Landscape Ontario - June 2016

June 2016 www.horttrades.com

The Garden Girls PM 40013519

One of 252 new member companies to join the LO family

Lucy Godinho and Darla Hauraney

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Co-opetition: Cooperation among aligned professionals

By Paul Brydges LO President

Y

ears ago, leaders and owners of companies would never speak to competitors for fear of losing staff or giving away ideas. Today, sharing virtually all aspects of our business with colleagues is the norm. We have come full circle.

With today’s complex projects, we as designers are bringing in larger and larger teams of contractors and allied professionals to put jobs together. We are also seeing our clients have less knowledge of construction elements than ever before. They want to write one cheque to one point of contact to bring their dreams to life.

Our society has largely become that of specialty careers. Lawyers don’t do their own plumbing, plumbers don’t do their own wiring, and fewer people can or want to build their own landscapes. I

June, 2016 • Volume 34, No. 6 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.

ISSN 1928-9553 Publications Mail Agreement No. PM40013519

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Department Landscape Ontario 7856 Fifth Line South, Milton, ON L9T 2X8 Canada Phone: 905-875-1805

think this is a significant reason why we are seeing such exceptional growth in our green professions. People are getting further away from the land and we (the green professionals) are the conduit that brings them back to the landscape.

As a result of these trends, our contractor network is specializing in varied aspects of landscape construction. One example is Phil Jackson of Jackson Pond Management. Jackson only builds and maintains water features. This allows them to stick to their specialty. By bringing in a specialty like Jackson, the general contractor, who may not be confident in his ability to build that specific element, also has less stress and less workload.

This method is much more efficient.

Why struggle through building something for the first time and not making the required margins when someone else can do the work more efficiently and you still manage the project and make the same margins? We can even sell this concept to clients because they are the benefactors of using a specialist on specific elements to create the best-built and most unique elements possible.

Editor Robert Ellidge rellidge@landscapeontario.com, 647-722-5645 Assistant editor Scott Barber sbarber@landscapeontario.com, 647-478-3171 Graphic designer Mike Wasilewski mikew@landscapeontario.com, 647-723-5343 Sales manager Steve Moyer stevemoyer@landscapeontario.com, 416-848-0708 Integrated solutions representative Greg Sumsion gsumsion@landscapeontario.com, 647-722-6977 Communications coordinator Angela Lindsay alindsay@landscapeontario.com, 647-723-5305 Accountant Joe Sabatino jsabatino@landscapeontario.com, 647-724-8585 Publisher Lee Ann Knudsen CLM lak@landscapeontario.com, 416-848-7557 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO STAFF Darryl Bond, Kim Burton, Myscha Burton, Rachel Cerelli, Tony DiGiovanni CHT, Denis Flanagan CLD, J. Alex Gibson, Sally Harvey CLT CLM CAE, Jane Leworthy, Heather MacRae, Kristen McIntyre CHT CEM, Kathy McLean, Linda Nodello, Kathleen Pugliese, Ian Service, Tom Somerville, Martha Walsh, Cassandra Wiesner

Smaller companies are seeing the advantages of this collaboration twofold. They are able to bring professionals to the projects they otherwise could not have completed (or lost money completing), and they now have the time to learn new skills while concentrating on their core competencies.

This somewhat new era of cooperation — or co-opetition — is where some of the greatest strengths of our members show through at Landscape Ontario. If we can all take time to work together for mutual benefit we will continue to succeed and create better results for our clients.

Congratulations to Sally Harvey

Our own Sally Harvey has taught us all how we can generate such positive energy between our firms as well as within our youth. As of the writing of this article, Sally has accepted a new role as Executive Director of Landscape Nova Scotia and Landscape Newfoundland and Labrador. Congratulations to Sally in this new role! Eastern Canada will now see the benefits of an inspirational leader who will foster a new era of prosperity in that region. We at LO will find it hard to find someone to do what Sally has done so well. She cannot be replaced, but we will find people to continue her incredible legacy of inspiring students and connecting professionals to make our profession one of incredible relevance and diversity.

Paul Brydges may be reached at paulbrydges.la@sympatico.ca.

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FEATURES GARDEN GIRLS

ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW MEMBERS EVENTS INDUSTRY NEWS COLUMNS AD INDEX CLASSIFIEDS

Views expressed are those of the writer concerned. Landscape Ontario assumes no responsibility for the validity or correctness of any opinions or references made by the author. Copyright 2016, reproduction or the use of whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited. Published 11x per year. Rates and deadlines are available on request. Subscription price: $43.51 per year (HST included).

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

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Company co-founders Lucy Godinho (foreground) and Darla Hauraney have created a successful business using a team of independent gardeners.

The Garden Girls working in all the right places The Garden Girls are not your typical landscape maintenance company. Their crews don’t drive heavily branded company trucks, there are no trailers full of tools and equipment, and they don’t own a lawn mower. In fact, crews are called teams, which consist of part-time, independent gardeners who arrive at a client’s property armed only with a rake, pruners, a bucket and whatever other tools a homeowner would typically use in their own garden.

This unique approach to landscape maintenance all started 10 year ago.

Co-founders Darla Hauraney and Lucy Godinho were outside gardening when a neighbour stopped and offered to pay them money to do some work in his own garden.

At the time, both women were looking for some kind of summer work — Hauraney was working for a family printing and mailing business that slowed down in summer and Godinho was in her fifth year as a THE GARDEN GIRLS HELP REACH NEW MEMBER GOAL As part of a new member campaign, Landscape Ontario’s goal to increase membership by 10 per cent this year, translating into 252 new members, was achieved with the approval of The Garden Girls’ membership application.

4 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO JUNE 2016

teacher. They became gardeners for hire for that first neighbour, who then told a friend, who in turn told another friend, and Hauraney and Godinho were able to work weeknights and weekends that entire first year strictly by word-of-mouth referrals.

Based in Oakville, Ont. the company has grown steadily over the years, growing from a team of 15 last year, to 20 this season with their sights set on growing to 25 people next year. The company services properties in Etobicoke, Mississauga, Oakville and Burlington that range from postage stamp sized lots to very large estates. About 90 per cent of their clients are residential properties, but they do have some commercial clients such as a restaurant, shopping plaza and condominiums.

Most of the part-time, independent gardeners have other jobs, so scheduling is only done a week in advance using a phone-based app. Gardeners put in their availability and are then matched up with clients. “We first started using the Apple calendar and invited them to jobs,” says Godinho, but like all seasonal businesses, schedules must sometimes be revised around Mother Nature.

Each team of gardeners has a team lead (Hauraney is often one of them), who ensures the work requested by the client is performed to their level of satisfaction,

and also deals with any additional work requests or site issues.

Teams are constantly mixed up so gardeners get to work on all of the properties, which sometimes allows for carpooling as well. Hauraney and Godinho strongly believe in not assigning specific gardeners to specific properties simply because they may live close by. “Everyone has a different skill set,” says Hauraney. “Each person has a different eye for pruning and trimming which can then be a refreshing change for the client as well.”

With small crews working daily, weekly or even monthly on a property, Godinho says “it makes a lot more sense and is much more affordable” to potential clients.

Their gardening service then becomes comparable to a weekly or monthly maid or cleaning service.

Many of their customers are already avid gardeners who simply may not have the time or the physical strength to maintain their property at the level they desire.

“Some of our clients may be dealing with an injury or illness, or have recently lost a spouse,” says Godinho. “Or others are firsttime homeowners who have inherited a mature garden on their property and simply don’t know what is in it or how to care for it properly,” adds Hauraney.

Currently with over 150 customers, The Garden Girls run up a waiting list of new clients each spring. Hauraney and Godinho typically wait until “May Mayhem” is over to visit with new clients during the slower summer months. Hauraney finds once people have made the initial contact they are

willing to wait. “In summer, it’s also easier to see what is growing in a garden I’ve never seen before,” which translates into less surprises and makes for more accurate pricing. Even still, she says, “There are always surprises for the first year on a property because when we quote on the work, we are only seeing the garden in that one season.”

All professions must deal with changing client needs, and for The Garden Girls, this is no different. They have done some complete garden makeovers, but always try to work with what is already in a garden when it comes time to revitalize. This means lots of time is spent in fall dividing perennials, moving plants and expanding gardens.

The addition of Turf N Dirt

Those larger garden projects require bulk materials, and for that, Hauraney’s son Brayden started his own company, Turf N Dirt, a couple of years ago. Always a part of the business over the years, Brayden also provides lawn care services to some of The Garden Girls’ clients — something they were asking The Garden Girls about regularly. Turf N Dirt provides everything from soil to mulch to natural stone and aggregates when required. Hauraney says her customers don’t mind the one-stop shop because they know there is a history and a connection with Turf N Dirt. Both companies operate together under the Hauraney Enterprises umbrella.

The Garden Girls have also formed close relationships with a landscape architect and an arborist — both staff they would like to add to their team in the future.

“We deal a lot with properties that have a mature tree canopy,”Hauraney says of one of the biggest challenges they face. “Once

we have an expert open up the property it also opens up a lot of new ideas and excitement for the property owner.”

Other long-standing relationships with landscape contractors, nursery growers and suppliers are also vital to their success in order to fulfill the needs of a client.

