distributed.

The publishing team is also excited about new ideas coming out of LO’s Education and Labour Development Department. It has helped look at print and web support for education with a fresh eye, and has done lots of work to integrate offerings and make education more accessible and appealing to the trades.

Publishing continues working with the trade shows — in everything from developing visual identities and marketing themes to basic print production. We have now relieved the shows of two major expense line-items, the show guides.

Instead, we are supporting the cost of producing the guides through advertising, as well as giving Congress and Garden Expo exhibitors new promotional opportunities.

Stephen Barker CHT, CIT Ganden Landscapes Jim Bauer Bauer Landscape and Garden Maintenance Brian Baun B.K. Baun Landscape Rob Baxby Nutri-Lawn – Kingston/Belleville Scott Beaudoin Greendale Garden Products Susan Beduhn Horticare Landscaping Judy Bell Treefrog Design Barry Benjamin Barry Benjamin and Associates Pamela Bingham LUNA Bill Bitz Bytowne Lawn Experts Lynda Blackburn CHT Garden Creations of Ottawa Steven Bloom University of Guelph/Kemptville

Mitch Bloomfield Green Unlimited John Bloskie CIT Nutri-Lawn - Ottawa Gerald Boot CLP Boot’s Landscaping and Maintenance Adam Bonin Jacob’s Gardenscape John Bos CHT Bos Landscaping Neil Bouma Picture Perfect Landscaping Quinte Gerwin Bouman Stam Nurseries Thom Bourne CIT Nutri-Lawn – Ottawa John Bowen Hydro One Networks Richard Bown Turf’s Up Landscaping Andrew Boyd Integrated Forestree Services Damian Boyne Colin Brand Green Unlimited

Thanks to our Committee members and publishing staff for turning out products that truly reflect LO’s stature and leadership.

Respectfully submitted, Hank Gelderman CHT Chair 2008-2009

2009 Volunteers Abate Wori Abate Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Ken Adair Garden Maintenance Only Randy Adams RM Adams Trucking Robert Adams Adams Lawncare Walter Afanasiew CIT Aqua Turf Sprinkler Systems Bob Allen RW Allen Horticultural Services Sheila Allin Creative Gardens and Waterscapes Chris Andrews Ian Andrews Greenwood Interlock Susan Antler Composting Council of Canada Vince Arone Pinpoint GPS Solutions Danny Bacon City of Mississauga Jarrod Barakett Deer Ridge Golf Course

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Dave Braun Braun Nursery Eric Brooks Eco Landscaping Bart Brusse Sheridan Nurseries Paul Brydges Brydges Landscape Architecture John Buikema Jan Gelderman Landscaping Phil Bull Green Leaf Gardening and Property Services Cor Bultena Eloquip Chris Burns CHT Clintar Landscape Management - Ottawa Jan Burns Clintar Landscape Management - Ottawa Daryl Bycraft CHT Bycraft Gardens Diana Cassidy-Bush Fresh Landscape and Garden Solutions Laura Catalano Nisco National Leasing Harry Chang Humber College Phil Charal Allweather Landscape Pam Charbonneau Guelph Turfgrass Institute Patrick Charest Permacon Ottawa Don Chase CLD Terry Childs Nature’s Way Landscaping Dr. Calvin Chong Horticultural Research Institute of Ontario Brian Clegg Allweather Landscape Nick Close Ministry of Transportation Dan Clost CHT Connon Nurseries/CBV Brian Cocks CHT Brian Cocks Nursery and Landscaping Michelle Cocks CHT Brian Cocks Nursery and Landscaping George Coito Coivic Contracting Richard Coleman CHT Coleman Landscaping Debbie Conrad Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation Douglas Coote DG Coote Enterprises Carol Cowan Tim Cradduck Turf Revolution Tim Cruickshanks Cruickshanks Property Services Peter Cullen Cullen Landscaping

Trevor Cullen CHT Cullen Landscaping Gavin Dawson GreenLawn Ltd - Toronto West Brian de Caluwe CIT BDC Irrigation Systems Alexandria Dearborn A Dearborn Designs Carl De Boer CHT Whispering Pines Nursery Mike DeBoer CHT Jan Gelderman Landscaping Darcy DeCaluwe Stone in Style Harold Deenen CLP Hank Deenen Landscaping Paul DeGroot Connon Nurseries/NVK Matt Dekking Yates Custom Lawn Sprinklers Dennis Del Vecchio Entire Landscapes Alison Delaney Permacon Ottawa Bill DeLuca Aldershot Landscape Contractors Leon Denbok CHT, CLP DenBok Landscaping and Design Caroline de Vries Tradewinds International Sales Dave DeVries Westbrook Floral Phil Dickie Fast Forest Barry Dickson BR Dickson Equipment Jason Dietrich Ace Lawn Care Frank DiMarco DiMarco Landscape Lighting Charlie Dobbin Garden Solutions Paul Doornbos CHT, CLP Thornbusch Landscaping James Doyle Davey Tree Expert Company Lindsay Drake Nightingale Yorkshire Garden Services Tim Dyer Kings Creek Trees Beth Edney CLD Designs By The Yard Stacy Elliott Smith Petrie Carr and Scott Insurance Brokers David Emms Midhurst Property Service Janet Ennamorato Creative Garden Designs Patrick Evangelisto Compliance Safety Solutions Rick Falls Peel Exterior Maintenance Jim Fergusson Vanden Bussche Irrigation Carmine Filice Greentario Landscaping Lorraine Flanigan

Jason Fleming Moonlighting Outdoor Lighting Patrick Fournier Hirsig Landscapes Mike Fulcher Permacon Ottawa Carol Fulford Gerrits Property Services John Fulford Gerrits Property Services Carl Gagnon Permacon Ottawa Dan Garlatti Garlatti Landscaping Paul Gaspar Weed Man - Toronto Andrew Gaydon Vanden Bussche Irrigation Hank Gelderman CHT Jan Gelderman Landscaping Harry Gelderman Jan Gelderman Landscaping Jean-Paul Gervais Paysagement Trillium Landscaping Gail Gibbons Gibber’s Maintenance Kara Gibbons The Toro Company Jeff Gilberds CHT, CLP Clintar Landscape Management Lorelei Gilchrist Peel Exterior Maintenance Gillian Glazer John Deere Landscapes Sabrina Goettler Oriole Landscaping Michael Goldman Ontario Pest Control Association David Goodfellow Algonquin College - Grounds Department Matthew Goodfellow CHT Green Things Garden Centre and Landscaping Mark Goodman Enviroking Lawn Care Kees Govers Caradoc Green Roofs Chris Graham Kimberley Cottage Garden Earle Graham Lakelands Irrigation Jeff Gregg V Kraus Nurseries Perry Grobe Grobe Nursery and Garden Centre Baldo Gucciardi International Landscaping Peter Guinane Oriole Landscaping Jerry Hakkers Sifton Properties Bill Hamilton Turf Plus Ed Hansen Hansen Lawn & Gardens Grant Harrison CHT Escapes Outdoor Living Designs Rohan Harrison Premier Turf

John Harsevoort MapleRidge Landscapes Jacki Hart CLP Water’s Edge Landscaping Steve Hary The Landscape Company Rick Harvey CHT, CLP Green Design Walter Hasselman Dutchman’s Landscaping Carl Hastings Arbordale Landscaping/ Moonstruck Landscape Lighting Lorne Haveruk CIT DH Water Management Services John Hawkes Wayside Garden Market & Groundskeeping Mike Hayes Allgreen Tree Service Jennifer Hayman Jennifer Hayman Design Group Ryan Heath Ryan Heath Professional Landscaping Nathan Helder Jan Gelderman Landscaping Adam Hellyer University of Guelph/Kemptville Cory Hendrick Dynamic Property Services Jennifer Hendriks Greenlife Edward Hewis Ground Control Contracting John Hewson Greenscape Lawn Maintenance John Higo Turf Care Products Canada Steve Hinkley Hinkley Associates Sonja Hirsig Hirsig Landscapes Byron Hobson Classic Landscape Lighting Bob Hodgins Jim Holdcroft M. Davis Landscape and Design David Holmlund D Holmlund Landscaping Barry Hordyk Shademaster Landscaping Leon Hordyk Shademaster Landscaping Martin Horsman Jan Gelderman Landscaping Judith Humphries CLD A Garden For All Seasons Mark Humphries Direct Landscape Supply Janice Ife Ife Landscaping Design Consultants Bill Ingratta Vineland Research and Innovation Centre Tom Intven Canadale Nurseries George Ivanoff Ministry of Transportation

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009 Sheila James Farm Safety Association Kevin Jensen CIT Turf Care Products Canada Alistair Johnston Strybos Barron King Joan Johnston Peter Knippel Nursery Kennedy Johnston CHT Peter Knippel Nursery Sarah Johnston Greenlife Ric Jordan University of Guelph Shane Jordan CIT Ganden Landscapes Raymond Josephian Nightscaping Nicola Kamp Anthony Kampen Boot’s Landscaping & Maintenance Ryan Kearney CHT Garden Creations of Ottawa Tim Kearney CLP Garden Creations of Ottawa John Keenan CLP Wright Landscape Services Patrick Kehoe Beaudry Contracting Darrell Kekanovich CHT Ritchie Feed & Seed Ryan Kelly University of Guelph/Kemptville Robert Kennaley McLauchlin and Associates Thomas Kennedy CHT Town of Grand Falls Hella Keppo CHT Stems Interior Landscaping Christoph Kessel OMAFRA Alice Klamer Blue Sky Nursery Karl Klinck Orchard Farm Nursery Allan Kling CLP Urban Garden Supply Chris Klingbeil CHT Rockcliffe Landscaping Design Centre and Nursery Liz Klose CLP CNLA Ben Kobes Kobes Nurseries George Kohnen Black Forest Garden Centre and Nursery Jeff Koopmans Sheridan Nurseries Brad Koski CHT Rockcliffe Landscaping Design Centre and Nursery Ron Koudys CLD Fanshawe College Terry Kowalski Kowalski Landscaping Robert Kuepfer Fafard

