Landscape Ontario - October 2016

October 2016 www.horttrades.com

FORMULA FOR PM 40013519

SUCCESS Brent Tripp and Daniel Button began Signature Landscape Concepts with education and ambition.

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S’ LOGO

SUMERS’ RS’ LOGO , Website edia, etc.)

ON LOGO

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Keep learning to stay in the game

By Paul Brydges LO President

C

ongratulations to Mark Cullen on receiving the Order of Canada this past summer. What a tremendous achievement. No one better embodies the spirit of Canada and the willingness to commit to improving our beautiful country.

Each year brings its unique opportunities and challenges and this year is certainly no different.

From the construction and design end, we are as busy as I have ever seen in my 30+ years of working in the green profession. Green is hardly the word to describe what we have been seeing in the landscape as the record breaking drought continues to wear down plant material, turf and teams working through the heat and humidity.

I am very glad to see some companies have implemented training for staff on heat exhaustion and the need for more frequent water breaks.

It seems this heat wave has also

October, 2016 • Volume 34, No. 9 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

caused many undecided clients to forge ahead with installing a swimming pool — or at least to literally jump in and start the process of designing a yard that includes a pool. More clients than ever are realizing the value of design and the need to think and plan ahead. The planning end of the process (which also includes permit applications) often takes as long, or even longer than the actual build. This rings especially true when speaking with colleagues who also have to deal with tree removal bylaws.

There are no consistencies between towns and municipalities when it comes to tree bylaws, setbacks, grading plan requirements and so on. As much as the Ontario Building Code serves as a guideline it is now governed by each municipality and their corresponding conservation authority. The biggest issue of this dissolution of common guidelines is the number of grey areas in each guideline or bylaw. Different municipalities and even different people within a municipality, read and interpret the wording of the rules differently. Often, they have never had to deal with a particular issue or question before and so they attempt to interpret the rules with limited back-

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, Amy Buchanan, Kim Burton, Myscha Burton, Rachel Cerelli,Tony DiGiovanni CHT, Denis Flanagan CLD, J. Alex Gibson, Jeff Hicks, Heather MacRae, Kristen McIntyre CHT CEM, Kathy McLean, Linda Nodello, Kathleen Pugliese, Ian Service, Tom Somerville, Martha Walsh, Cassandra Wiesner

ground knowledge on the subject.

While I agree with conservation authorities having jurisdiction over much of what we do, it makes no sense to be governed by a body who has limited knowledge over the actual subject matter.

This is an unfortunate by-product of government downloading and the transferring of liability. In most cases. municipalities defer to conservation authorities before issuing permits and conservation will only do site visits in optimum conditions for site reviews. In some cases, this has delayed projects for our clients well into the next construction season.

As an association, we have the depth of knowledge and expertise within all of our firms to try and put these pieces back in the proper order. Landscape Ontario’s partnership with the Fusion program, thanks to the tireless work of Sally Harvey, will pay-off in the long-term with solutions to some of the issues noted above.

By helping to institute the guidelines we use to design and build, we will ultimately streamline the process into the efficient and effective way in which we all work.

As fall quickly approaches, many of us are already busy planning next year’s projects. I remind you all to also take the time to identify continuing education for yourself and your staff and take advantage of the countless learning opportunities available for our green professions.

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

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FEATURES SIGNATURE LANDSCAPE CONCEPTS QUINTE BOTANICAL GARDENS

ASSOCIATION NEWS LETTER TO THE EDITOR 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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vide a steady source of work to keep the crews busy.

Lots of growth in the area

Co-owners Brent Tripp and Daniel Button are very happy with the success of their business after just six years in operation.

Living the dream in Quinte West Back in 2010, Daniel Button and Brent Tripp certainly weren’t ready to start a business. Button says they were “just two educated guys with ambition, wheelbarrows, a shovel and a trailer.” Fast forward six years later, and the co-owners of Signature Landscape Concepts in Belleville, Ont., are already living a dream they thought was many years off.

That initial idea to venture out on their own came when Tripp approached Button while the pair worked together for a large design-build firm in Eastern Ontario. “It didn’t take me long to decide that was exactly what I wanted to do,” says Button, the junior of the two. Both men had been doing some sort of landscaping all of their adult lives.

4 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO OCTOBER 2016

All that ambition, combined with countless hours of hard work, has grown Signature Landscape Concepts from that initial duo to an additional six (soon to be eight), full-time employees — all struggling to keep up with the amount of work coming their way.