They once did an entire makeover in just one week in preparation for a wedding that required all hands on deck and was very stressful. Both Hauraney and Godinho find the work very rewarding. “The harder we work, the better,” says Godinho.

Learning from mistakes

Hauraney recalls one early mistake, creating an entire design for free in hopes of earning a client’s business. “A lot of people try to pick your brain once they know you are knowledgable about plants and gardens,” Hauraney says. “They want your ideas without having to pay.” Despite getting no return for her design effort, The Garden Girls still do not charge for a consultation and none of their clients operate on contracts.

Gardeners from all walks of life

Finding new gardeners for the team has not been a major issue for The Garden Girls. They use social media, existing employees, and their client base to find new gardeners. They range from retired teachers to students. Emily McKenna is a landscape architecture student at the University of Toronto, who found The Garden Girls online when looking for a summer job.

“I’ve learned a ton,” McKenna says. “This work is practical and technical and physical work and school is design-oriented and conceptual — nothing really hands-on.”

Training of new gardeners consists of

The teams use primarily hand tools. A blower is the only power tool used when necessary to clean up fine debris.

shadowing Hauraney for three or four days, working at various properties that require different levels of service. After that, the team leader steps in to do any additional training.

Emily Brown is new to the team this year and previously worked for the City of Mississauga’s Parks Department. She says her duties with the city only involved a minimal amount of very basic gardening, something she is very passionate about. This new job allows her to “move into something that was more garden focused.” Brown also enjoys the “freedom to work part-time and have a more guaranteed income.”

Coming from all walks of life and working closely together, many of the team have formed good relationships — with clients as well. Hauraney proudly says some of her clients will make food and offer refreshments to her gardeners.

Hauraney and Godinho get everyone in the company together at least three times a year for a few social events and team building. Everyone meets up in March before the season begins, followed by a mid-summer outing and finally an end-of-season gathering in November.

As for the future, The Garden Girls’ end goal is to have three teams of gardeners out working five days a week. They hope to also add an office administrator to take care of the accounting, invoicing and office duties as the team grows. But for now, both Hauraney and Godinho gladly share the responsibility taking care of the business they have created.

“You know you did a good job when you come home at the end of a hard day and a customer has taken the time to send an email saying how awesome their property looks,” says Hauraney.

Co-founder Darla Hauraney works on job sites while also sharing the daily business operation duties with Lucy Godinho.

WWW.HORTTRADES.COM 5

ASSOCIATION NEWS

niques and educate them about the many benefits of green spaces and turf.

The event piqued the interest of local resident, Dave Smith, who was able to spend a bit of time with Alan White. Smith was so impressed, he wrote an article on his blog about the park clean-up.

“There is no education like listening to a passionate person and Alan White is passionate about turf. Before meeting him I thought trees were the best way to generate oxygen, however, Alan explained that turf is a more efficient method. In my discussion with him I also discovered that carbon is not all bad and organic is not all good,” wrote Smith.

Smith also noted in addition to the many environmental benefits of the turf being maintained, the volunteers consisting of parents, children, twenty-somethings and seniors all got to know each other better by working together for just a few short hours and also got the added bonus of some exercise outdoors in early spring.

COMMITTEE TOLD ALL LIGHTING INSTALLATIONS REQUIRE PERMIT Volunteers from both the green profession and the local community performed the fourth annual spring clean-up of St. James Park in Toronto. Photo by Dave Smith.

Volunteers revitalize St. James Park The fourth annual spring clean-up of St. James Park by LO members and the local community took place on April 23 in Toronto, Ont. In partnership with the St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood Business

Improvement Area and Project Evergreen, LO’s Lawn Care Sector Group, which includes Kyle Tobin, LawnSavers Plant Health Care and Alan White, Turf Systems, worked well in advance of the event to organize the necessary equipment, volunteers, suppliers and logistics for the day. The St. Lawrence BIA gets the word out to the community and holds a pancake breakfast, serving hot coffee and food to the many volunteers.

The revitalization is not only great for area residents who use the park — it also gives them access to industry professionals who (L-R) Bob Kemp, St. Lawrence Market BIA, Kelsey White and father, Alan White, Turf Systems, enjoy a bit of sunshine during the revitalization teach them proper practices and techof the park. Photo by Dave Smith.

6 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO JUNE 2016

A sub-committee of the Landscape Ontario’s Lighting Sector Group met with the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) in January 2016 to clarify the standards for electrical permits within the industry. The sub-committee was comprised of Carl Hastings, Moonstruck Lighting; Frank DiMarco, DiMarco Landscape Lighting and LO executive director Tony DiGiovanni.

Following a Lighting Sector Group meeting in April, the committee found five important issues that need to be clarified and communicated to the members of Landscape Ontario with reference to contractors installing outdoor lighting fixtures.

The committee members were informed by ESA that all landscape lighting installations, regardless of whether or not transformers are plugged into 120volt receptacles, require a Yard and Garden Electrical Permit. If a contractor is modifying a 120-volt electrical system, an Electrical Permit is required. Only a Master Electrician can take out an Electrical Permit. There is no exception for any contractor or for specific areas in Ontario, regardless of what an individual inspector may say or claim.

1. If not modifying a 120-volt electrical system, a Yard and Garden Electrical Permit is still required and the system must plug into a GFI protected receptacle. The GFI should be tested on-

site before being used as a power source for a low voltage lighting system.

2. To apply for a Yard and Garden Electrical Permit to install low voltage landscape lighting, one does not need to be an electrician or Master Electrician as long as the applicant is not modifying 120-volts. The number of transformers being installed on each project must be registered on the permit, not the number of low voltage fixtures.

3. If changing a weatherproof, while-in-use 120-volt receptacle cover plate, there is no need to be a licensed electrician.

Sub-contracted electrical work must go to a licensed Master Electrician. All licensed electrical contractors are required to have proper insurance to do electrical work.

4. With regards to WSIB, electrical work must be under the proper rate code if the majority of your work is electrical.

All licensed electrical contractors are required to follow all of the necessary rules and regulations regarding license, insurance and WSIB coverage. To prevent any problems, instruct the client to hire a qualified electrician to perform 120-volt electrical work.

5. Electrical work and all landscape lighting installed without proper permits are subject to fines from ESA. This ruling applies to all contractors doing electrical work in Ontario.

For more detailed information regarding the rules and regulations governing electrical installations in Ontario, please go to the ESA website at esasafe.com.

GARDEN CENTRE AWARDS PROGRAM OPENS JULY 1

Entries for Landscape Ontario’s Garden Centre Awards of Excellence program will be open to retail members from July 1 to Sept. 1.

The annual awards competition recognizes the unique and innovative marketing efforts of retailers using photographs and descriptions of their efforts. Whether it’s a creative merchandising display of plants or seasonal goods, a permanent display garden, print advertising, a website, or a special event designed to attract customers to their store, the program offers many categories for retailers in all shapes and sizes.

The Outstanding Display of Plant Material category includes deciduous shrubs and/or trees, annuals and/or perennials, evergreens and/or broadleaf, specialty plant material your business is noted for, and new varieties of annuals and/or perennials.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS standing website development. The Permanent Display Gardens category is divided into display under 500 sq. ft. and over 500 sq. ft. in size.

The program is only open to current members of Landscape Ontario and a fee of $75 per entry applies. Non-member entries will not Kennedy Johnston (left) of Peter Knippel Nursery receiving a garden be considered. centre award from LO executive director, Tony DiGiovanni.

Winning entries In the Outstanding Display of Goods are judged by a group of industry experts category, awards will be handed out for with winners announced during a special displays of giftware, hardgoods and seaceremony to be held later this fall. Details sonal goods. Other Merchandising Techwill be made available at a later date. niques is divided into creative P.O.P. To learn more about the program, area, outstanding promotional event, please contact Kristen McIntyre at kristen@landscapeontario.com. outstanding print advertising, and out-

e

WINDERMERE TO CELEBRATE 40 YEARS IN BUSINESS

Windermere Garden Centre in Utterson, Ont., will be celebrating its 40th anniversary on June 26. To celebrate the milestone, owners Richard and Colleen Emmons will be holding a BBQ luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Local dignitaries, Tony Clement, MP for Parry Sound-Muskoka, Norm Miller, MPP for Parry Sound-Muskoka, and the local mayor will be in attendance.

A member of Landscape Ontario since 1988, Windermere Garden Centre operates a second location in Port Carling, Ont. and also offers landscape construction, maintenance, garden design, and snow removal services to the Muskoka area.

SIPKENS INSPIRES A NEW GENERATION

On April 30, Sipkens Nurseries garden centre hosted an event for the second year, inviting parents to bring their children for life lessons in the garden.

Located in Wyoming, Ont., Sipkens places a major emphasis on educating their clientele on plants and all things garden related. Organizers took the opportunity to teach young gardeners some cool

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One of the many stations set up at Sipkens garden centre to educate and inspire young gardeners.

things about gardening.

Sipkens staff operated various stations in the greenhouse to teach young gardeners (and their parents). These included: pond fish; vermicomposting (worm composting); edible fruits, vegetables and herbs; insects in the garden that are good and bad; crazy plants, including the shrimp plant, living stones, venus fly traps, pitcher plants and tillandsia.