Pat Lamanna Draglam Developments Dylan Lamb-Palmer Green Unlimited John Lamberink CIT Aquality Irrigation and Illumination Syd Lang Ministry of Transportation Chris Langendoen Willowbrook Nurseries Michael LaPorte CHT The Landmark Group Kyle Larocque RJ Rogers Landscaping Robert Lau Coivic Contracting Chas Lawton CHT, CIT Taylor Nursery Philip Lawton Taylor Nursery Eugene Lazier Lawn Care Professionals Chris Le Conte Smart Watering Systems Isabelle Lecointe CIT Hirsig Landscapes Jeffrey Lee Lee’s Landscaping Shannon Lindensmith Georgina Garden Centre Phil Lindsay CHT Lindsay Landscape Enterprises Jennifer Llewellyn OMAFRA Brian Lofgren Horta-craft Anthony Lombardi CLD Dr. Landscape Russel Loney Loney Landscaping Jeff Lowartz CHT Heritage Green Landscape Contractors Erica Lowartz-Cozzarin Sheridan Nurseries Arvils Lukss Landscapes By Lucin Glen Lumis Steve Macartney CHT, CIT Raintree Irrigation & Outdoor Systems Cory MacCallum CIT Greenscape Watering Systems Robert MacPherson Canadian Landscaping Ralph Mahler Ministry Of Transportation Brad Malton Stevensville Lawn Service Len Mancini Holland Park Garden Gallery Brian Marsh Townscaping Danny Massie Green Unlimited Hannah Mathers Vineland Research and Innovation Centre Bob McCannell McCannell Consulting

Pamela McCormick CLP Simply Landscaping & Garden Designs Jim McCracken Garden Gallery Keith McDow McDow Landscaping and Maintenance Mike McGrath CHT Heritage Green Mike McIntyre Unilock Janet Mckay Leaf Jeff McMann CHT Town of Markham Burke McNeill Don McQueen CIT Nutri-Lawn - Burlington Jonathan Merchand University of Guelph/Kemptville Norm Mills The Gardenin’ Guy Bert Minor Prebbel Enterprises Christine Moffit Christine’s Touch Gardening Hank Mollema TerraPro Corporation Jim Monk Markham Property Services John Moons Connon Nurseries/NVK Andrew Moore Moore Lawncare and Landscaping Garry Moore University of Windsor Bruce Morton CIT, CLP Greenscape Watering Systems Janet Mott Christine’s Touch Gardening Rick Mowry CIT Greenscape Watering Systems Nancy Mulhall Nutri-Lawn - Kitchener/Waterloo Pat Mulrooney Geosynthetic Systems Jodie Munshaw CLD Reeves Florist and Nursery Jay Murray CLP TLC Professional Landscaping Brian Myles RJ Rogers Landscaping Suzanne Nadeau Permacon Group David Nemeth Elm Landscaping Jim Neumann CIT Greenscape Watering Systems Terry Nicholson Clintar Groundskeeping Services Colin Nisbet National Golf Course Owner Association Amin Nizami Oasis Garden Creations Tim O’Brien CHT Garden Creations of Ottawa John O’Leary CHT Clintar Landscape Management

41

Mike O’Neill Battlefield Equipment Paul Offierski Pao Horticultural Darcy Olds Bayer Environmental Science Paul Olsen Brookdale Treeland Nurseries Peter Olsen Royal City Nursery Keith Osborne Gro-Bark (Ontario) Mark Ostrowski Laurel Forest Farms Nino Papa Santerra Stonecraft Sebastien Paproean CIT Greenscape Watering Systems Nanthakumar Paramanathan Audrey Partridge Juergen Partridge Ltd Michael Pascoe CHT Fanshawe College Danny Passmore Frechette Lawncare Warren Patterson Botanix - Barrie’s Garden Centre Mandy Payne Canadian Golf and Country Club JC Peacock University of Guelph/Kemptville Hugh Pearson University of Guelph/Kemptville Bruce Peart Steven Peck Green Roofs For Healthy Cities Bill Peel Moore Park Plantscapes Michelle Peeters Baseline Nursery John Peets John Peets Landscaping Fiona Penn Zieba Fiona’s Garden Gate John Perriman Mountview Services Frans Peters Humber Nurseries Joe Pfeifer CHT Landmark Landscape Contractors Jennifer Pierce Nick Pisano National Research Council Fred Post CLD Holland Park Garden Gallery Chris Power Bellaire Landscape Geoff Pratt CHT RJ Rogers Landscaping Fred Prescod CHT Plan It With Plants Adam Presley Garden Creations of Ottawa Chuck Pronger Watergardens Unlimited Don Prosser CLD Don Prosser Landscape Design

42

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

Lisa Purves CHT Lisa Purves Garden Design and Consultation Bill Putzer M. Putzer Hornby Nursery John Putzer M. Putzer Hornby Nursery Richard Reed Dufferin Lawn Life Robert Richards Holland Valley Nursery Susan Richards New North Greenhouses Jay Rivait Lakeshore Landscaping Douglas Roberts Aquatic Gardens & Landscape Matt Robertson CIT Upper Canada Mulch & Nursery Supplies Darren Rodrigues Sinclair-Cockburn Insurance Brokers Richard Rogers CHT RJ Rogers Landscaping Lindsey Ross CHT, CIT Garden Creations of Ottawa Mike Ross Rain Bird International Robert Roszell Road Equipment Links Gregg Salivan Salivan Landscape Paulette Samson University of Guelph Victor Santacruz CNLA John Scanlon The Oasis Group Greg Scarlett CHT Urban Landscape Solutions Stephen Schell CHT The Plant Lady Dale Schieck Ogilvie Daugherty Financial Services Paul Schnarr CIT Clintar Landscape Management Kitchener Todd Schwindt Jeff Scott CHT Garden Creations of Ottawa Stephanie Scott Garden Creations of Ottawa Timothy Scullion Garden Creations of Ottawa Frank Selles CHT Framar Landscape and Maintenance Contractors Haig Seferian CLD Seferian Design Group Tony Sgambelluri Ridgeview Garden Centre Deana Sherif Permacon Ottawa Gord Shuttleworth Delaware Nursery Klaas Sikkema Arthur Skolnik Alliance Landscape Contractors

Chad Smail CHT, CIT Ganden Landscapes Kyle Smiley Mr. T General Contracting Irwin Smith Flowers Canada James Smith Niagara Parks Commission School of Horticulture Jeff Smith J & N Contracting Susan Smith Ambiance Dave Soepboer KNK Lawn Care James Solecki Integra Works Nick Solty Solty & Sons Robert Somerton University of Guelph/Kemptville Fred Somerville Somerville Nurseries Melissa Spearing Ground Covers Unlimited Ted Spearing Ground Covers Unlimited Tyler Speirs Oriole Landscaping Rod Splane Wright Lawn Care Service Stuart Sprout Sprout’s Premium Earth Products Patricia Stanish Patricia Stanish Landscape Design Bill Steen Green Things Garden Centre & Landscaping Karl Stensson Sheridan Nurseries David Stewart CHT Custom Lawn Care Domenic Suppa Earthco Soil Mixtures Stephen Sutcliffe Atlas Block Ron Swentiski CLD Trillium Associates John Taylor Dawson Seed Luba Taylor BritAli Gardens Donald Tellier CHT St. Clair College Robert Tester TNT Property Maintenance Marc Thiebaud OGS Grounds Maintenance Specialist Rene Thiebaud CLP OGS Landscape Services Mike Thomas The Investment Guild Jeff Thompson The Yard Doctor Willem Tiemersma Willand Grounds Maintenance Peter Tigchelaar Urban Green

Dave Tillaart Dutchmaster Nurseries Kyle Tobin LawnSavers Plant Health Care Luc Tourangeau Dan R Equipment Rodger Tschanz University of Guelph Steve Tschanz Turf Management Systems Philip Tuba Algonquin College Bob Tubby CLP Arbordale Landscaping/ Moonstruck Landscape Lighting Gino Turchiaro Earthco Soil Mixtures David Turnbull CHT David Turnbull and Associates Lianne Unwin CHT, CLP Moore Park Plantscapes Chris Urquhart CLP Green Unlimited Sharon Urquhart Green Unlimited George Urvari Oriole Landscaping Ben Vaan Holt Terra Greenhouses Rene Van Acker University of Guelph Robert van Aerts Westplant Green Facility Phillip Van Alstyne CHT Michael Van Dongen Van Dongen’s Landscaping & Nurseries Bruce Van Haastrecht Hometurf Lawn Care Louis Van Haastrecht Dr Green Services Ryan Van Haastrecht Dr Green Services Mark Van Landschoot Europa Landscaping Anna van Maris Parklane Nurseries Monica van Maris Parklane Nurseries Harry Van Staveren Van Staveren’s John van Staveren The Garden Shop Deanna Van Varik Connon Nurseries/NVK Darilyn Vanclief Willowlee Sod Farms Kurt Vanclief Willowlee Sod Farms Art Vanden Eden Sheridan Nurseries Jack VandeRee CHT Boot’s Landscaping and Maintenance Neil Vanderkruk Connon Nurseries/NVK Peter Vanderley CLP Pete Vanderley’s Lawn Maintenance and Landscape

Nina Vanderlinden Green Things Garden Centre & Landscaping Brian VanDyk Landtech Design Landscape Alex Verbinnen Verbinnen’s Nursery Nelly Vile Canlok Stone Don Voorhees Noldus of Durham Kelly Wagner Ace Lawn Care Martha Walsh Bruce Warren Clintar Landscape Management Tim Watson Mr. T General Contracting Glenn Wellings Scott Wentworth The Scott Wentworth Landscape Group Michelle Wessel Appleby Landscape Alan White Turf Systems Donna White CHT Green Things Garden Centre and Landscaping Anne Williams Mark Williams Williams Nurseries Bruce Wilson Permacon Group Robert Wilton Clintar Landscape Management Ben Winsar Yates Custom Lawn Sprinklers Will Winsar CIT Yates Custom Lawn Sprinklers Dale Winstanley Dale’s Gardening & Landscaping Welwyn Wong Welwyn Wong Landscape Design David Wright Wright Landscape Services John Wright Wright Landscape Services Teri Yamada IPM Council of Ontario Chuck Yates CIT Yates Custom Lawn Sprinklers Marcel Zanta CIT Greenscape Watering Systems Jason Zehr Rural Roots Landscaping Fiore Zenone Tumbleweed Landscape Contracting Helmut Zgraja Helmutz Interlock Youbin Zheng University of Guelph Harald Zorn CIT City of Toronto

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009â&#x20AC;&#x192;

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AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED AUGust 31, 2009

BALANCE SHEET

FUND ALLOCATIONS

2008 2009 Audited Audited Statements Statements Assets Cash Investments Accrued Interest Accounts Receivable Prepaid Expenses Building Total Assets

380,613 1,706,851 171,290 1,677,399 619,886 1,254,137 5,810,176

418,676 1,562,952 92,980 1,655,588 662,419 1,243,947 5,636,561

Liabilities & Surplus Accounts Payable 424,206 Accounts Payable-Garden Centre Group 28,601 Accounts Payable-Growers Group (1,664) Accounts Payable-Ipm Symposium 1,424 Accounts PayaBle-Special Projects 181,429 Deferred Revenue 2,675,739 Hort. Centre Improvement Fund 773,256 Hort. Industry Development Fund 355,983 Technology Fund 36,709 Promotion Fund 4,986 Surplus-Members Equity 1,046,568 Net Income 282,939 Total Liabilities & Surplus 5,810,176