“A typical day starts at four a.m.,” explains Button, who starts in the office doing design work and planning out the day until around 6:30 a.m. Then it’s off to a job site. “The benefit of our company is we don’t have a foreman,” Button says. For the large jobs, both Button and Tripp will be on-site with all of their employees, and for smaller residential jobs they split into two teams, with each owner having his own crew.

Button also does the majority of client meetings (usually in the evening or on weekends) and spends a lot of time actively seeking out commercial work he feels other companies may not go after. For this, he meets with general contractors or project managers to pro-

A lot of that larger, commercial work is due to a fair amount of growth in the area, which Button says seems to have increased over the past few years. “Real estate is still cheap and people are coming here,” Button says, adding there are lots of new developments as well. The City of Belleville borrowed over $90 million for infrastructure projects, including a riverfront square project in downtown Quinte West. In just their third year in business, Signature did a huge installation of 13,000 sq. ft. of interlock, curbs, plantings, lighting and irrigation for the city — a $300,000 project. The project is now in phase two and Signature laid another 23,000 sq. ft. of pavers last fall and are slated to lay another 30,000 sq. ft. this fall for which Button and Tripp will require at least another two employees.

Commercial construction work makes up about 25 to 30 per cent of Signature’s business, but that could easily grow since they also have contracts for the new casino and Mariott hotel being added to the area.

“It doesn’t really matter what the job is, we are equipped, and equipped to do it and do it well,” says Button. “We’ve got the knowledge, we’ve got the equipment and the know-how. We’ve done just about everything.”

Everything included a lot of landscape maintenance those first few years when the duo took on whatever jobs they could get. They now only do maintenance and a bit of snow removal for only a handful of clients as part of a contract they are carrying out. Button says they stopped doing both because it didn’t make sense for their business model.

With the growth in the area, there is also a lot of new home construction which accounts for a great deal of Signature’s work. Button says many new home owners decide to first landscape the front entrance to their property. “We come up with different and creative ways to make them look unique,” Button explains. “You never want two to look the same.” To achieve this, Button may use natural stone or wood elements in addition to varying plant material and styles of interlock.

“We like to incorporate natural stone or wood elements as an added bonus feature,” Button explains. “And things like natural stone accents above and beyond what other contractors may be offering.”

Reputation is very important to the owners of Signature Landscape Concepts. They have spent more money than ever on advertising this year and have four trucks, two skid steers and a 16-foot enclosed trailer all fully-wrapped in company colours and logo.

Reputation an advantage over competition

As for those other contactors, Button says “you would be surprised” by the number of competitors in the area. “We keep our good competitors close because they are only helping us by doing good work and likewise, we like to do good work because it reflects well on all of us,” he says, adding “reputation is huge to us.”

Of course, there are also local contractors who do bad work and when the business was started they joined Landscape Ontario as way of separating themselves from some other contactors. Button already knew of LO through his schooling and while working for member companies, including a summer co-op placement with the National Capital Commission (NCC) after finishing his degree. Signature is also a member of the Quinte Home Builders Association because Button believes “when you tell somebody you are involved with a professional organization they respect you more.”

Button says he goes out of his was to tell clients about their association ties and about his education background and Tripp’s business degrees from Loyalist College.

“More and more, people are watching TV shows and reading online articles about the importance of hiring a more reputable contactor,” says Button. “If we aren’t the lowest price, people are willing to pay based on reputation.” Signature was nominated for a Quinte business achievement award for young entrepreneur of the year, and received the best booth award a couple of times at a local home show. Button

says participating in the home show usually generates about nine to 12 new jobs each year that vary in size. “This year is a perfect example,” Button explains. “We’ve done anywhere from a $1,000 to a $1,500 walkway and then the next day we are into a $75,000 to $100,000 job.”

The challenges of being in demand

Button says one of the biggest challenges he faces is just “keeping up with it all. Getting orders ready, getting plans ready, getting locates.” He now spends a full day each week in the office and spends a great deal of time collecting final payments from clients and going over additions to each project that have come at the request of the client. Button gets help from Tripp, whose business schooling comes in handy for inputting the numbers and keeping things in check. They also use an accountant to make sure everything is done correctly.

“Where our company is at right now has far exceeded our expectations,” Button says. “It’s not just a company, it has become our life. We have become very successful, but we also work very hard at it.”

Keeping friends and the community close

With all of the business and the hard work, the company still manages to find time to help out the local community, friends and family members. “We keep our friends pretty close,” says Button. A few years back, a friend’s father had a stroke and was in a wheelchair, so a local builder installed

an elevator at the side of his home. Signature then helped by donating the labour to do the interlock work leading up to the entrance and they also did snow removal and grass cutting for the family for a year.