As the children reached a finish line they were all given the chance to pot up their own monkey-flower or tomato to take home, along with their newly-minted green thumbs.

Sipkens staff are hopeful the opportunity will encourage a new generation to take up North America’s favorite hobby and reconnect people with the garden and living things.

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Large Evergreens

DUTCHMASTER TO HOST INDUSTRY AUCTION SEPT. 16

The Landscape Ontario Growers Sector Group will be holding their annual buying event for garden centres, contractors and plant lovers at Dutchmaster Nurseries in Pickering, Ont. on Sept.

16.

The auction offers buyers access to some of the best nursery stock in Ontario — skids of trees, shrubs and perennials, as well and related products and individual silent auction items — all donated by retailers, suppliers, contractors and growers. Proceeds from the event benefit industry research and scholarships through the Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation.

The event also offers Ontario growers the opportunity to showcase their best plant material by entering the LO Growers Awards of Excellence Program. Entries are judged onsite and then auctioned off at the event.

Awards of Excellence categories include: Evergreens - Field Grown, Upright and Spreading; Evergreens - Container Grown, Upright and Spreading; Broadleaf Evergreens; Deciduous Shrubs; Deciduous Trees - 300 cm or less; Deciduous Trees - Top Grafted/ Worked; Caliper Trees (minimum of two specimens); Vines and Groundcovers; Perennials; Unusual and Rare Plants (worthy of attention; minimum of four specimens) and Design on a Skid — be creative, anything goes, as long as it fits on a skid. Judges will also choose the best overall entry to receive special recognition.

All material entered is to be delivered Sept. 15 or early morning Sept. 16. Please note Buxus and Pachysandra will not be accepted for entry or donation.

Winners will be announced during the auction on Sept. 16.

Only LO members are eligible to enter the awards program.

Entry forms and more details are available at industryauction.ca.

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Lots of new and unique plant materilal

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“Growing Today For A Greener Tomorrow” WWW.HORTTRADES.COM 9

ASSOCIATION NEWS

OHTF SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE JUNE 30

Windsor Chapter remembers industry pioneer memories and stories they told during the ceremony.

“It was our absolute pleasure to be able to do this one Turn your career green small act of remembrance Who we are and what we do to serve as a living reminder of Fred,”said Jay Rivait on behalf of Landscape Ontario Windsor Chapter. “We hope Ann Evers (left) and Windsor Chapter member, Lex Kraft attend the Evers family a tree dedication ceremony to honour the late Fred Evers in enjoys the tree Kingsville, Ont. and thinks of him Landscape Ontario Windsor Chapter fondly whenever they visit.” held a tree dedication ceremony on Fred Evers was the former owner April 25 at Lakeside Park in Kingsville, of Evers Landscaping in Kingsville. He Ont., to honour industry pioneer Fred was a member of Landscape Ontario, Evers who passed away in 2014. Fred’s and was part of a group that organized wife Ann Evers was in attendance. the Ontario Gardening Maintenance “Fred would be so proud of his organiand Landscaping Association (OGMLA) zation,” Evers said, and thanked Lex — one of the founding members of Kraft and Don Tellier for the “wonderful Landscape Ontario. Fred served the and respectful job” they did and for the OGMLA as treasurer for many years.

The Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation:

The Foundation’s mandate is to nurture, encourage and support scholarships and research in the horticulture industry.

Since 1979, the Foundation has contributed over $350,000 in scholarships and bursaries and millions of dollars worth of research funding.

Hundreds of young industry leaders have benefited from the scholarship support.

Many of the industry’s most innovative projects and concepts have had their start with a grant from the Foundation. This includes research into potted trees, container growing, pesticide alternatives, plant selection, growing media, weed and insect control, nutrient management and many other projects that have shaped our industry and provided huge opportunities for growth and prosperity.

The Foundation is a registered Charity. The overhead costs are kept very low ensuring that maximum contributions are awarded to research and scholarship recipients.

The Foundation raises funds through initiatives such as the Integrated Pest Management Symposium, Landscape Ontario Research Auction and through direct fundraising. To ensure sustainability, the Foundation primarily uses earned interest to support the research and scholarship activity.

Please help us build a health future for the horticultural industry. Help us make a positive difference in the lives future industry members.



With over $50,000 in scholarships and bursaries awarded to high school and post-secondary students each year, the Ontario Horticultural Foundation (OHTF) provides a boost to aspiring green professionals. Created by a group of industry leaders in 1979, the OHTF’s mandate is to ensure a healthy future for the horticultural industry through financial support of research and scholarships.

Applying is easy, and typically only requires students to send their transcript and an essay describing why they are pursuing a career in horticulture. The application deadline for Turn your career green Horticultural 2016 scholarships Scholarship and awards is Opportunities June 30.

Under the OHTF umbrella, the Cullen Scholarships Program offers up to $30,000 each year to students at various postsecondary schools and Landscape Securing the future Ontario chapters, of the horticultural industry through industry members the financial support of research and companies and scholarships also have scholarships for students located in specific parts of the province or studying specific areas within the profession.

Humber College horticulture technician student Corina Ottnad received the $1,000 Horst Dickert Memorial scholarship last year. Ottnad says she learned about the Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association, comprised of over 2,000 members, is the trade association serving the range of Ontario’s green industry sectors. The association’s mandate is to be the leader in representing, promoting and fostering a favourable environment for the advancement of the horticulture industry in Ontario.

For more information, visit www.landscapeontario.com or www.ohtf.ca Please visit the site often to watch for new opportunities.

Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation 7856 Fifth Line South, Milton, ON L9T 2X8 1-800-265-5656, ext. 309 Fax 905-875-3942 Email: scholarships@landscapeontario.com

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LANDSCAPE / CONSTRUCTION Scholarship recipients are recognized at an awards ceremony in January.

OHTF from instructor Gino Teolis.

“He has been really good at keeping our class informed about opportunities that are available,” Ottnad said. “He took the time to speak with us about the Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation, and he really made sure that we realized how special the program is.”

Teolis says he and his colleagues at Humber make sure their students are informed about the OHTF because postsecondary education can be a financial challenge, and the foundation was created to help passionate individuals along their path to the green professions.

“We have a town hall each fall where we bring in an industry leader to speak with our first year students, and for the past few years, we have invited Landscape Ontario’s executive director, Tony DiGiovanni,” Teolis explained. “Tony talks about the OHTF and all of the scholarships available to horticulture students.

If the students are not reminded later on, many of them will forget to apply. So our program coordinator Richard Zoltek encouraged me to contact the students in the spring to remind them about the program at the deadline. Last year, I sent each of our students a personalized e-mail encouraging them to apply and so last year, instead of just two, we had about 14 students apply for scholarships and 11 were successful. It just made my day when I found out that so many of our students got scholarships.”

Denise Hostrawser also received a $1,000 scholarship from the OHTF in 2015. A second year student in the horticulture technician program at Niagara College, Hostrawser also learned about the OHTF from an instructor. “The scholarship meant a lot to me, as I was only working part-time and going to school full-time, living on my own. It helped reduce the stress of money matters and allow me to focus more on my program.”

For more information and to apply for a scholarship, visit horttrades.com/ scholarship-and-bursary.

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NEW MEMBERS DURHAM Borges & Reynar

Joe Silva-Neto 400 Taunton Rd E, Oshawa, ON L1H 7K4 Tel: 905-576-8677 Membership Type: Active

TankTek Environmental Services Ltd Tom Burt 970 Third Concession Rd Pickering, ON L1V 2P8 Tel: 905-839-4400 x201 Membership Type: Chapter Associate

Roman Halkiewicz

Oshawa, ON Membership Type: Horticultural

GEORGIAN LAKELANDS

Marc Lefrancois

2615 Red Deer Lake Rd N Wahnapitae, ON P0M 3C0 Tel: 705-694-1581 Membership Type: Chapter Associate

GOLDEN HORSESHOE Unique LandEscapes & Design

Scott Laporte 3810 Highway 6, Mount Hope, ON L0R 1W0 Tel: 289-339-2293 Membership Type: Active

Wilbrink’s LAWNscaping Inc

Adrian Wilbrink 1182 Brock Rd, RR 4, Dundas, ON L9H 5E4 Tel: 905-536-2565 Membership Type: Active

1022901 Ontario Inc

LONDON

1481526 Ont Limited O/A RCS

Paul Harback 158 Railway Ave, Stratford, ON N5A 2J1 Tel: 519-273-3602 Membership Type: Active

BNT Glass Ltd

Richard Ivey 4182 Perth Line 36, Stratford, ON N5A 6S6 Tel: 519-272-3613 Membership Type: Active

Paul Carbone PO Box 703, Copper Cliff, ON P0M 1N0 Tel: 705-522-1011 Membership Type: Chapter Associate Darrin Smith 399 Huronia Rd, Barrie, ON L4N 8Z1 Tel: 705-735-9650 Membership Type: Associate Todd Houle 2 - 2767 Belisle Dr, Val Caron, ON P3N 1B3 Tel: 705-897-3331 Membership Type: Chapter Associate

Daniel Gobeil

12 Notre Dame, PO Box 16 St-Charles, ON P0M 2W0 Tel: 705-867-2073 Membership Type: Chapter Associate

Dixon Contracting

Dean Dixon 4 Joseph St, Lively, ON P3Y 1E6 Tel: 705-690-0485 Membership Type: Active