447,207 11,788 (9,925) 15,322 81,377 2,484,021 881,151 234,426 24,367 8,692 1,046,568 411,567 5,636,561

2008 2009 Audited Audited Statements Statements Horticultural Industry Development Fund Opening Balance 432,514 Expenditures (165,281) Industry Funding/Donations 88,750 Transfer From Net Income 131,469 Closing Balance 487,452

487,452 (302,277) 49,250 373,567 607,992

Horticultural Centre Improvement Fund Opening Balance 792,112 Expenditures (18,856) Transfer From Net Income 131,469 Closing Balance 904,725

904,725 (23,574) 18,000 899,151

Technology Fund Opening Balance Expenditures Transfer From Net Income Closing Balance

55,205 (18,497) 0 36,709

36,709 (12,342) 0 24,367

Promotion Fund Opening Balance Expenditures Industry Funding/Donations Transfer From Net Income Closing Balance

21,920 (16,934) 0 20,000 24,986

24,986 (24,293) 8,000 20,000 28,692

INVESTMENTS

Province Of Ontario Coupon Province Of Ontario Coupon Province Of Bc Coupon Province Of OnTario Coupon Province Of Ontario Coupon Province Of Ontario Coupon Royal Bank-Gic Res Cibc Int Royal Bank-Gic Bank Of Nova Scotia-Gic Royal Bank-Gic Royal Bank-Gic Royal Bank-Gic Totals

Maturity Date

Dec 2, 2011 Jun 2, 2012 Jul 9, 2018 Jan 13, 2013 Aug 7, 2016 Jan 13, 2020 Aug 19, 2009 Sep 17,2008 Mar 9, 2009 Mar 9, 2009 Oct 3, 2008 Oct 29,2008 Feb 6, 2009

Rate Of Opening Value Purchases Disposals Gain/Loss Realized Accrued Closing Value Market Return At Cost At Cost Disposals Interest On Interest At Cost Value Sep 1/08 Disposals Aug 31/09 Aug 31/09 Sep 30/09

4.22 % 236,624 236,624 12,685 4.40 % 170,206 170,206 3,046 5.02 % 78,691 78,691 3,139 4.08 % 200,000 200,000 8,851 4.33 % 362,787 91,438 1,522 45,497 271,349 316,970 4.43 % 158,544 19,332 158,544 171,394 2.50 % 500,000 500,000 3,834 4.45 % 501,791 21,290 501,791 538,138 .75 % 250,000 250,000 195 1.40 % 400,000 2,685 400,000 403,145 1.75 % 500,000 500,000 2,805 1.75 % 400,000 400,000 1,740 3.20 % 231,269 4,177 231,269 236,054

1,706,851 2,283,060 2,426,959 29,244 8,573 92,980 1,562,952 1,665,701

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LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED AUGust 31, 2009

INCOME STATEMENT - GENERAL 2008 Audited Statements Revenue Rent Administration Fees Earned Interest Gains/Losses-Investments Information Technology/Web Fees Miscellaneous Total Revenue

109,104 35,664 86,180 0 8,665 5,737 245,351

Expenses Administrative Expenses Property Taxes Telephone Hydro Heat Maintenance-Building Maintenance-Yard Office Supplies Office Equipment Computer Equip/Software Information Technology/Web Exps Postage Courier Audit Legal Fees Advertising Insurance Expense Meeting Expenses Travel Dues & Subscriptions Donations Training (Staff) Miscellaneous Expenses Bank Charges & Interest (Gain)Loss On Foreign Exchange Administration Costs Total Expenses

54,244 35,300 35,594 21,914 75,652 40,642 27,190 13,733 9,031 17,660 16,845 4,446 15,000 625 2,336 16,360 18,767 54,930 9,376 2,230 1,565 18,993 45,006 1,838 0 539,278

Compensation Wages Benefits Source Deductions Total Compensation

1,424,162 97,122 75,790 1,597,074

Total Expenses

2,136,352

Net Income (Loss) (1,891,001) Wage Allocations 1,149,539 Overhead Allocations 569,752 Net Income (Loss) Net Of Allocations (171,710)

2009 Audited Statements

128,593 122,873 57,977 29,244 10,424 329,283 678,393

47,309 40,606 39,634 29,193 46,075 87,326 28,021 11,549 19,688 20,054 13,001 5,023 15,950 8,100 1,545 16,433 22,382 60,100 8,649 3,168 7,021 12,920 51,346 (5,069) 0 590,024

2009 Revised Budgets 100,000 72,000 70,000 1,000 8,500 1,000 252,500

70,000 34,000 38,000 27,000 70,000 45,000 30,000 30,000 15,000 17,500 25,000 5,000 14,500 1,000 3,000 18,000 22,000 63,000 10,000 3,000 6,000 13,000 45,000 3,500 0 608,500

1,641,007 1,628,000 132,774 110,000 95,338 92,000 1,869,120 1,830,000

2,459,143 2,438,500

(1,780,751) (2,186,000) 1,276,942 654,509 150,700

2010 Revised Budgets

120,000 122,000 60,000 1,000 9,000 1,000 313,000

55,000 40,000 38,000 30,000 45,000 75,000 30,000 15,000 15,000 24,000 15,000 5,000 15,500 1,000 1,000 16,000 21,000 58,000 10,000 3,000 6,000 13,000 50,250 1,000 0 582,750

2011 Proposed Budgets 120,000 122,000 60,000 1,000 9,000 1,000 313,000

55,000 40,000 38,000 30,000 45,000 75,000 30,000 15,000 15,000 24,000 15,000 5,000 15,500 1,000 1,000 16,000 21,000 58,000 10,000 3,000 6,000 13,000 50,250 1,000 0 582,750

1,666,127 1,666,127 135,000 135,000 98,000 98,000 1,899,127 1,899,127

2,481,877 2,481,877

(2,168,877) (2,168,877)

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009â&#x20AC;&#x192;

AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED AUGust 31, 2009

INCOME STATEMENT - MEMBERSHIP SERVICES 2008 Audited Statements Revenue Membership Dues Awards Of Excellence Merchandise Referral Fees Total Revenue

912,536 17,788 4,079 61,307 995,710

Expenses - General CNLA Membership Dues Member Subscriptions Awards Of Excellence Membership Plaques Annual Report Merchandise Membership Brochure Membership Campaign Membership Booth Promotion Total Expenses - General

257,734 66,000 67,784 6,168 2,038 4,208 0 1,342 5,199 53,984 464,456

Chapters & Commodity Groups Windsor London Golden Horseshoe Waterloo Ottawa Toronto Georgian Lakelands Durham Upper Canada Growers Group Lawn Care Group Garden Centre Group Landscape Contractors Group Grounds Maintenance Group Designers Group Irrigation Group Interiorscape Group Snow & Ice Group Landscape Lighting Group Total Chapters & Commodity Expenses Total Expenses

3,350 6,394 9,240 7,010 5,978 16,776 6,550 6,615 3,800 1,846 1,677 3,161 2,036 3,952 1,190 7,097 2,943 572 100 90,286 554,742

Net Income (Loss) 440,968 Wage Allocations (407,035) Overhead Allocations (142,438) Net Income (Loss) Net Of Allocations (108,505)

2009 Audited Statements

929,552 30,027 8,071 53,386 1,021,036

259,286 88,000 85,979 6,444 3,167 2,252 0 0 11,328 111,350 567,806

2,218 6,063 5,141 7,054 6,238 10,951 6,654 5,947 3,257 2,493 1,449 1,461 614 1,072 4,186 (3,004) 7,169 944 296 70,203

638,009

383,028 (467,477) (163,627) (248,077)

2009 Revised Budgets 925,000 17,000 3,000 50,000 995,000 280,000 66,000 65,000 8,000 2,500 2,000 0 5,000 7,000 52,000 487,500 3,290 6,264 9,560 7,054 6,238 21,208 6,654 6,472 3,740 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 100,480 587,980 407,020

2010 Revised Budgets

950,000 25,000 7,000 55,000 1,037,000

265,000 88,000 80,000 7,000 3,000 2,500 0 5,000 15,000 69,000 534,500

3,350 6,264 9,300 7,120 6,342 21,028 6,628 6,420 3,770 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 100,222

634,722

402,278

2011 Proposed Budgets 950,000 25,000 7,000 55,000 1,037,000 265,000 88,000 80,000 7,000 3,000 2,500 0 5,000 15,000 69,000 534,500 3,350 6,264 9,300 7,120 6,342 21,028 6,628 6,420 3,770 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 100,222 634,722 402,278

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LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED AUGust 31, 2009

INCOME STATEMENT - LANDSCAPE TRADES MAGAZINE 2008 Audited Statements Revenue Advertising Polybag Classified Ads Subscriptions Member Subscriptions Total Revenue

743,992 37,883 6,896 7,215 33,000 828,985

Discounts Member Discounts Agency Discounts Total Discounts

82,424 30,437 112,861

Gross Revenue

716,124

Expenses Printing Freelance Editorial Editorial Travel Sales Travel Mail Preparation Poly Bag Costs Postage (2nd Class) Postage(Foreign) Courier Charges Subscription Campaign Promotion/Media Kits Ccab Circulation Audit Miscellaneous Bad Debts Total Expenses

159,873 18,139 7,304 18,254 7,681 7,991 51,616 5,537 2,379 70 8,263 5,477 424 432 293,439

Net Income (Loss) 422,684 Wage Allocations (224,462) Overhead Allocations (71,219) Net Income (Loss) Net Of Allocations 127,004

2009 Audited Statements

678,931 27,080 3,755 4,800 44,000 758,566

81,336 23,662 104,998

653,567

108,456 14,321 4,569 20,210 8,378 5,838 47,922 3,663 1,680 1,952 14,069 5,556 464 0 237,079

416,488 (170,445) (81,814) 164,230

2009 Revised Budgets 722,800 40,000 6,500 10,000 33,000 812,300 78,000 30,000 108,000 704,300 135,000 24,000 3,000 20,000 10,000 9,000 47,000 5,000 3,000 1,000 15,000 5,000 500 1,000 278,500 425,800

2010 Revised Budgets

723,000 35,000 6,000 9,000 44,000 817,000

78,000 30,000 108,000

709,000

120,000 20,000 4,000 20,000 10,000 8,000 47,000 5,000 3,000 2,000 15,000 5,000 500 1,000 260,500

448,500

2011 Proposed Budgets 723,000 35,000 6,000 9,000 44,000 817,000 78,000 30,000 108,000 709,000 120,000 20,000 4,000 20,000 10,000 8,000 47,000 5,000 3,000 2,000 15,000 5,000 500 1,000 260,500 448,500

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009â&#x20AC;&#x192;

AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED AUGust 31, 2009

INCOME STATEMENT - HORTICULTURE REVIEW

2008 Audited Statements Revenue Advertising Polybag Classified Ads Web Classsified Ads Subscriptions Member Subscriptions Total Revenue Discounts Member Discounts Agency Discounts Total Discounts

156,018 8,440 14,226 8,175 376 33,000 220,234 26,645 720 27,366

Gross Revenue

192,869

Expenses Printing Freelance Editorial Editorial Travel Mail Preparations Poly Bag Costs Postage Courier Charges Promotion/Media Kits Web Classified Ad Exps Miscellaneous Bad Debts Total Expenses

50,885 75 1,031 4,479 2,492 18,667 0 477 0 8 0 78,114

Net Income (Loss) 114,755 Wage Allocations (112,149) Overhead Allocations (35,610) Net Income (Loss) Net Of Allocations (33,003)

2009 Audited Statements

151,380 7,844 6,159 5,260 243 44,000 214,885

25,406 1,585 26,991

187,895

41,384 0 1,214 4,819 2,150 17,389 0 83 0 0 0 67,040

120,854 (139,536) (40,907) (59,589)

2009 Revised Budgets 175,000 7,000 24,000 5,000 500 33,000 244,500 31,000 300 31,300 213,200 45,000 500 500 5,000 2,000 18,000 0 500 0 250 1,000 72,750 140,450

2010 Revised Budgets

160,000 7,000 20,000 8,000 500 44,000 239,500

28,000 600 28,600

210,900

42,000 500 1,000 5,000 2,000 18,000 0 500 0 250 1,000 70,250

140,650

2011 Proposed Budgets 160,000 7,000 20,000 8,000 500 44,000 239,500 28,000 600 28,600 210,900 42,000 500 1,000 5,000 2,000 18,000 0 500 0 250 1,000 70,250 140,650

PUBLISHING - SPECIAL PROJECTS Revenue Expenses Net Income (Loss) Wage Allocations Overhead Allocations Net Income (Loss) Net Of Allocations

115,110 67,085 48,025 (9,762) 0 38,263

109,461 66,861 42,600 (9,028) 0 33,572

95,000 60,000 35,000

95,000 60,000 35,000

95,000 60,000 35,000

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LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED AUGust 31, 2009

INCOME STATEMENT - CONGRESS 2008 Audited Statements Revenue Exhibit Space Exhibit Space-CFIA Registration Miscellaneous/Sponsorship Total Revenue Discounts Member Discounts Member Discounts-CFIA Total Discounts Gross Revenue Expenses Exhibit Hall Security Show Services Feature Area Garden Subsidy Speakers Registration Services Audio Visual Equipment Entertainment Receptions Printing Promotion Public Relations Services Survey Advertising Photography Flowers Gifts/Gratuities Move In/Move Out Travel Snow Removal Insurance Postage Parking Police Janitorial Software Labour Commissions-Others Miscellaneous Total Expenses

1,768,999 59,850 138,205 20,279 1,987,333 137,805 3,900 141,705 1,845,628 354,050 22,346 105,913 3,500 9,313 28,876 35,120 25,954 23,852 23,487 40,335 12,507 4,700 0 37,040 2,430 6,249 1,482 76,164 54,789 0 6,664 22,837 8,511 1,176 34,300 6,150 3,073 13,935 9,131 973,884

Net Income (Loss) 871,745 Wage Allocations (194,303) Overhead Allocations (142,438) Net Income (Loss) Net Of Allocations 535,003

2009 2009 Audited Revised Statements Budgets

1,742,978 1,900,000 51,625 50,000 112,143 135,000 40,777 25,000 1,947,522 2,110,000

2010 Revised Budgets

1,760,000 44,000 125,000 20,000 1,949,000

162,596 148,000 2,800 0 165,396 148,000

1,782,126 1,962,000

361,160 361,160 23,705 24,500 105,865 115,000 4,320 8,000 19,069 8,000 26,280 35,000 35,027 38,000 27,100 27,000 27,362 25,000 22,017 25,000 43,972 38,000 37,090 17,000 7,290 8,800 0 0 26,444 37,000 2,862 2,800 4,543 7,000 0 2,000 85,249 80,000 57,099 56,000 0 10,000 6,664 7,000 25,996 23,000 9,700 9,500 1,628 1,500 35,175 36,000 8,779 8,525 6,485 4,000 9,835 22,000 7,337 7,000 1,028,051 1,043,785

754,075 918,215 (186,109) (163,627) 404,340

163,000 5,000 168,000

1,781,000

356,110 24,000 105,000 4,000 8,000 32,000 37,000 16,000 20,000 20,000 40,000 16,000 8,100 0 30,000 0 4,500 1,500 80,000 45,000 10,000 7,000 22,000 9,700 1,800 35,000 8,525 5,000 10,000 5,000 961,235

819,765

2011 Proposed Budgets 1,760,000 44,000 125,000 20,000 1,949,000 163,000 5,000 168,000 1,781,000 356,110 24,000 105,000 4,000 8,000 32,000 37,000 16,000 20,000 20,000 40,000 16,000 8,100 0 30,000 0 4,500 1,500 80,000 45,000 10,000 7,000 22,000 9,700 1,800 35,000 8,525 5,000 10,000 5,000 961,235 819,765

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009â&#x20AC;&#x192;

AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED AUGust 31, 2009

INCOME STATEMENT - GARDEN EXPO 2008 Audited Statements Revenue Exhibit Space Exhibit Space-Florist Expo Registration Miscellaneous Total Revenue Discounts Member Discounts Member Discounts-Florist Expo Total Discounts

589,800 25,000 2,075 7,517 624,392

2009 Audited Statements

651,128 0 2,486 8,800 662,413

Gross Revenue

606,542

Expenses Exhibit Hall Security Show Services Registration Services Printing Promotion Public Relations Services Survey Advertising Move In/Move Out Travel Postage Parking Receptions Janitorial Software Commissions-Others Exhibitor Training Miscellaneous Total Expenses

92,800 7,899 48,206 13,036 23,479 4,823 2,900 0 38,219 32,581 8,755 9,310 1,045 3,373 7,000 5,900 0 1,654 3,644 304,624

22,300 0 22,300

640,113

95,580 7,845 48,470 10,767 14,566 3,698 3,200 0 50,764 36,107 12,681 12,949 1,804 9,146 7,360 7,131 0 0 4,905 326,974

Net Income (Loss) 301,918 Wage Allocations (111,924) Overhead Allocations (106,829) Net Income (Loss) Net Of Allocations 83,166

313,139 (153,713) (122,720) 36,706

16,425 1,425 17,850

2009 Revised Budgets 650,000 0 2,000 5,000 657,000 20,000 0 20,000 637,000 95,580 8,500 50,000 15,000 24,000 7,000 3,200 0 41,000 36,000 10,000 11,000 1,500 8,000 8,000 6,900 0 1,000 5,000 331,680 305,320

2010 Revised Budgets

580,469 0 2,500 5,000 587,969

22,300 0 22,300

565,669

95,580 7,800 42,000 12,000 14,000 5,000 3,100 0 25,500 35,000 9,000 10,000 1,900 9,000 7,200 7,200 0 0 5,000 289,280 276,389

2011 Proposed Budgets 580,469 0 2,500 5,000 587,969 22,300 0 22,300 565,669 95,580 7,800 42,000 12,000 14,000 5,000 3,100 0 25,500 35,000 9,000 10,000 1,900 9,000 7,200 7,200 0 0 5,000 289,280 276,389

49

50â&#x20AC;&#x192;

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED AUGust 31, 2009

INCOME STATEMENT - EDUCATION 2008 Audited Statements Revenue Special Projects Trade Courses Certification Total Revenue

24,604 153,658 62,439 240,701

Expenses Special Projects Trade Courses Certification Promotion OHHRC Funding Foundation Scholarships Funding Total Expenses

1,079 90,939 58,694 17,144 87,000 12,000 266,856

Net Income (Loss) (26,155) Wage Allocations (89,905) Overhead Allocations (71,219) Net Income (Loss) Net Of Allocations (187,279)

2009 Audited Statements

143,804 178,613 98,648 421,065

37,496 118,641 77,244 13,552 0 12,000 258,933

162,131 (150,633) (81,814) (70,315)

2009 Revised Budgets 10,000 175,000 50,000 235,000 10,000 110,000 32,000 18,000 0 12,000 182,000 53,000

2010 Revised Budgets

10,000 180,000 75,000 265,000

10,000 118,000 60,000 15,000 0 12,000 215,000

50,000

2011 Proposed Budgets 10,000 180,000 75,000 265,000 10,000 118,000 60,000 15,000 0 12,000 215,000 50,000

INCOME STATEMENT - DEPARTMENTAL SUMMARY 2008 Audited Statements Revenue General Membership Publications Congress Garden Expo Education Total Revenue

245,351 995,710 1,024,103 1,845,628 606,542 240,701 4,958,035

Expenses General Membership Publications Congress Garden Expo Education Total Expenses

2,136,352 554,742 438,638 973,884 304,624 266,856 4,675,097

Net Income(Loss)

282,939

2009 Audited Statements

678,393 1,021,036 950,923 1,782,126 640,113 421,065 5,493,657

2,459,143 638,009 370,980 1,028,051 326,974 258,933 5,082,090

411,567

2009 Revised Budgets 252,500 995,000 1,012,500 1,962,000 637,000 235,000 5,094,000 2,438,500 587,980 411,250 1,043,785 331,680 182,000 4,995,195 98,805

2010 Revised Budgets

313,000 1,037,000 1,014,900 1,781,000 565,669 265,000 4,976,569

2,481,877 634,722 390,750 961,235 289,280 215,000 4,972,864

3,705

2011 Proposed Budgets 313,000 1,037,000 1,014,900 1,781,000 565,669 265,000 4,976,569 2,481,877 634,722 390,750 961,235 289,280 215,000 4,972,864 3,705

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

MEMBERSHIP COUNT

MEMBERSHIP COUNT MEMBERSHIP 1999-2009 COUNT EXCLUDING HORT MEMBERS EXCLUDING HORT MEMBERS 1999-2009 1999-2009

MEMBERSHIP COUNT EXCLUDING HORT MEMBERS 1999-2009

25002500 2500

2500

24002400

2329

23002300

2238

22002200

2200

1863

18001800

17551755

1710

17001700 1589

1610

15801580

1583

16601660

14741474

15001500

18291829

19061906

19481948 193019302000

12001200 1200

1200

11001100 1100

1100

10001000 1000

1000 2009

1580 1474

1500

1300

2008

1755

1600

1400

1930

1660

1700

13001300 1300

1948

1829

1800

14001400 1400 13441344 13631363 13471347

900 900 900

1906

1900 MEMBERSHIP

19001900 MEMBERSHIP

2300

2208

2100

1986

20002000 MEMBERSHIP

2400 2270

2099

21002100

16001600

51

1344

1363

1347

1999

2000

2001

900 1999 200320032004 20042004 20052005 20062006 1999 2000 2001 2002 2005 2006 200720072007 2008 2008 2009 1999 2000 2000 2001 2001 2002 2002 2003 2008 20092009

FISCAL YEAR FISCAL YEAR

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

FISCAL YEAR

MEMBERSHIP BREAKDOWN 2009

HORTICULTURAL (278) 12.6%

INTERIM (31) 1.4%

CHAPTER ASSOC. (53) 2.4%

ASSOCIATE (337) 15.3%

ACTIVE (1509) 68.3%

Fine tuning of Sarritor continues in the field

By John Bladon

T

he development of biological pest control products can be traced as far back as 400 BC in China. Today, these controls are essential parts of Integrated Pest Management practices.