Harback Landscaping

Richards Lawn and Garden Care

OTTAWA Affordable Concrete Services

Troy Thompson 9925 Russell Rd, Cumberland, ON K4B 1R8 Tel: 613-835-2271 Membership Type: Associate

Countyview Organic Farms

Sandy Knudsen 1717 County Rd 18 Ste-Anne-de-Prescott, ON K0B 1M0 Tel: 613-858-4100 Membership Type: Associate

Diottes Hydraulics Ltd

Humberview Maintenance Group

Goldie Mohr Ltd

KC Construction Inc

Ottawa Topsoil Inc

Pine Valley Driving Academy

Woodlock Landscaping Inc

S. Arbour Welding Inc.

TORONTO

Turf Rain Irrigation

Brodie Diotte 580 - 5 Industrial Ave, Ottawa, ON K1G 0Y9 Tel: 613-244-4735 Membership Type: Chapter Associate Charles Caldwell 3862 Moodie Dr, Ottawa, ON K2J 5B1 Tel: 613-838-5042 Membership Type: Associate Ian Rowbotham PO Box 13539, Kanata, ON K2K 1X6 Tel: 613-831-3935 x222 Membership Type: Associate Matthew Shillington 1316 Avenue N, Ottawa, ON K1G 0A6 Tel: 613-421-4211 Membership Type: Active

Belmont Concrete Finishing Co. Limited

Danny Tersigni 151 Villarboit Cres, Concord, ON L4K 4K2 Tel: 905-532-9090 Membership Type: Associate

Canadian Benefits Consulting Group

Roy Rastrick 300 - 2300 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4P 1E4 Tel: 416-488-7755 Membership Type: Chapter Associate

Adam Arcuri 111 Vulcan St, Toronto, ON M9W 1L4 Tel: 416-243-7216 Membership Type: Active Kelly Coughtry 210 - 33 Whitmer St, Milton, ON L9T 8P9 Tel: 905-699-6577 Membership Type: Active Naeem Cheema 6 - 81 Kelfield St, Toronto, ON M9W 5A3 Tel: 416-553-8999 Membership Type: Associate Stuart Arbour 21955 Highway 48, Mount Albert, ON L0G 1M0 Tel: 905-473-1045 Membership Type: Associate Harry Rashid 8310 Ninth Line, Halton Hills, ON L0P 1K0 Tel: 905-789-0884 Membership Type: Active

White Knight Snow Services & Greenday Lawn Maintenance

Dave Newns 122 Carrington Dr, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 7Y9 Tel: 416-845-5081 Membership Type: Active

East Metro Auto Leasing

WATERLOO

greenLEF Landscaping

Alexandre Valli 45 Bellevue St, Guelph, ON N1G 1E9 Tel: 519-803-1643 Membership Type: Interim

Ken Williams 958 Milner Ave, Scarborough, ON M1B 5V7 Tel: 416-293-3077 Membership Type: Associate Griffin Mangroves 706 - 116 Industry St, Toronto, ON M6M 4L8 Tel: 416-769-0830 x2054 Membership Type: Interim

Hauraney Enterprises Limited O/A The Garden Girls & Turf N Dirt Darla Malcolm-Hauraney Unit F - 3289 Lenworth Dr Mississauga, ON L4X 2H1 Tel: 416-526-7412 Membership Type: Active

Eco-Logics Landscaping

KW4Rent

Roberta MacPhee 815 Bridge St, Waterloo, ON N2V 2M7 Tel: 519-591-6493 Membership Type: Active

Paul Harrison Construction Ltd

Paul Harrison 111 Hollinger Cres, Kitchener, ON N2K 2Y8 Tel: 519-574-9516 Membership Type: Active

Serving the landscape industry for nearly 50 years

4765 Old Scugog Road Bowmanville, Ontario T: 905-263-8814 F: 905-263-4431 E: sales@kobesnurseries.com

www.kobesnurseries.com 12 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO JUNE 2016

EVENTS Full details and registration for certain events at horttrades.com/comingevents June 17-19

Garden Days

Paired with National Garden Day (June 17), Garden Days is a three-day celebration of events for gardening enthusiasts, families, schools and communities. Green industry companies are invited to stage Garden Days events; promotion on the national website is free. See gardendays.ca.

July 11

Ottawa Chapter Member Appreciation Day

Drop by Geosynthetic Systems to pick up LO promotional items, enjoy lunch and enter to win a 2017 Congress Conference pass. Runs 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visit horttrades.com/chapter/ottawa.

July 17

Waterloo Chapter Family Day

Bingeman Park, Kitchener Bring the family and spend a full day at the water park with the Waterloo Chapter. Includes lunch, prizes, face painting and volleyball. Details at horttrades.com/waterloo.

July 21

Toronto Chapter Golf Tournament

Mix business and pleasure on the links as the Toronto Chapter returns to Nobleton Lakes Golf Club for their annual tournament. Register or sponsor the event online at horttrades.com/toronto.

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July 23

Industry Certification Evaluation

This year’s Landscape Industry Certified Technician evaluation is being held just one day and on a Saturday to better accommodate all participants. Register before June 23 and save $50. Registration and manuals can be ordered at landscapeindustrycertifiedtechnician.ca.

August 12

Upper Canada Chapter Golf Tournament

Save the date for this annual event held this year at Colonnade Golf and Country Club in Joyceville. Details at horttrades.com/uppercanada.

August 14

Toronto Chapter Baseball Tournament

Register your team or become a sponsor for the annual tournament held at Richmond Green in Richmond Hill. Cost is $620 per team and includes lunch, prizes and maybe even a trophy. Visit horttrades.com/toronto.

August 19

Drystone Training and Festival

This hands-on, two-day course presented by Dean McLellan is hosted by LO’s Upper Canada Chapter and Upper Canada Stone Company. Cost is $300 plus HST for LO members and $375 plus HST for non-members with an early bird discount of 10 per cent if registered before July 23. The festival includes social events and entertainment.

See horttrades.com/uppercanada.

August 25

Ottawa Chapter Charity Golf Tournament

Held this year at Falcon Ridge Golf Club in Ottawa, the event raises money for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario foundation.

Visit horttrades.com/chapter/ottawa.

WWW.HORTTRADES.COM 13

INDUSTRY NEWS

The team from Durham College working under pressure at the annual skills competition.

Students put skills to the test The 27th annual Ontario Technological Skills Competition (OTSC) was held at RIM Park in Waterloo, Ont., May 2-4. The event showcases the many career paths available to thousands of elementary and high school students, as well as parents

and educators, while also providing the opportunity for high school and post-secondary students to put their knowledge, training and skills to the test against other students from across the province.

For the landscape profession, com-

petitions are held in landscape design, landscape construction, carpentry and stonework. Students are under constant scrutiny from both educators and industry professionals who judge the various classes of competitors.

“When you are under scrutiny for two full days in a competition by five judges and you come out as the best then you know you’ve been successful in your education and your career,” says landscape construction judge, Michael Pascoe from Fanshawe College.

The skills learned here match those out in the real world: working as a team, facing a deadline, dealing with issues, ensuring quality workmanship — and the results can be just as rewarding.

The post-secondary landscape construction competition runs the full two days, with six colleges competing this year. The judging panel scored highest marks to Durham College.

James Marangon from the winning Durham College team says Skills is a pretty stressful experience and his team put in a lot of extra training on their own time in order to prepare for the competition. Marangon says the program at Durham “definitely opened up a lot of avenues for knowledge and jobs. I was sick of working in a factory and I really wanted to work outdoors, so I thought horticulture would be the best way and it turned out to be a great idea.”

The secondary school competition saw 11 district school boards represented in landscape construction, with Bluewater District School board earning the highest overall score.

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School in Oakville, Mackenzie Cox has been cutting stone and planting in her school’s greenhouse in preparation for the event. “I have always loved plants and gardening,” says Cox, who enjoys seeing the finished product.

The landscape design competition for post-secondary was won by Humber College and the secondary school design competition was won by Niagara Catholic District School Board.

Winners go on to compete at the Skills Canada National Competition, June 5-8 in Moncton, N.B.

LOYALIST COLLEGE LAUNCHES APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM

Loyalist College in Belleville, Ont. received approval from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) to offer the Horticulture Technician Apprenticeship program alongside industry partner Connon Nurseries in Quinte West beginning in January.

The apprenticeship program, which allows participants to “earn while they learn,” includes 720 hours of in-school training and 5,400 hours of on-the-job training.

Ann Drennan, Dean of the School of Applied Sciences, Skills & Technology, says the program will be a boost for the green profession in the Bay of Quinte region. “We are delighted to introduce the new Horticulture Technician Apprenticeship, which combines in-class college education and on-the-job training,” Drennan says. “This partnership with Connon Nurseries, involving Landscape Ontario and its members in Eastern Ontario, creates an excellent pathway for individuals to pursue a rewarding career in landscape horticulture. Given the shortage of skilled labour in this field and the increasing emphasis on sustainability, graduates’ expansive career options range from design and growth to installation and maintenance of green infrastructure.”