Dr. Alan Watson, of McGill University and researcher of natural control agents for more than 25 years, identified Sclerotinia minor as a candidate for control of broad leafed weeds.

Sclerotinia minor is a naturally occurring fungus in Canada and is the causal agent of several important crop diseases, including lettuce drop and Sclerotinia blight of peanut.

After an extensive review, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency registered Sclerotinia minor under the trade name Sarritor as a weed control agent. Sarritor is the Roman god of weeding and hoeing.

From the field in 2009 Like any new development, time is required for fine tuning the production and the application process in the field. Having been in the field in limited quantities in 2008, and in greater supply during 2009, the application of Sarritor to turfgrass is being slowly fine tuned as field experience accumulates.

“In my early years in the industry, we were able to take a much more program-based approach to lawn care. With the biological-based solutions like Sarritor, we have to synchronize our efforts with Mother Nature; one day might be perfect for certain types of applications and the next day less so. Based on this, our approach is far less schedule-based and much more reactionary. We have had to become highly adaptable throughout the growing season,” says Chris Lemcke, technical coordinator with Turf Operations Scarborough.

As the 2009 season continued, field

reports that were based on several conditions, showed that temperature is a definitive catalyst for success in the field. Results show a dramatic effect on the success of Sarritor, with the pathogen having restricted effect during both high and low ends of the temperature scale. This year there was plenty of rain. Water is a key activator of the pathogen. But spring results didn’t show great success rates, because of the low air and soil temperatures.

Gavin Dawson, technical manager with GreenLawn – Toronto and past chair of LO’s lawn care sector group, told Horticulture Review that he found good results with Sarritor from late August through the second week of October. He also found that soil conditions played a big part in Sarritor’s results. “Over the past two springs, temperatures were cool and success was sporadic, while in the warmer soil conditions of late summer the product worked well.”

Cost is always a consideration to any program for lawn care operators. Current alternatives involve higher costs, compared to pesticide use before the Ontario ban in April.

Initially thought to best perform with two 400gram applications per 1,000 square feet per season, the latest field data suggests that on average, that success may be found at a rate of approximately two 250-gram applications per 1,000 square feet. This represents a 37 per cent reduction in cost. With the 2010 label amendments, that include the suppression of clover and plantain and the removal of the need to wear a respirator during the application process, the product will cost a bit less.

Production and handling As a living organism, production and general handling of Sarritor is not without its complexities. Entrusted with managing production and distribution of the product is Canada’s Agrium Advanced Technologies.

Special backpack distributes sarritor.

“The product is easily the most intensive we have ever managed,” says Doug Hubble, sales and market manager with Agrium.

“Although production has now ramped up to ensure an adequate supply, growing a living organism, cold storage requirements and managing inventory to ensure the product’s viability are a far more significant draw on our resources than with a traditional product line.

We are constantly looking for ways to fine tune the product.”

During production, the Sclerotinia minor pathogen is slowly grown and cultured on a barley granule under strict environmental conditions from temperature to humidity. To ensure uniform distribution and temperature levels during production, a centrifuge turns each batch.

The barley’s purpose is two-fold. First, these 1.4 to 2 mm screened particles are intended to act as an a food source for the organism, an appetizer if you will, until such time as the organism can be introduced to the entrée, the broad leafed weed. The barley enables easy granular applications of the pathogen. Once production is completed, the product requires a vacuum seal to preserve the pathogen in an oxygen-free state.

These sealed, 7.5 kg packages are transported and stored under chilled conditions.

Sarritor is based in Montreal, and was founded in 2004. The company’s website is www.sarritor.ca.

John R. Bladon attended Guelph and Cornell universities. He helped construct and grow two golf courses in Ontario and spent nine years as a golf course superintendent. He holds the title of IPM coordinator and is a technical representative with Agrium Advanced Technologies. He runs his own consulting and management firm.

52 HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Pesticide issue Here is my take on the pesticide issue as expressed in the October issue of Horticulture Review.

I also like to tend my garden. I also grow vegetables and have one apple tree (Northern Spy). We had a bumper crop of apples this year, with no spraying. So it can be done, we just have to create the right conditions and approach nature in a different way.

Do we need chemicals to create bumper crops? I doubt it very much.

Will every year be as good as the next?

Unlikely. Accepting this and making changes for the better is the goal.

So I am one of those who are in favour of a lot less chemicals in our food and in lawn care.

When my children were small and my neighbour needed the perfect lawn, I was unhappy when spraying went on with who knows-what.

My kids were small and susceptible to chemicals. All the years of spraying at my neighbour’s have had its impact on my property, and therefore on my children. I do not begrudge my neighbour, as this was the accepted norm.

When I read about money raised for cancer cures, I wonder why not spend more effort on cancer prevention?

I am all for a ban on chemicals in certain situations. I prefer unsprayed fruit and vegetables and I have a right to request this from my elected government.

Yes, I work in the landscape construction field as well. There are many young people entering this field who share my feelings. I

went into this field because I appreciate nature and like to pass this on to my kids. A lot of damage has been done. We can change things for the better. Green for Life should be more than a marketing tool, Dolf Jansen Temagami Landscape Design and Build, The Blue Mountains

Change to IPM symposium in Barrie A slight change has been announced for the 45th annual IPM Symposium. The change involves the Barrie venue, which now is scheduled for Fenley’s Banquet Hall, at 565 Bryne Drive.

The other locations remain as published in the Congress 2010 Conference Guide and LO Professional Development Guide, Jan. 11 at the Doubletree Hotel, 655 Dixon Rd., in Toronto, followed by the Ottawa presentation on Feb. 23 at the Travelodge at 1376 Carling Ave. On Mar.

2, London’s Best Western Lamplighter Inn will host the IPM Symposium, while the final event on Mar. 9 in Barrie in no longer at the Holiday Inn, changed to the above-noted address.

The cost to pre-register is $70 per person and on-site registration is $95 (GST included).

Registration closes at least one week prior to the above-noted seminar dates.

To register for a symposium, go to www.horttrades.com/ipm2010.

HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009 53

landscape industry

certified

Are you landscape industry CERTIFIED? Show your pride at Congress!

Stop by Landscape Ontario, Booth 5, and pick up a ribbon for each certification credential you hold — attach it to your show badge with pride.

PLUS, get info on the new Landscape Industry Certified logo, and learn how certification can benefit both you and your company.

LANDSCAPE ONTARIO ANNUAL GENERAL

MEETING

LO is a leader among green industry associations, and it’s YOURS! Participate in your AGM!

Wed. January 13, 2010

Doubletree Hilton Toronto Airport, International Ballroom, 655 Dixon Rd, Toronto, ON

Breakfast at 7:30 a.m.

AGM at 8:00 a.m.

An RSVP is not required but would be appreciated.

Contact Kathleen Pugliese at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 309 Fax: 905-875-3942 kpugliese@landscapeontario.com

Congress 2010 program has something for everyone From business opportunities to education to awards, the latest in new products, networking, environmental information, and just plain partying, Congress 2010 promises to be one of the best shows ever.

Congress takes place at the Toronto Congress Centre from Jan. 12 to 14.

The day before the trade show, on Mon., Jan. 11, a full day of pre-conference specialist symposia takes place. These include the annual landscape designer conference, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) symposium, the irrigation conference and the Certified Landscape Professional seminar on corporate financial management.

Prosperity Partners Congress continues its leadership role with the Landscape Ontario Prosperity Partnership program with a half-day energy workshop on Mon., Jan. 11. Meet and draw advice from the experience of your industry peers and identify your top three ‘must change’ areas to improve your prosperity.

Also on Monday, Congress 2010 will host for the first-time ever, the Ontario Parks Association’s 54th Annual Education Forum.

This program is tailored to the professional development needs of both senior parks and public space management and operational staff. Sessions will offer many opportunities to learn and share best practices, expertise and ideas. The highlight of the day’s program is the past presidents’ luncheon and OPA awards presentations.

On Tuesday, the 12th, Congress will open its doors at 9 a.m. with the seminars beginning at 10 a.m. Green Communities and Green Parks runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Landscape Ontario Awards of Excellence gala will take place at 5:15 p.m.

Equipment dealers forum The Canada East Equipment Dealers Association has partnered with Landscape Ontario to present an equipment dealer forum on Wed., Jan. 13. The event is a fantastic learning and networking opportunity for equipment dealer professionals to gain insights in the key areas of sales, marketing and operations. Jim Paluch conducts a three-hour workshop that will help equipment dealers become more effective and profitable. The event is sponsored by Ariens.

Be sure to attend Tailgate Party XIV.

54 HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009

One of the most popular events every year, it takes place on Jan. 13, at the Doubletree Hotel, from 5 p.m. to midnight, featuring live music, a buffet dinner and giveaways. It’s a chance for industry members to celebrate in a great relaxed atmosphere.

Green for Life Award The winners of new Green for Life Award will be announced, at the Tailgate Party. The Green for Life Award was created to promote, recognize and reward environmentally responsible professionals in the horticultural, lawn and garden industry. Winners will be drawn from three industry sectors: contractor, landscape design/interior plantscape, and lawn care/ maintenance.

Strategies for successful environmental stewardship are detailed in the Environmental Scorecard, a self-evaluation tool developed

by Landscape Ontario’s Environmental Stewardship Committee.