Sally Harvey, Landscape Ontario Manager of Education, Labour Development and Eastern Ontario Region agrees. “We are very aware of the importance and opportunity that the apprenticeship training program provides to our industry and for the Canadian economy. For this reason, we supported and endorsed Loyalist College in applying to become a teaching delivery agent for the Horticulture Technician program in our Upper Canada Chapter. Landscape Ontario has identified apprenticeship training programs as a top priority to meet our HR skills development and competency objectives in

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INDUSTRY NEWS response to the known skilled labour gap.

In an effort to meet the demand of the industry and provide a trained workforce, Landscape Ontario has allocated funding and resources to assist in developing and streamlining the apprenticeship registration process in Eastern Ontario for employers, apprentices and industry.

This increased demand will require relevant and expanded infrastructure to provide apprentices with specialized training in their local region. We support Loyalist as we are confident that the industry can drive sustainable registration intake and completions.”

To register, employers and qualified employees can visit horticulturetechnician. ca or contact Alex Gibson at 613-518-3268 or apprenticeship@ landscapeontario.com.

NEW PROGRAM AT ALGONQUIN COLLEGE IN JANUARY WITH SPACE FOR 20 APPRENTICES

Students looking towards a rewarding career designing, building and maintaining landscapes will have another opportunity in January 2017.

With input and direction from the horticulture industry, Algonquin College has been approved by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) to offer the Horticulture Technician apprenticeship program, creating 20 new spaces for apprentices in the Ottawa region.

This ‘earn while you learn’ program will complement the Algonquin’s existing diploma program to support the growing need for a skilled horticulture workforce in Eastern Ontario. Algonquin College will deliver the 720 hours of in-school training to apprentices which compliments their 5,400 hours of on-the-job training. Both the apprenticeship and diploma programs

will serve the need of post-secondary graduates and the existing workforce who aspire to gain skills through these recognized programs.

“We are thrilled to offer this new programming opportunity, investing in both our future workforce and in our green infrastructure,” said Robyn Heaton, Dean, Faculty of Arts, Media, and Design.

“Algonquin College is already a significant educator of horticulture professionals in our region, and we are looking forward to expanding our offerings to meet the needs of students and employers.”

Richard Rogers CLM, of RJ Rogers Landscaping of North Gower, Ont., and Ontario College of Trades Horticulture Technician Trade Board Member, said, “The horticulture technician apprenticeship program has been a tremendous benefit to our company for the past 34 years. It has been a valuable training resource giving us greater ability to retain employees while increasing our firm’s skill level. We would not be where we are today without it.”

“Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association is delighted to know that the Horticulture Technician Apprenticeship program will be delivered at

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Algonquin College,” said Sally Harvey CAE, CLM, CLT, Landscape Ontario Manager of Education, Labour Development and Eastern Ontario Region. “We applaud the MTCU and Algonquin College for their progressive support of the horticulture profession that grows, designs, builds and maintains green infrastructure. Green infrastructure continues to be recognized for its contribution to enhancing lives by providing health, wellness, environmental, social and economic benefits to every community. The continued growth in demand puts pressure on the need for a skilled workforce; the addition of this apprenticeship training program at Algonquin College will support the development of the horticulture profession’s future workforce.”

For more information on Horticulture Technician Apprenticeship programs in Ontario, visit horticulturetechnician.ca or contact Alex Gibson at 613-518-3268 or apprenticeship@landscapeontario.com.

JACKSON POND MANAGEMENT ACQUIRES CLEARWATER PONDS

Jackson Pond Management of Georgetown, Ont. announced they have acquired

Clearwater Ponds of Burlington, Ont. The acquisition combines the strengths of Clearwater Ponds and Jackson Pond Management by leveraging staff and resources to better serve their clients. Clearwater Ponds, since 2002, and Jackson Pond Management, since 2002, have both been industry leaders in the water feature industry and the combination of the two companies will now form the largest water feature service company in Canada.

“Clearwater Ponds’s owners have done a fantastic job of building a solid and successful operation that provides a full retail store along with full service maintenance and construction crews,” said Jackson Pond Management’s owner Phil Jackson.

“Jackson Pond Management and Clearwater Ponds share a strong client focus, and the combination of the companies’ strengths will help deliver an even better client experience.”

When the acquisition is complete, Clearwater Ponds will operate as a division of Jackson Pond Management.

For additional information please contact Tiffany Lavender at info@jacksonpond.com.

ARBORTECH JOINS DAVEY TREE

The Davey Tree Expert Company of Canada has announced the addition of the customers and employees of Arbortech Professional Tree Care, a Southwestern Ontario-based tree care company that has served area residents for over 20 years.

Founded in 1994, Arbortech provides tree care services to clients in Strathroy and beyond, including the Lake Huron and Lake Erie area.

John Arico, regional vice president for Davey’s Canadian operations, said Arbortech is a welcome addition to Davey. “We are continually looking to align ourselves with companies who share our values. For that reason, Arbortech was a natural fit.”

Both companies are strongly committed to safety, training and a superior client experience. Additionally, Davey and Arbortech both employ certified arborists, certified horticulturists and licensed pesticide applicators.

“Arbortech’s clients will greatly benefit from Davey’s professional knowledge, experience and equipment. The company will also gain access to the Davey Insti-

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INDUSTRY NEWS tute, the company’s premier research, development and innovation division,” Arico said. “The dozen-plus Arbortech employees joining Davey are also looking forward to the opportunity to become employee-owners and the ongoing opportunity for advancement and training.”

“Additionally, our employees will have more opportunities to grow as industry leaders. They’ll benefit greatly from Davey’s premium training programs, diversified service offerings, technology and equipment resources and of course, the culture of employee ownership,” Ian Johnston, founder and owner of Arbortech, added.

Mark Wright of Davey will serve as district manager of the Strathroy office.

Wright was most recently the district manager of the Kitchener office, and he has worked for Davey for almost 25 years. He is an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist and a graduate of the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences, Davey’s flagship training program.

Johnston will stay with the company to help through the transition, and said he’s confident current clients will be pleased with Arbortech’s association with Davey.

WATCH OUT FOR TICKS THIS SEASON

Landscape crews working in wooded areas this season have an increased risk of contracting Lyme disease from infected blacklegged ticks. Public Health Ontario has been tracking their numbers and discovered the highest populations of ticks in eastern Ontario (Ottawa, Cornwall, Kingston) and in other concentrations along the north shores of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

The risk of a bite and possible infection is highest from May to September.

Tips to avoid ticks: • Wear light-coloured clothing to make it easier to see ticks before they can find an exposed place to feed.

• Wear long pants, a long sleeved shirt, closed footwear and socks and tuck your pants into your socks.

• Use a tick repellent that has DEET. • If you are in an area known for high tick populations, examine yourself thoroughly for ticks each day and pay special attention to areas such as your groin, scalp and armpits. Ticks are very small (2-3 mm in length).

Generally, ticks position themselves on tall grass or shrubs where they can then attach to people or animals and can then take several hours to find exposed skin to bite into. Once bitten, the risk of developing Lyme disease (if the tick is infected) is greatly reduced if the tick is removed within 24 hours of a bite.

Removal of ticks is not easy and should be done carefully. Squeezing or burning the tick will actually cause the Lyme disease agent to be accidentally introduced into your body. Only remove a tick by grasping it firmly with a pair of tweezers as close to your skin as possible and pulling it straight out. The tick should then be put in a container and taken to an Ontario Public Health Laboratory for identification (in order to track their numbers and migration) and for testing of Lyme disease.

If an infected tick bite goes undetected, symptoms of Lyme disease are usually visible within one to two weeks, but can show up as early at three days, or as late as one month. Symptoms include a fever, headache, muscle and joint pain and fatigue with the most visual symptom being the appearance of a red bull’s eye skin rash. However, not everyone will develop this bull’s eye rash. Medical attention should be sought out if any symptoms surface. If untreated, the initial infection can affect the heart, nervous system or joints in the body.

Infected ticks can carry Lyme disease which can affect the heart and nervous system in humans.

18 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO JUNE 2016

For links to more resources, photos and a map of Lyme disease risk areas, visit horttrades.com/ticks.

SATURDAY CERTIFICATION DAY

To better accommodate candidates’ busy work schedules, this summer’s Landscape Industry Certified Technician evaluation will be held on Saturday. Traditionally held over two days during the busy work week, organizers will hold this year’s evaluation on Saturday, July 23, at the Landscape Ontario site in Milton, Ont. Candidates can save $50 off the registration fee of $400 for members or $500 for non-members, if registered by June 23. The final date to register for the evaluation is July 18. Training manuals are also available at $80 for members and $100 for non-members.

Administered by the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA), Landscape Industry Certified Technician is a national designation, with recognition across North America. The program is designed for employees in the horticulture profession who wish to verify their technical skills and knowledge meet the standard set for the landscape profession.

To register or to order manuals, visit landscapeindustrycertifiedtechnician.ca.

For more information, contact Claudia Santos (ext. 8635) or Jason Young (ext.

8620) at 1-888-446-3499 or email certification@cnla-acpp.ca.

RETAIL TEST COMING TO GEORGETOWN

Landscape Ontario and the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association are happy to announce the first Retail Horticulturist test of the year will be held at Sheridan Nurseries in Georgetown on August 8 and 9.

The written test will be administered Aug. 8 and the hands-on testing will take place Aug. 9.