Green industry members may take part in a short self-assessment survey to see how their environmental practices measure up.

Participants, who complete their scorecards

by Dec. 18, will receive a graded report and be eligible to win one of three $1,000 cash prizes courtesy of Turf Revolution. To access the survey go to www.horttrades.com.

See the Resources tab, go to Environmental Scorecard.

Other highlights Other show highlights include feature gardens designed by horticultural students, the new product showcase and Landscape Ontario’s annual general meeting.

Top professional speakers on the Conference program include Owen Dell, Jeffrey Scott, Jack Pizzo, Charles Vander Kooi, Claire Sawyers, Joe Uyenaka, Cathy Wall, Roy Prevost, Mark Bradley and Belinda Gallagher.

The sponsors of Congress 2010 and its many different programs are an integral part of the annual event’s success. The sponsors this year are Ariens, Banas Stones, Chrysler Canada, Doubletree by Hilton Toronto Airport, Turf Revolution, Via Rail Canada, Bobcat of Hamilton, Sittler Environmental and Vermeer Canada.

Visit www.locongress.com for the show’s full list of events and details, and to register online, right up to Jan. 8.

Mayors’ Green Express part of Congress 2010 Landscape Ontario, in association with the Ontario Parks Association, Communities in Bloom and Via Rail Canada will host the Mayors’ Green Express on Jan. 11, at the Toronto Congress Centre.

Mayor David Miller is headlining a list of nearly 30 mayors, including those from Oshawa, Goderich, Halton, Woodstock and Newmarket, who have already signed up for the event.

Trains from Ottawa and Windsor will transport area mayors and other elected officials to Toronto for a green conference to celebrate, and advocate support for Ontario’s parks and green spaces. “We are delighted to be partnering with Via Rail in bringing together municipal leaders from across the province to our Green Forum,” said Denis Flanagan, public relations director for Landscape Ontario and chair of Communities in Bloom Ontario.

Last year, Landscape Ontario and Communities in Bloom began Green Forum at Canada’s largest horticultural lawn and garden trade show, Congress, which annually attracts more than 12,500 trade professionals. The new initiative was a tremendous success. This year, it is expected to grow, especially with the addition

of the Mayors’ Green Express. The Green Forum focuses on the exchange of information and best practices on sustainable green initiatives, allowing contractors, consultants and corporate or

municipal leaders to work together to find solutions to the environmental challenges at hand.

To find out more about the annual show go to www.locongress.com.

Canada Blooms ticket promotion Landscape Ontario members can take advantage of a special promotional opportunity by ordering tickets to Canada Blooms, for distribution to their clients, staff, friends and potential clients.

Members are charged only for those tickets handed in at the door during Canada Blooms, from March 17 to 21, 2010. The cost to members is $12 per ticket, instead of the regular price of $18.

This spring, Walter Hasselman, of Dutchman’s Landscaping in Burlington, ordered 200 tickets from the LO office. Last year he sent them in pairs to past customers and potential leads that he had received the year before. Only 25 per cent of the tickets he mailed were actually used, for which Hasselman was invoiced $600.

He attributes at least six jobs this year to

his ticket mailing, totaling $100,000 in new work. He noted that one client, who couldn’t attend the show, still called Hasselman to do some landscaping work, because the mailing had put Dutchman’s name in front of him.

This simple initiative was such a success, that Hasselman plans to do it again next year, mailing tickets to clients and potential leads three weeks before Canada Blooms begins.

To order tickets for your own promotional purposes, or as Christmas gifts, a faxable form is available at www.horttrades.com under the News tab, or call Kathleen Pugliese at 1-800265-5656, ext. 309. Tickets are available in packages of 20, and members will be charged only for those tickets handed in at Canada Blooms.

HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009 55

HORT PROTECT

New program covers employment liability

By Darren Rodrigues Sinclair-Cockburn Financial Group

P

icture yourself in the following situation: a long-standing employee of yours, one of the company’s best workers, has recently started missing days, arriving late to work, and leaving the office early. Fellow workers are complaining that they have to carry more of the workload. Rumours are circulating amongst the office staff that he has a drinking problem.

However, it has also been suggested that his wife has left him, and he has had to look after a very ill child. He recently got into a shouting match with his supervisor.

What do you do?

• Fire the employee?

• Confront the employee and ask if the rumours are true?

• Suggest to the employee that he seek professional help?

• Do nothing and hope the issue resolves itself?

Make the wrong decision, and it could cost thousands of dollars.

A growing area of concern for small businesses in Canada is Employment Practices Liability (EPL). Since 1997, there have been over 300 cases, many of them with settlements over $50,000. Experts on EPL legalities, tell us that less than five per cent of cases end up in court, or in front of a tribunal. For each case that results in a decision from a court of law, or an administrative tribunal, there are many more cases that are settled with significant payments by employers.

In some cases, senior management is facing personal liability for these exposures, even if their company is insolvent.

Claims may arise from a variety of exposures, including discrimination (sex, sexual orientation, age, race, marital status, illness, physical appearance, religious beliefs, etc.), harassment, assault, demotion, defamation, loss of reputation, unfair dismissal and infliction of emotional distress at work.

Employers face potential awards granted by both administrative tribunals and by courts of law. Traditionally, EPL coverage has been hard to find, unless offered on a director’s or officer’s policy, and usually with a substantial deductible. Recognizing the needs of these companies, Creechurch Insurance has developed a new program with the name, Employrite. It’s a package specifically designed for small businesses (up to 500 employees) that do not have directors’ and officers’ insurance.

Employrite coverage highlights: • Limits of $100,000 up to $5,000,000 available • Available to Canadian and U.S. employees • Claims based on discrimination, harassment and unfair dismissal • Claims made by employees, former employees or applicants for employment • Increased severance payments for unfair dismissal due to an employment practices liability violation • Full limit for punitive damages and exemplary damages • Third party coverage available for claims made by customers, vendors and other relevant parties • Extension of coverage available for fines, penalties, punitive and exemplary damages • Access to a toll-free hotline manned by a major Canadian law firm for human resources, personnel and claims-related questions

56 HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009

• Entitled to receive a human resources handbook template Employrite provides access to a toll-free hotline for human resources, personnel and claims-related questions. Rather than guess at the right course of action, you may pick up the phone and get immediate professional advice on the best course of action to follow. Early intervention, coupled with claims handling expertise, is a time and money saving device. You can call a team of legal professionals, even if you only have a suspicion based on lunchroom banter that a future claim may be lurking. You can receive a human resources handbook template that will help fulfill your human resources responsibility effectively.

This handbook addresses issues such as: • The employment relationship policy • Equal opportunity policy • Policy prohibiting sexual harassment • Family and medical leave policy, with summaries of federal and provincial rights • Benefits policy • Standard of conduct • Conflicts of interest • Electronic communication policy Sinclair-Cockburn, through the HortProtect program, offers this coverage in addition to the usual commercial policy at a discounted premium. Don’t let a lack of information keep you from ensuring you have the coverage you need.

If you have questions, give us a call.

Darren Rodrigues may be reached at 416-494-9883, ext. 361, or darren.rodrigues@scfg.ca.

HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009 57

OMAFRA NURSERY AND LANDSCAPE REPORT

Selecting the correct sprayer

By Dr. Jason Deveau OMAFRA application technology specialist

T

he first modern air blast sprayer was developed in the mid 1900s, competing with existing equipment before it was adopted by the majority. We’ve come a long way.

As application technology continues to evolve and grow, so do the choices facing growers.

Whether considering optional features, or selecting a new sprayer (boom or airblast), start by prioritizing your goals. Perhaps work-rate is a priority, so look to sprayer capacity to reduce the number of refills and consider wider booms or over-the-row technology to reduce the number of passes. Perhaps the crop is adjacent to sensitive areas or homes and drift control is a priority; consider deflectors, shrouds and ensure the sprayer can produce the pressure required to operate drift-reducing nozzles.

When compiling a prioritized list, reflect on the positives and the negatives of your current sprayer and talk to other growers about their experiences. It may come down to personal preference, but consider the following points: • Necessity – Is a new sprayer really needed?

Manufacturers have a number of retrofi t kits available to upgrade and improve sprayers.

If poor pesticide performance has led to the decision to purchase a new sprayer, be sure it’s related to the technology and not to an operating error.

• Crop type and acreage – Consider the size of the planting and the size, shape and density of the crop(s). Can the sprayer adapt to provide adequate coverage throughout the growing season and in the long-term?

How fl exible is the sprayer when spraying different products onto different targets?

• Sprayer capacity and fi lling – Fewer refi lls means a higher work rate, but increased capacity also means more weight, so consider the effects on navigation, turning radius and soil compaction. Is the tank easy to fi ll? Is a chemical injection system or induction bowl required or preferred?

• Cleaning, calibrating and maintenance – Cleaning water reservoirs, tank-rinsing nozzles and overall accessibility should be considered. Review the steps required to winterize and to calibrate the sprayer. Is it easy to access parts? Is operator exposure minimized?

• Horsepower – This is an important consideration for airblast sprayers, because fans move a lot of air and liquid. Tank agitators also require power. Consider selecting from the higher range of manufacturer-recommended horsepower to improve longevity. Remember, that fans typically don’t have to operate at the maximum-rated rpm, particularly early in the season.

• Nozzle technology and operating pressure – Consider the range of nozzle-types intended for use and ensure the sprayer can provide suffi cient pressure. While more expensive, diaphragm and piston pumps have fewer moving parts in contact with the spray solution, reducing cleaning time and operator exposure.

• Spraying conditions – A sprayer must be reliable, even in adverse conditions, so consider the operating environment. Night spraying, uneven terrain, high winds, dry

conditions – many environmental factors can impact sprayer performance and may warrant special consideration. Investigate defl ectors, shrouds and the structural framework and durability of the sprayer.

These are all just considerations. The best advice I can give you is to ask lots of questions.

If you have any questions, or would like to know more, please feel free contact me at jason. deveau@ontario.ca.

Welcome Ethan David and Tracy Wright welcomed their new son, Ethan Oliver Wright, born at 12:50 a.m. on Nov. 12, weighing 7 lbs., 8 ozs. Ethan is a new brother for Hannah. David Wright is president of Wright Landscape Services and the Waterloo Chapter.

How much money can I save?

Even if you already own a decent backpack sprayer, and spraying as little as two hectares, the Mini Mantra Plus can easily pay for itself and save you over $2,000 in the first year alone.

Use the comparison tool on our website to see how much you could save using Mankar ULV sprayers.

58 HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009

Mankar Ontario Inc. R.R.#7 Woodstock, ON 647-309-7826 info@mankar.ca

LEGAL ISSUES

Manage risk by properly planning for growth

By Robert Kennaley McLachlin & Associates

M

y father, Jack Kennaley, was an accountant. He was a good accountant and a good man. When I started my own construction business, many years ago, he had some advice for me. He told me that good small companies didn’t go under because of bad debts, or because their work was substandard.

Rather, he said, small companies invariably got themselves into trouble because of poor financial manageRob Kennaley ment: they didn’t know where they were making money, and where they were losing money. They didn’t understand what they were spending on materials and equipment, or their labour burden. They didn’t properly account for all of their costs in pricing their work, overheads, insurance costs or equipment depreciation. They would price jobs, he would tell me, based on what they thought the market could bear, rather than on a fully informed understanding of what they needed to earn a profit. They didn’t understand the need to know the exact schedule and price points they would need to meet to avoid losing money on a job.

He would also tell me, that small business owners often did not understand that profit was something that should be available to go back into the company. In other words, he told me, I shouldn’t be paying myself with profit.

Rather, my income should be considered part of the costs of doing the job, and the company’s profit should be over and above that, so that it is available to help the company grow.

Without such profit, he said, my company would never grow to become what he believed it could become.

My father was right, of course. In leaving the construction industry and in developing a construction law practice, we commonly see companies that do good work, but flounder with an inability to grow. With no real understanding of when, if and how they make money, they will lose money on some jobs; sometimes significantly. Without money going back into the company, equipment gets older and there is no money to replace it. They often

also lose key employees, as they cannot afford to pay what their experience requires.

There is also a further side effect to this problem. Companies in their early days tend to focus on getting jobs and establishing a client base. There is a tendency to think that other requirements of their business will be addressed later on, once they are more established. They plan on growth, which they believe will then give them the time and ability to delegate tasks and pay attention to other issues. What might be put off until later can include developing proper contracts, establishing occupational health and safety training and policies, dealing with subcontractors or addressing insurance or WSIB concerns. The problem is, they plan to grow, but don’t plan for growth. As such, they never get ahead of the game and struggle to put the time, effort and resources into addressing the many aspects of their business that require their attention, beyond selling and performing jobs.

So what does a contractor do about this?

One way or another, contractors and subcontractors, who want to plan for the growth of their businesses, need to learn to develop full and complete budgets. They also must learn to develop full and complete estimates for their jobs, to include for all of their costs, including the owner’s salaries. They need to ensure they know, in a fair bit of detail, where they spend their money, so they may assess where they are making and losing money. They must learn to develop sufficiently detailed schedules for the performance of their work. And within those budgets, estimates and schedules, allocate sufficient time to address non-job-specific requirements, including health and safety training, contract risk management, hiring and firing, WSIB issues, etc.

Some of us may have resources well at hand to help us learn how to do these things.

There are, of course, resources available to help those of us who don’t. Landscape Ontario offers seminars and other support mechanisms in that regard. Go to www.horttrades.com/ seminars/semdex.php for more information. Community colleges and various levels of government also offer training. Recently, a network has also been established to offer landscape contractors a one-shop source for training, education and support in all of these areas. Geared specifically to the landscape construction industry, more information on The Landscape Management Network can be found online at www.landscapemanagementnetwork.com and LO’s www.horttrades website.

Regardless of where you get the help, those of us who don’t know where we are making or losing money, or why we are not growing as we would like, should make sure we have the proper tools to budget, estimate, track costs, schedule and plan for growth. In the end, without these tools, the contracting business can be a little like boxing in the dark. And, like boxing in the dark, it can be risky.

Robert Kennaley practices construction law in Toronto. He speaks and writes regularly on construction law issues and can be reached for comment at 416-368-2522, or kennaley@ mclauchlin.ca. This material is for information purposes and is not intended to provide legal advice in relation to any particular fact situation. Readers who have concerns about any particular circumstance are encouraged to seek independent legal advice in that regard.

“We keep on growing”

Uxbridge Nurseries

www.uxbridgenurseries.com P.O.BOX 400, UXBRIDGE, ONTARIO L9P 1M8

905.655.3379 FAX: 905.655.8544 1.877.655.3379 sales@uxbridgenurseries.com

HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009 59

CLASSIFIED ADS EQUIPMENT

Hydroseeders and Bark Blowers New and Used All Types of Mulches, Soil Guard (BFM), Erosion Control Blankets, Tackifiers Call Peter 1-888-298-9911 www.fibramulch.com BOWIE HYDROMULCHERS (New and Used) FLEXTERRA FGM HYDROBLANKETS BFM F4 NETTLESS ECB MULCH IT P.O. Box 100, Putnam, ON N0L 2B0 Tel: (519) 425-0342 • Fax: (519) 425-4195 www.mulchit.on.ca MELT ICE EFFICIENTLY Rittenhouse stocks the best brands of push type salt and ice melt applicators.

Starting at $140 1-800-461-1041 www.rittenhouse.ca DE-ICING SPRAYERS Rittenhouse manufactures a full line-up of liquid de-icing sprayers.

Starting at $1595 1-800-461-1041 www.rittenhouse.ca

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING INFORMATION

All classified ads must be pre-paid by VISA or Mastercard.

Rates: $42.00 (GST included) per column inch Min. order $42.00.

10% discount on 6 consecutive insertions of the same ad. Annual rates available. Box Numbers: Additional $10.Confidentiality ensured. Deadlines: 20th day of the month prior to issue date. (eg: June issue deadline is May 20th).

Space is limited to a first come, first served basis. To advertise: E-mail your ad to Robert at classifieds@landscapeontario.com or fax to (905) 875-0183.

Online advertising: Website only ads are available for $42.00 (GST included). Website ads are posted for 30 days and are limited to 325 words. View these ads and more online at:

www.horttrades.com/ classifieds

NURSERY STOCK

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Hofland Gardens Ornamental Grasses, Perennials, Groundcovers Tel: 905-355-3392 E-mail: hoflandgardens@phc.igs.net

SR. LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATOR We are a well established, aggressive, growing landscape construction firm, with a landscape yard centrally located in KW area. We require an experienced and highly motivated estimator to help lead us into 2010 and beyond. A great opportunity for the right individual. Excellent wages and benefits offered. The applicant must have at least 5 year experience in light and heavy commercial projects. Computer skills an asset.

Also hiring for these positions: Exp. Landscape Foreman and Labourers, Landscape students or recent grads.

Send resume to: HELMUTZ Landscape & Interlock 170 St. Leger St Kitchener, Ontario N5H 4M5 Fax: (519) 888-7855 E-mail: hr@helmutz.com www.helmutz.com

PERENNIALS Large assortment of perennials, ground covers and native plants.

Price - Variety list available.

FRANK SCHENK PERENNIALS 663 River Road (Belfountain), Caledon, ON L7K 0E5 Tel: (519) 927-5415 Fax: (519) 927-9084 GROUND COVERS UNLIMITED Your Ontario source for ornamental and native ground covers. Call, fax, or write for the 2009 Catalogue and planting guide.

GROUND COVERS UNLIMITED 1045 Porter Road, P.O. Box 190 Bethany, ON L0A 1A0 Tel: (705) 277-3005 Fax: (705) 277-9213

SERVICES AND SUPPLIES Used Lerio 15, 20 & 25 gal pots $4.50 each Fax requests to: (905) 898-0360 Tel: (905) 898-6856 Attention: Frank Matos TREE TRANSPLANTING Transplanting trees up to 9” truck diameter with 10,000 lb. rootball. 44”, 80” & 90” spades to move trees with and can basket up to 90” 100 acres of trees to choose from.

BOTANIX OXFORD INSTA-SHADE RR # 2, Burgessville ON N0J 1C0 Tel: (519) 424-2180 • Fax: (519) 424-2420 Toll Free: 1-800-387-0246 Contact Jan Veldhuizen E-mail: botoxfor@oxford.net www.botanixois.on.ca Alma st. Recycle Depot Boers benches and tables.

Various sizes tables and benches.

Other items available.

Irrigation pipe (600’) 1 gal. Pot hangers: $2.00 each.

Contact Reinhard (519) 822-5157 www.recycledepot.ca

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES ONTARIO LANDSCAPING LIMITED Experienced landscape labourers required to perform manual work. To assist in cultivating, digging and planting of trees. Labourer hourly rate $15.00.

Also required driver – class A licence, Z certificate and mobile crane operator 0-8. Driver hourly rate $17.50.

Seasonal employment starting April 1/09 to Nov 30/09. Job Site Keswick, Ont. Fax resume to (905) 898-0360 or call (905) 898-6856

60 HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009

Position available: Sales and Design Manager The Landmark Group is located in the centre of Ontario’s finest 4 season recreation retreat.

Our office is only minutes away from exciting ski hills, beautiful sand beaches and challenging hiking/biking trails along the Niagara Escarpment. Living and working in Thornbury, Collingwood and the Southern Georgian Bay Area is sure not to disappoint any active and adventurous individual.

Qualifications: • A degree in landscape architecture • Excellent communication and organizational skills • Experience in landscape construction • Be up to date with the most current landscape and construction trends • A willingness to explore new trends and technologies to enhance designs • Able to work with clients and capture their needs into designs • Able to work within client budgets • Be self-motivated and have the ability to meet deadlines • The ability to manage, provide direction and mentor existing and new staff • Work in a team environment, understanding that this is a design/build firm • A valid driver’s license • A willingness to meet clients in the evenings and Saturdays • A minimum of 5 years experience in landscape design and sales We encourage you to visit www.thelandmarkgroup.ca to view our portfolio to become familiar with our type of work and our design philosophy.

Please forward your cover letter, resume and references to: gary@thelandmarkgroup.ca P.O. Box 236 Thornbury, ON N0H 2P0 Fax: (519) 599-3991

EMPLOYMENT WANTED SALES POSITION WANTED • Personable, entrepreneurial Sales Professional looking for Sales position in the green industry.

• Experienced with equipment, hard goods, plant material and supplies.

• Contacts in greenhouse, nursery, turf and garden centre industries.

Landscape Ontario Award of Excellence winning business owner. Increased sales by 70% over two years. Negotiated contracts up to $300,000. I look forward to discussing how I can help grow your business!

Cam Edgar (519) 871-4988 cam.edgar@sympatico.ca

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT Office space for rent in the Leaside Business Park,Toronto. New building within landscape contractors yard. Bamboo floors, granite counters in kitchenette etc. One office is 18 x19 ft and other is 15 x 19 ft. $3 per square foot/ month.

Contact J.P.Galle, Highland Design Build Ltd. Tel: (416) 425-1312 or e-mail highlanddesignbuild@rogers.com

Advertising works!