It is recommended individuals have around 2,000 hours of industry experience before attempting the exam to achieve success. At each station, a candidate is required to perform a specific task within an allotted period of time in front of a certified judge. Once all tasks are completed with a mark above 70 per cent, the candidate will be a Certified Landscape Retail Horticulturist and have proved they are at the top of the industry.

Retailers who have certified staff prove they meet industry standards of what a Canadian retailer should be able to offer in terms of service.

A retest opportunity will take place in the fall at the Landscape Ontario site in Milton.

Register by July 18 to take advantage of early bird pricing and save $100 off the regular price of $400 for members and $500 for non-members. A retail training manual is also available. Cost is $80 for members and $100 for non-members.

To register or to order manuals, visit landscapeindustrycertifiedtechnician.ca.

Inquiries about the retail certification can be directed to Colin Tyler Vince at 1-888-446-3499 (ext. 8625) or email colin@cnla-acpp.ca.

IN MEMORIAM — GERALD GEORGE ENGLAR

Gerald George Englar passed away on May 15 at the age of 80.

Trained as a Landscape Architect at Michigan State University and Harvard University, Englar worked in private practice and was also a tenured professor at the University of Toronto where he retired in 1994. Englar maintained relationships with many Landscape Ontario members over the years.

As a senior in high school, Englar decided to pursue a career in Landscape Architecture after a life changing conver-

sation with his oldest brother Bill. Among Englar’s many great passions were art, music and gardening; Landscape Architecture combined them all.

Englar was a prolific painter and many of his great works depicted panoramic landscapes and structures from his home on the Toronto Islands.

Englar could often be heard singing and playing the horn or the ukulele.

He played weekly with his buddies on music nights and was always up for a good street parade or protest about politics or the environment.

To the end, Englar exuded a positive attitude and an appreciation of life. He lived with cancer for 23 years and instead of allowing this disease to define him and beat him down, he embraced the challenge and experienced every moment to its fullest.

Englar is survived by his wife Leida, his children John and Alison, his two brothers Bill and Rick and many adoring family members and friends.

BRAUN

FEEDBACK NEEDED ON ONTARIO WOODY PLANTS

As part of a new initiative by LO designers and growers to collect information on all woody plants grown in Ontario, your feedback is required to connect those who specify plants in their designs with those who grow them.

Input on their suitability for various uses, the need for more or less production, problems and diseases, successful alternatives and desirable characteristics will help to benefit all those involved.

Simply visit horttrades.com/ontario-woodyplants for the full list with links to short surveys on the plants listed below and in the previous issue.

This month’s plants: Juniperus/juniper (native) Juniperus/juniper (upright forms) Yucca/yucca Tilia/linden Fothergillia/fothergillia Hamamelis/witch hazel Hibiscus/rose of Sharon Hydrangea/hydrangea Hypericum/Saint John’s wort Ilex/winterberry

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New support staff available to assist with apprenticeship process The apprenticeship program is a top human resources priority in Ontario and across Canada. Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) made it clear that in order for the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship to continue to support apprenticeship training programs, industry must step up and support it. The writing is on the wall. If we snooze, we know we will lose this gift.

Over the last 18 months, Landscape Ontario has been working closely with industry and provincial government partners, including the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) and the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT) to promote the apprenticeship program and to provide solutions and support for employers, employees, apprentices and the industry as a whole to ensure improved awareness and access to the training program. As a result of the initial momentum gained, the LO provincial board of directors approved the addition of a new staff position to support LO’s education and labour development team towards achieving some ambitious goals.

In mid-March, Alexander Gibson joined LO’s team as the Apprenticeship Program Development Coordinator for Eastern Ontario. Gibson is working diligently towards supporting registrations in the Eastern Ontario region and across other LO chapters as well. His goals include, but are not limited to: • Maintaining apprenticeship in-class opportunities across the province • Creating awareness • Supporting colleges who offer the program • Supporting employers and apprentices

through the apprenticeship journey • Enabling OCOT membership registration for apprentices • Developing learning resources for apprentices • Supporting employer access to incentives • Supporting apprentice access to incentives and loans • Supporting completions • Supporting skills development for our future workforce In May 2016, the MTCU announced the apprenticeship training program would return to both Loyalist College (Belleville) and Algonquin College (Ottawa). These two programs will result in 40 spots for horticultural technician apprentices to access training in Eastern Ontario. Along with Fanshawe College, Humber College and Mohawk College, more industry members will have improved access to in-class training close to home next winter.

LO has developed a number of support mechanisms to assist employers and apprentices in navigating through the apprenticeship program. A new website, www.horticulturetechnician.ca, provides information on a variety of topics including the return on investment, registration tips and resources, in-school options, incentives and exam preparation. To support this website and registration process, LO has developed new resources that highlight the steps to becoming an apprentice or employer sponsor using simple language to support an efficient process. Industry now has the opportunity to leverage staff who specialize in navigating through the process to support success registrations and completions efficiently — whether it be to review

an apprenticeship application package before it is sent to the MTCU, or supporting apprentices in registering with OCOT and/ or accessing resources to prepare for the final Journeyperson exam.

The apprenticeship program is a combination of in-class and on the job training that builds a loyal and highly-skilled workforce. The Horticultural Technician Program, which can take 3-5 years to complete, is a Red-Seal program that provides apprentices with a vast array of skills and on-thejob training experience within the landscape profession. Furthermore, employers that invest the time to support their staff with the program have seen improved performance and retention, thus reducing recruitment and on-boarding costs.

In addition to the expanded effort across the province, LO recently became recognized by the MTCU as a group sponsor in Eastern Ontario (Ottawa and Upper Canada Chapters). Essentially, LO has become a registration agent for industry in this area.

This model allows for employers to focus on the required on-the-job training for the apprentice, while LO handles the burden of administration and support mechanisms behind the scenes. In addition to simplified registration applications, apprentices and employers will receive support and assistance throughout the entire apprenticeship program. Landscape Ontario has also gained the ability to submit OCOT membership applications through a specialized batch submission process. This will ensure that registrations to OCOT are complete and apprentices have access to in-class training and benefits of the program. In the past, this has been a hurdle since the inception of OCOT in 2013.

For more information about the Apprenticeship Program or to register now, visit www.horticulturetechnician.ca or contact Alex Gibson at 613-518-3268 or apprenticeship@ landscapeontario.com to get started.

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20 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO JUNE 2016

EXECUTIVE DESK Why members belong to our association Tony DiGiovanni CHT LO Executive Director

I

am always in awe of the contributions of time, money, ideas and resources members make to their association. From a staff perspective, it is inspiring to watch the engagement, passion, interaction, sharing and caring that members reflect every day. It makes working for Landscape Ontario very rewarding. Who would not want to work in a supportive atmosphere of goodwill where you feel part of a community that wants to make a positive difference?

At Congress and Canada Blooms, our membership team decided to explore the motivation for membership by asking 30 members why they are part of the LO community. The results are heartwarming. Take a few minutes to watch these two videos. I have posted them to horttrades.com/ed-jun-2016.

While viewing the videos, I felt proud and thankful to be associated with such an amazing community of members who are focused on making the profession and the world a better place.

It is important to underscore that Landscape Ontario is not a building in Halton Hills or a group of staff. Landscape Ontario is you! Here is what your fellow members said about being associated with the community of members we call Landscape Ontario.

1. To promote the mandate of best education and best practices.

2. To be part of a larger community of like-minded people.

3. To make acquaintances.

4. To benefit financially. If benefits are used, they pay for membership many times over.

5. L O brings buyers and sellers together in a cooperative atmosphere.

6. L O conveys the ethical aspects of doing business.

7. To learn what is changing in the profession.

8. To keep on top of trends, threats and opportunities.

9. To grow your network.

10. To learn from other members.

11. To find new customers.

12. To become aware of the larger issues affecting businesses and the industry.

13. To achieve a common goal.

14. To meet people who have the same style of business.

15. To raise the professional standard of an industry.

16. To promote a standard of excellence.

17. To be in the company of others who have an abundance mentality.

18. To be part of an organization aimed at making the industry better.

19. To be part of a larger family.

20. To socialize — associate with fun people who have a common interest.

21. To be energized by others who share the same goals.

22. To promote credibility to clients.

23. To set ourselves apart from others.

24. To be exposed to new products and services.

25. To get to know others who specialize in different areas of work.

26. Educational and training opportunities.

27. To become better people.

28. It builds camaraderie.

29. To energize employees and help them grow.

30. To increase skills.

31. To meet and share with competitors for common benefit.

32. Opens doors to relationships to people who will help your reach the next level.

33. To aspire to a statement of principles and code of ethics.

34. Because of what it stands for — environmental stewardship, high standards, beautification, enhancing lives.

35. Contribution ethic of the membership.

36. It provides what members need to succeed in business.

37. To be in the company of people who work together and who want to help each other out.

38. It is a large lobby and advocacy group.

39. To feel supported.

40. Dealing with government, legal issues, education.

I want to personally thank the following people for inspiring the rest of us with your views on LO membership: Robert Boltman, Lynne Barnes, Christopher Clayton, Scott Wentworth, Mike Silva, Mike Pascoe, Harry Gelderman, Mark Cullen, Margaret and Ivan Stinson, Neil Obach, Kim Costain, David Goodwin, James Thompson, Mike Riehm, Caroline de Vries, Randy Stellings, Bill McKague, Michael Di Nunzio, Joelaine Hutchins, Nick Antoni, Jason Whittemore, Greg Goulet, Peter Comu, Fran Mackenzie, Laura and Chelsey Catalano, Dan Vanderkruk, Terry Vanderkruk, Barb Kruger, Anna Buchanan, Bruce Burns, Stephanie Moore and Margot Byers for their wonderful comments. They have helped to articulate our culture as we bring in more members who share the same desire to become better people, run better organizations, and contribute to making better communities.