ADVERTISER’S INDEX COMPANY

PAGE

PHONE

WEBSITE

Agrium..................................................................64.......... 800-461-6471.....................................www.prohort.ca Braun Nursery Ltd...............................................52.......... 905-648-1911........................... www.braungroup.com Canadale Nurseries Ltd......................................63.......... 519-631-1008.............................. www.canadale.com G & L Group (Draglam Salt.)...............................8........... 416-798-7050......................... www.draglamsalt.com Hillen Nursery Inc............................................... 6-7..........519-264-9057 Landscape Safety...............................................10.......... 877-482-2323...................www.landscapesafety.com Legends Landscape Supply Inc.........................14.......... 905-638-5999....................... www.landscapestore.ca Limestone Trail Company Ltd.............................14.......... 905-563-8133........................www.limestonetrail.com Mankar Ontario Inc (div. of Stam Nurseries).........58.......... 647-309-7826.................................... www.mankar.ca NewRoads National Leasing...............................9........... 416-587-1021................. www.newroadsleasing.com Nisco National Leasing.......................................13.......... 888-634-9559....................... www.niscocanada.com Oregon Associations of Nurseries.......................3........... 800-342-6401........................www.nurseryguide.com R.M. Adams Trucking Ltd....................................53.......... 519-744-0151..........www.adamslandscapesupply.ca Sipkens Nurseries Ltd..........................................5........... 866-843-0438................. www.sipkensnurseries.com Stam Nurseries....................................................15.......... 519-424-3350.................... www.stamsnurseries.com Stonemen’s Valley Inc.........................................56.......... 905-841-8400..................www.stonemensvalley.com Uxbridge Nurseries Ltd.......................................59.......... 877-655-3379................www.uxbridgenurseries.com V. Kraus Nurseries Ltd.........................................2........... 905-689-4022.....................www.krausnurseries.com Winkelmolen Nursery Ltd....................................12.......... 519-647-3912.........................www.winkelmolen.com Zander Sod Co Ltd...............................................5........... 877-727-2100............................www.zandersod.com

2010 Landscape Ontario

Safety Group Program Implemented by Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) and sponsored by Landscape Ontario

How the program works: Firms work together, along with Landscape Ontario and WSIB, to create and develop a Health and Safety program for your company — to benefit both you and your employees.

For more details, including meeting dates, visit http://www.horttrades.com/safety Registration fee: $175 per firm, for the year Registration deadline: Dec. 31, 8, 2009 Registration deadline: Jan. 2010

HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009 61

PROSPERITY PARTNERS

The fastest long winter on record?

By Jacki Hart CLP Prosperity Partners program manager

B

y the time this hits your desk, we’ve all shoveled a bit of snow, spun a tire or two and resigned ourselves to digging an extra layer out of the hall closet, rather than heading outside in shirtsleeves.

Winter, my friends, is here. Every spring, we always say that it was a long winter. Yet, there were all those things we meant to do during that time, but didn’t. Well, professional development season is here. Congress is ALMOST here. So, what’s your plan to grow and learn through the next few months? For the snow and ice crowd, read on, this also applies to you.

It is in our nature to ask questions, and to desire personal growth. The Prosperity Partners program is developed by your peers, to help you clarify and move forward on your journey to a better life balance and security. The most valuable benefit from the Prosperity Partners is that it is designed to help you at your own pace.

Here’s a recap of a few thoughts from Prosperity Partners’ participants I interviewed for this column this past year.

Q. What stuck with you the most from the PP Introductory Seminar?

A. Mike Hayes, AllGreen Tree Service: It helped me to identify my strengths and weaknesses. This seminar, thankfully, is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It is designed so that everyone in the room can apply the tools to their business in a relevant way to themselves right now. This seminar helps identify your blind spots and makes sense of what’s going well and not so well, with way more clarity.

A. Grant Harrison, Escapes Outdoor Living Design: I learned a lot at this seminar. The most important thing is to stay focused on what we do, and where we are going as a company. To quote you, Jacki, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it with HUGE accuracy.” Now I’m clear on what I’m aiming at in terms of everything I do. You also taught us how to leverage our strengths. From this, I decided to leverage the uniqueness and talent of our woodworking to other landscapers. This has turned out a fantastic way to steadily grow my business, and in a direction that is different from what I had originally thought.

A. Paul Doornbos, Thornbusch Landscaping: The importance of being YOU; knowing yourself and believing in yourself. It’s also the realization of how much the success of one’s business is also tied to and related to personal growth.

Q. How have you been able to apply the things you learned to improve your business?

A. Mark Fisher, The Escarpment Company: One of the most valuable things that I have learned is the stages of a business. It’s understanding that businesses are dynamic and the amount of time devoted to each of the five pillars is related to where the company is in the business cycle. This has helped me manage my time better, to become more efficient and productive.

Each learned something different Each of the Prosperity Partners learned something different and hugely relevant for them.

They now are able to continue by applying the smarter business practices they learned at various stages going forward. And, the best part is that it was painless for them to learn.

I’ve referred to the November Files every now and then in this column. Now is the time to check your file. That’s the list that is either written or stored in your head that reminds you what wasn’t working so well in the past year, and what you want to change/improve.

Join us this winter by moving yourself forward toward better prosperity. Here’s how to get involved: Prosperity Introductory seminar: This oneday interactive learning experience gets you focused on what is truly working and what isn’t in your business. Who should attend? Business owners and managers.

Learning outcomes:Understanding why your business runs the way it does; why you come up against road blocks and frustrations; how to navigate challenges in a step by step way – starting from where you and your business are now.

Best Practices:(prerequisite: introductory seminar) A full-day of interactive learning and resource connections, including access to our online template library. Who should attend?

Business owners and managers.

Learning outcomes:Making changes that stick; solving repetitive challenges in business;

62 HORTICULTURE REVIEW - DECEMBER 15, 2009

designing and committing to a custom journey of improvement; immense value of peer networking; access to the online best practices template library.

New Roundtable Solutions: (prerequisite: either of the two previous seminars) A fullday of solution-specific peer networking, that focuses on next steps to improve each of five pillars of your business.Who should attend?

Business owners and managers.

Learning outcomes: How to leverage the power of peer experience to accelerate your business improvement initiatives; ensure your right-fit filter is guiding your choices (don’t fall into the band-aid trap).

Energy Workshop: Ready, Set, GO! Join Jacki Hart for an invigorating morning session of networking and thought-provoking planning for your Congress and winter professional development plans. Make new contacts, get focused, and make the most of the winter months to implement effective changes in your business, as easily as possible. It takes place on Jan. 11, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel. To register go to www.locongress.com.

Mentorship: Available to all Prosperity Partners. You may be paired with a volunteer industry mentor for an hour per month. The purpose of this support is to have an experienced industry peer be your sounding board for ideas and changes you wish to make to your business.

Coaches and consultants: We have several endorsed coaches who are aligned with our industry’s unique demands.

Online forum: Go to www.locc.ca/ forum. Post your questions, offer your suggestions, network with your peers to continue your journey in good company.

Template library: Offered as a value added bonus to our Best Practices partners, this library contains over 50 business templates (and is growing every month) used in our industry by our industry members to help develop and improve your business in each of the five pillars, including health and safety content, employee handbooks, forms, policies, proposal templates, due diligence tracking, etc. Don’t reinvent the wheel – borrow brilliance from your peers, and customize these documents to suit your needs.

For dates and more info, email prosperity@landscapeontario.com, or go to www. horttrades.com/prosperity.

NEW MEMBERS DURHAM CHAPTER Green Side Up Environmental Services Douglas Kennedy 708 Janetville Rd Janetville, ON L0B 1K0 Tel: 705-878-3994 Membership Type: Active GEORGIAN LAKELANDS CHAPTER Brown’s Concrete Products Limited Manfred Herold 3075 Herold Drive Sudbury, ON P3E 6K9 Tel: 705-522-8220 Membership Type: Associate Threshold Inc. Chris Coker 6966 Ninth Line Beeton, ON L0G 1A0 Tel: 905-729-4808 Membership Type: Associate LONDON CHAPTER BlueStone Properties Katie McGrath 105 - 130 Dufferin Ave London, ON N6A 5R2 Tel: 226-268-2179 Membership Type: Active O’Keefe Landscaping Sean O’keefe 14 - 232 Elgin Street Port Elgin, ON N0H 2C0 Tel: 519-832-2732 Membership Type: Interim TORONTO CHAPTER Coastal Garden Supply Ltd Mike Evans 12 Grafton Avenue Toronto, ON M6R 1C4 Tel: 416-519-4137 Membership Type: Associate Earth Elements 7 Landscape Design Inc. Kris Hall 47 Glenwood Ave. Toronto , ON M6P 3C7 Tel: 416-762-1739 Membership Type: Interim Infrastructures Jean-Francois Villard 4330 Saint-Hubert St Montreal, QC H2J 2W7 Tel: 514-528-9932 Membership Type: Associate Paragon Landscapes Graham Sandiford B - 4371 Kingston Rd. Toronto, ON M1E 2M9 Tel: 647-224-7514 Membership Type: Interim

Rain Gods Justin Berube 33 Sutcliff Lane Georgetown, ON L7G0C2 Tel: 905-821-8857 Membership Type: Active

Richard Earl Membership Type: Horticultural WATERLOO CHAPTER Pro Lawn Care Inc. Bob Van Zeyl 25 Sideroad 18, RR 1 Fergus, ON N1M 2W3 Tel: 519-787-5296 Membership Type: Active

Zoran Dimitrovski Membership Type: Horticultural

CANADALE NURSERIES wants you to thrive in 2010, here’s how: Right Now:

• In 2010, your customers will be looking for deals more than ever, Let us help you plan your sale schedule in the winter. Use our Great Sale Plants to plan your weekly sale schedule. You need a Plan to be successful this coming year more than ever!

Don’t count on unknown last minute sales.

• In 2010, set yourself apart with unique plant material. Your customers will still want new and unique plants to make their yards their own. Canadale can help with its Specialty, Unique and New plant lists.

Don’t be disappointed, reserve these plants now!

In Season: • Let us ship fresh stock at its prime to you weekly. Shop our ‘Looking Good Lists’ and keep your inventory fresh and appealing.

• Sign up for our weekly e-mail: featuring our complete availability, Looking Good Lists and sale plant lists • Let us pre-price your nursery stock (please give us enough notice) so that your staff can focus on selling and up-selling.

• Use our signage, posters and POS material to be ‘silent salespeople’ • Rely on our skilled, experienced nursery staff to pick the best plants with maximum sales appeal.

269 Sunset Drive St. Thomas, Ontario N5R 3C4 Phone: (519) 631-1008 Fax: (519) 631-0818 E-mail: tji@canadale.com

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