New leader for Eastern Canada

Please help me congratulate LO’s Sally Harvey, Manager of Education, Labour Development and Eastern Ontario Region.

Sally is leaving to become the Executive Director of Landscape Nova Scotia and Landscape Newfoundland and Labrador.

We will miss Sally’s boundless energy, unmatched passion for our industry, effective leadership and amazing contributions to our vision of a prosperous, professional, ethical, recognized and valued profession. Sally has served us well with dedication, enthusiasm, creativity and intelligence. She represented the values of Landscape Ontario very well on the provincial, national and international stage.

I am proud and thankful to be associated with Sally. I am pleased we will still be able to work together on national issues.

I know she will achieve great things in eastern Canada.

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

WWW.HORTTRADES.COM 21

PUBLIC RELATIONS From panda-mania to peat moss International Compost week

By Denis Flanagan CLD Manager of Membership and Public Relations

A

t times, life can be very interesting at Landscape Ontario when we get involved with as many projects and partnerships as we do. We always keep our mission statement in mind, “to promote and foster the advancement of the horticultural industry.”

Here are just a few examples:

Earth Day at the Toronto Zoo

To celebrate Earth Day we joined several other green industries and set up a display at the Toronto Zoo. The baby panda exhibit was the main attraction, and during the “panda-mania,” hundreds of families still found time to visit the LO display.

At our display, your staff members Myscha Burton and Cassandra Weisner were kept busy helping kids plant vegetable seeds in pots to take home. At the same time, they were also promoting the professional work of our members. Who knows, maybe one of those budding gardeners was inspired to follow a career in horticulture and will one day become an employee of yours. If, in their job interview they mention anything about a childhood memory of pandas and peas, then maybe we did have an impact.

Proudly growing fine perennials

for over

Speaking of peas, they were just one variety of vegetables being planted at the Oriole Community Garden during International Compost Awareness Week. This amazing event, set in the heart of a Don Mills community garden, is a partnership between Working Women Community Centre and Advent Lutheran Church. The organizing groups help over 100 families tend their own garden plots — growing many herbs, vegetables and flowers from many cultures.

The families come from all over the world.

Spoken languages overheard during the event included Farsi, Urdu, Arabic, Romanian, Mandarin and Cantonese. The garden plots that help to support the families also help to support the local food bank.

The gardens were given an extra boost of nourishment during the week thanks to the Compost Council of Canada and Premier Tech Home and Garden’s CQA certified biomax composted manures.

Through the Garden Gate tour

Landscape Ontario was also involved in the Toronto Botanical Garden’s “Through the Garden Gate” tour of exclusive gardens in the Kingsway area on June 11 and 12. At least two gardens featured on the popular tour were created by LO members (Landscape Plus and Aldershot Landscape Contractors). The Toronto Master Gardeners and the North American Native Plant Society were also on hand to answer questions.

27

Landscape Ontario staff helped to inspire youth and promote members during Earth Day at the Toronto Zoo.

Garden Days

Several of our members will be involved with Garden Days — the three-day, country-wide celebration that starts with National Gardening Day on June 17. Members in Ottawa, Woodstock, Milton, Toronto and Picton are organizing or participating in events that demonstrate the vital roles gardens and gardening play in our communities and our lives. For more details, visit gardendays.ca.

National Public Works week

A brand new event this year was the first annual York Region Public Works Parks and Forestry Challenge. The week-long event ran May 15-21 and I was involved in judging some of the competitions. One of the events had two grade five classes paint large snow plow blades. The winning school was awarded the ‘Pylon Pete’ trophy. If, in the future, a company introduces a new custom-painted snow plow blade, then once again, we may have had an impact on someone in their early years.

Contact Denis Flanagan at dflanagan@landscapeontario.com.

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22 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO JUNE 2016

MEMBERSHIP New membership growth challenge realized

By Myscha Burton Membership and Chapter Coordinator

F

or this fiscal year, your provincial board set a goal of increasing LO membership by 10 per cent.

To achieve this, we needed at least 252 new members. I am very pleased to announce that as of April 30, we have achieved this goal of a 10 per cent increase in new members to Landscape Ontario!

This number of new members is unprecedented, and we are thrilled to see such healthy growth in Landscape Ontario.

Since September, we have received over 300 new member applications, but the campaign officially launched at Congress in January 2016. Three days and thousands of people make for a terrific environment for meeting potential members — and re-connecting with current members. Post-Congress we had a list of over 50 inquiries from the LO booth, and over 500 individuals identified as potential members who had requested more information. These companies were contacted multiple times throughout the winter and will also be contacted again this summer if they are not yet members. As a result of a very successful show, the month of January alone saw an increase of 32 per cent in member applications.

We have also been engaged with personal contacts to potential members attending our winter seminars, as well as social media followers who are not yet members.

New video campaign

A new video campaign was started at Congress featuring 30 benefits of membership in Landscape Ontario as told by our members attending and exhibiting at the show. Short clips from these videos have been used to create our #MembershipMonday videos appearing on Twitter and Facebook, leading up to the grand unveiling of two promotional videos for membership. One is geared towards contractors and designers, the other is aimed at suppliers, nurseries and garden centres. Thank you to all of the members who participated in our videos. You can find the videos on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/landscapeontario, or on our Facebook page.

While we have reached the goal of a 10 per cent increase in new members, we are by no means finished. In addition to following up again with the leads from this past winter, our summer plans include Member Appreciation Days at associate member locations as well as nurseries and garden centres. On June 7, we set

up at Baseline Nurseries in London, July 6 we are at Sheridan Nurseries in Mississauga, and July 11 your Eastern Ontario team will be at Geosynthetic Systems in Ottawa. More dates will be announced for member days in Windsor, Waterloo, Durham, Golden Horseshoe, Upper Canada and Georgian Lakelands.

Chapter get social

We also hope to connect with potential members at our many summer events.

If you know someone who would benefit from membership in LO, please encourage them to attend a golf tournament or other social gathering, so they can meet other professionals and see what Landscape Ontario has to offer them.

The Waterloo Chapter’s 2nd annual family day returns to Bingemans in Kitchener on July 17. Golf season begins with the Toronto Chapter on July 21, and continues nearly every Friday in August with Upper Canada on August 12, Golden Horseshoe on August 19, and Ottawa on August 26. Waterloo, Windsor and London chapters will be hosting their golf events in September, in addition to the annual Chicken Roast with the Golden Horseshoe Chapter. Details and registration for these events can be found at horttrades.com.

Do you have a comment about our current renewals process? We’d love to hear it. Please share your feedback with me at myscha@landscapeontario.com.

Member retention is key

Now that we have gained a 10 per cent increase in members, our challenge continues as we look towards increasing membership retention during our renewals process beginning in August. Challenge accepted.

WWW.HORTTRADES.COM 23

UNDERGROUND WORLD

Root causes of utility hits

Senator Grant Mitchell (centre) accepting a DigSafe “MiniDig” after hosting the CCGA in the Senate during DigSafe month in April. (l-r) are Mike Sullivan, President, CCGA; Nathalie Moreau, Chair, Quebec CGA; Darwin Durnie (CPWA) and Ian Munro (ORCGA).

Utility hits and locate requests increase in 2015

By Terry Murphy CLM

T

he statistical data for 2015 indicates that utility hits in Ontario were up 14.8 per cent over 2014 — with utility hits (damages) increasing from 3,843 to 4,434.

The main reason is there were large increases in the number of utility locate requests (in other words, more industry digging as well). This increase in locate requests was partly because many new industry firms have to report their data under Bill 8, the Ontario Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act, 2012, which requires all firms owning underground utilities to be on the One Call System and to report damages. This is very positive news for the damage prevention industry in Ontario.

Notifications are up sharply

When a request for a locate is submitted by an excavating contractor to ON1CALL, each utility having infrastructure at that particular address must provide markings on the ground. This request to the utility is called a notification. In 2015, there were an average of 6.8 notifications for every single locate request. In Ontario, the number

24 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO JUNE 2016

Senate recognition

of notifications increased from 5,603,000 to 6,534,000. This means the number of locate requests increased proportionately. This gives you an indication of the increased digging activity for the year.

Green industry utility hits

An alarming fact is that 39 per cent of all utility hits happen because the contractor did not call ON1CALL for locates. Can you imagine that in two of every five jobs, the contractor did not even call for locates?

Considering the service is free, and the fact that you may kill someone if you hit a high pressure gas line, 39 per cent of contractors couldn’t be bothered to pick up the phone and dial a free number to get locates done.

Another alarming fact is the other main root cause of utility hits. Each year, damages resulting from insufficient or poor excavation practices account for 33 per cent of utility hits. Almost one-third of utility hits happen because the contractor is not doing his excavation properly nor safely enough. These two reasons make up 72 per cent of all reported damages. We can easily reduce the number of damages by further educating our landscape and fencing industries on these two main root causes. The important consideration here is that these stats are the same each year — they haven’t changed in years.

There are five key categories in the Green Industry Group as tracked by the industry Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT).

They are represented below with the number of hits in each category for a three year period.

The key categories are landscaping and fencing. Both show sizable increases in the number of utility hits for 2015 compared to 2014. Again, this has to be balanced by the increased number of locate requests that were called into ON1CALL. When you look at the key statistical measurement that we track closely on DIRT, the hits per 1,000 locate requests, it has remained about the same, year over year.

During April’s Dig Safe Month in Ottawa, the Senate of the Federal Government recognized the Canadian Common Ground Alliance and their provincial counterparts with a reading in the Senate Chamber.

Senator Grant Mitchell praised the CCGA for their damage prevention work across Canada. The Senator was presented with a mini-excavator desk model for his office (see photo). Attending the ceremony for the industry was Mike Sullivan, President of the Canadian Common Ground Alliance and Ian Munro, President of the Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance.

ORCGA membership is available

If you would like membership information on the ORCGA or the damage prevention industry in Ontario, please contact Jennifer Parent at the ORCGA office. She can be contacted at 1-866-446-4493 or 905-5329836 or at Jennifer@orcga.com.

Terry Murphy can be reached at tvmurphy@ca.inter.net.

Green Industry Group 2013 2014 2015 Percentage change

from 2014 to 2015 Landscaping Fencing Irrigation Waterways Agriculture

334 258 310 424 257 347 1 2 10 29 34 1 3 4 1

+20.1 % +35.0 % +500.0 % - 0.03 % - 77.0 %

PROSPERITY PARTNERS Keep it simple, keep calm and carry on

By Jacki Hart CLM Prosperity Partners Program Manager

E

ach year, in this, one of our busiest months across the industry, I typically write about systems. This year is no different. In fact, with perhaps a bit more intensity than usual, mainly with dozens of business owners and managers I know of who are working hard to implement multiple levels of new systems this year: Systems for quoting, recovering overhead, recruiting and onboarding, managing attitudes and behaviour, and keeping on top of prequalifying leads for profitable sales (to name a few). Some changes are complex; like learning new software, and some are relatively simple; like learning a mapping service or delivery route, or creating a new pre-qualification process before quoting a project.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this time of year IS when the rubber hits the road and systems are tested to their limit. June however, is when most new systems are dropped and the team goes back to doing things the old way.

They are too busy to try and establish new routines and change old habits. When we are busy or stressed, we turn to what is familiar and return to our comfort zone.

Managing change is tough. Managing a change from something simple to something complex or complicated is even tougher. Managing change when there is a lack of understanding as to why a change is being made, or what the outcomes of successful change will be is impossible to sustain.

Keep it simple stupid (KISS)

The majority of changes to systems that fail are either poorly communicated, too complicated, or a muddled combination of both. Here are some tips for staying on track with new changes to your systems: • Make (and take) time to explain why you decided to implement a new routine, process or system to everyone who will be affected (start with the end in mind)

• Give everyone involved a reasonable chance to digest and ask questions • Be clear on what this change will accomplish and how it will make an impact • Be clear on what will be different (i.e. what they will start and/or stop doing) • Be clear on the benefits (goals) of making this change • Implement gradually • Train patiently • Create opportunity for questions all along the way • Be receptive to input and improvements from the team. If they help create it, they will most likely engage and help to sustain the change • Write everything down (notes from meetings, suggestions, assigned change managers, target dates) and circulate/post for easy access • Follow up on how it’s working (or not) and be prepared to adapt • Encourage and track progress • Celebrate success Having the courage to lead people can take many of us out of our comfort zone.

Having courage to lead people through critical change can send many confident leaders straight into a panic zone.

If you’re struggling with making changes designed to help improve the momentum of your team and profitability, YOU’RE NOT ALONE. If things aren’t quite going the way you had hoped this spring, and if you’re not seeing the results of the hard work planning for improvements, don’t lose faith in yourself or your team quite yet. Just step back, and try again. Use the simple check list above to help figure out if you missed a step or two. Change can be messy, non-linear and unpredictable. And, it’s necessary in order to improve, grow and innovate.

To quote a world famous leader who stared adversity square in the eye without hesitation, “Keep calm and carry on.”

While this phrase has lately been over commercialized by playful North American marketers, Sir Winston Churchill meant every word of his infamous phrase to Britons. This was his most crucial advice to the citizens of a country on the brink of panic — coping with the deep and broad ‘change’ that his nation was

navigating with the onset of brutal war.

Churchill wanted to quash panic among the masses, and instructed them to “keep calm, and carry on” with their daily business and life as best as they could. He advised them to be strong and have resolve, to believe, and not be enveloped by rapid, chaotic change. He was a great example of a true leader.

I offer this example for good reason. At this time of year, many business owners and managers can be under enormous stress. With many moving parts, things can happen that challenge a leader’s ability to be strategic and keep moving forward with an emergent, positive and adaptive strategy.

So, from me to you, at this busy, sometimes chaotic time of year, “Keep it simple, keep calm and carry on.” Work with your team to nudge continual improvements and moving change forward for the benefit of all.

Jacki Hart may be contacted at peertopeer@landscapeontario.com.

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Pottersroadnursery.com WWW.HORTTRADES.COM 25

Keep in touch with

LANDSCAPE

ONTARIO Join our discussion forum

http://linked.in/LOLinkedIn

@LOassocMag @LOMembership @TonyDiGiovanni1 @denisflanagan @green_for_life @LOevents @LOgnome

CLASSIFIEDS All classified ads must be pre-paid by credit card. Rates: $50.85 (HST included) per column inch Min. order $50.85. 15% discount on ads run for entire calendar year. Box Numbers: Additional $10.

Confidentiality ensured. Deadlines: 20th day of the month prior to issue date. (eg: June issue deadline is May 20th). January deadline is Dec. 10. Space is limited to a first come, first served basis.

To advertise: E-mail your name, phone number and ad to Robert at classifieds@landscapeontario. com. Online advertising: Website only ads are available for $67.80 (HST included) for Associaton members and $90.40 HST included for non-members. Website ads are posted for 31 days. View ads online at www.horttrades.com/classifieds. Post employment ads for free at landscape.jobs.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

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Seasonal employment starting April 1, 2016 to Nov. 30, 2016.

Job site Keswick, Ontario Fax resume 905 476-1534 or mail P.O. Box 284 Keswick, ON L4P 3E2 Tel: 905-727-3666

GENERAL FARM LABOURER Field labour in the nursery, minimum wage, full time. Duties: Weeding, hoeing, planting, digging, watering and pruning of trees and shrubs in fields and yard.

Seasonal – April to November Skills Required: Grade 12 diploma, work experience an asset.

UXBRIDGE NURSERIES LIMITED 8080 Baldwin St., Brooklin, ON, L1M 1Y6 Contact: Wilma Muhic wilma@uxbridgenurseries.com

Post a job. Find a job. www.facebook.com/ landscapeontario

Show your member pride!

Promote your company as a professional LO member with decals, window clings and more.

Order FREE promotional materials online at horttrades.com/promo 26 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO JUNE 2016

landscape.jobs ADVERTISERS Arborjet, Inc. Braun Nursery Limited Connon Nurseries/CBV Holdings Inc. Connon Nurseries/NVK Holdings Inc. Expressway Hino Waterloo Glenwood Tree Service Great Lakes Wood Products Inc. Greenlife - Ottawa Wholesale Nursery Halton Autolease Inc. John Deere Dealers Kobes Nurseries Inc. Legends Landscape Supply Inc. M Putzer Hornby Nursery Ltd. Mankar Distributing Inc. Metal Pless Inc. Millgrove Perennials Inc. Newroads National Leasing Potters Road Nursery Inc. Sheehan’s Truck Centre Inc. Sipkens Nurseries Ltd. SMB MFG Inc. South Oakville Chrysler Fiat The CG&B Group Inc. Wajax Equipment

www.arborjet.com 781-935-9070 www.braungroup.com 800-246-6984 www.connon.ca 888-775-2687 www.connonnurseries.com 905-628-0112 www.expresswaytrucks.com 800-558-7364 www.glenwoodtree.ca 905-855-8711 www.glwp.ca 877-266-0636 www.greenlifenursery.ca 613-692-3047 www.haltonautolease.com 877-837-5674 www.johndeere.ca www.kobesnurseries.com 905-263-8814 www.landscapestore.ca 905-336-3369 www.putzernursery.com 905-878-7226 www.mankarULV.com 647-309-7826 www.metalpless.com 866-362-1688 www.millgroveperennials.ca 888-867-1925 www.newroadsleasing.com 416-587-1021 www.pottersroadnursery.com 519-688-0437 www.sheehanstruck.com 800-254-2859 www.sipkensnurseries.com 866-843-0438 www.smbmfg.com 800-663-3955 www.southoakvillechrysler.com 905-845-6653 www.ajgcanada.com 905-948-2672 www.wajaxequipment.com 877-469-2529

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28  LANDSCAPE ONTARIO JUNE 2016