Earlier this spring, the company also answered the call from LO to help with the Highway of Heroes tribute planting in Trenton. “We got an email that was sent out by Tony DiGiovanni the Wednesday before the long weekend in May calling all landscapers,” Button recalls. He then asked a couple of his guys if they could participate and replied to DiGiovanni right away. Button expected to show up with three or four employees and a piece of machinery and “it ended up we showed up with five or six guys and three pieces of machinery. It was a very rewarding experience and I’m glad that we did it.”

Button says another key to their success is the incredible relationships they have formed with suppliers. “They respect us very well and are always there for us in a pinch” he says. “We love the respect we get” from them and “they are always taking an extra step for us.”

Button is well past the days he used to come home from school and go out cutting grass as a young kid. Looking back at that business proposal from Tripp just six years ago, he says the company is far beyond both of their original expectations. “We are over the mountain,” Button explains. “We kept two guys busy over a summer in our first season and now we are keeping eight guys, including ourselves, busy every day.”

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low maintenance plants and Aquascape has sponsored a water oasis garden that will allow visitors to learn about and experience the latest in pond construction.

Designing the gardens

Quinte Botanical Gardens breaks ground An official ground-breaking ceremony was held on Aug. 31 in Frankfort, Ont., at the site of the Quinte Botanical Gardens (QBC).

The six acre site will feature a collection of 28 individually-designed gardens, each with its own unique theme helping to promote the many health benefits of plants and gardens while also inspiring and educating garden enthusiasts about the latest plants, products and practices in use by the landscape professions.

Located north of Trenton, Ont., the QBC is expected to be a major tourist destination along the busy Highway 401 corridor between Toronto and Montreal. The project is the brainchild and passion of Deanna Groves and John Riedl, owners of The Garden Place Landscape Design and Installation, located in Frankfort.

Almost a decade in the making

The idea of a botanical garden to inspire and educate garden lovers is something Groves and Riedl have been working on for nearly a decade. About nine years ago, Groves decided to leave her field of accounting and earned a certificate in landscape design at the University of Guelph.

In order to properly build the botanical gardens they envisioned, both Groves and Riedl knew they first needed to learn everything possible about the landscaping and horticulture fields.

“We knew we had to walk the walk

6 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO OCTOBER 2016

before we could talk the talk,” Groves says, so the couple started their landscape design-build firm.

Groves says working with clients and attending home and garden shows, as well as Congress has helped her to solidify some suspicions about the gardening public and verify market research she has been conducting about garden tourism.

Groves found a majority of their clients were seniors who still felt the only way to truly enjoy their gardens was by spending countless hours getting it into tip-top shape.

Groves feels strongly that with proper design and the plants, products and technology available today, homeowners can spend more time enjoying than working.

“There are lots of products people don’t know about,” Groves says, “and if you design and landscape your garden properly, you can keep the work to a minimum and have more time to enjoy it.”

Groves plans to teach visitors to the QBC about new plants, products and design techniques through education sessions held by the contractors, retailers and suppliers in the green professions. Groves extends an open invitation to all companies, organizations and groups to demonstrate products or services at the QBC free of charge, to futher her mission of educating and inspiring the masses.

Connon Nurseries/CBV Holdings in Trenton plans to lead an event to showcase

Groves has spent countless hours over the past nine winters meticulously designing the 28 gardens that will make up the QBC. Each will have its own theme and educational component. One garden will illustrate the importance of plants in areas such as medicine and food production, and harvest from an edibles garden will support a local food bank. Groves is particularly excited about one garden she believes is the first of its kind anywhere in the world. To showcase the power of colour, Groves has designed a 150 foot diameter colourwheel garden that will be divided into eight different coloured slices, separated by hedges.

Visitors will be able to pass through each of the different coloured slices via an arbour.

Each section will be a sea of colour from April through to November.

“The challenge was to find plant material that would be in bloom at one time or another and place it properly so the wheel is in full colour all season long,” said Groves.

In close proximity to CFB Trenton, Groves has also planned a memorial garden to honour Canada’s military. She is excited about the possibility of providing a place of healing for Canadian soldiers who have suffered traumatic experiences by serving their country and already has calls from eager volunteers who want to “just come and plant all day long.”

A much needed travel destination The QBG will be listed on Canada’s Garden Route, as well as with many municipalities and tourist boards across the country. Groves says in her years of research she found many visitors see botanical gardens as a travel destination to escape both busy city life and sprawling suburban surroundings, which made Frankfort the ideal choice.

Groves is already brimming with joy at the thought of visitors arriving so she can inspire them on the many benefits of what the green industry has to offer. The QBC is expected to open in spring 2017.

More information about the gardens can be found at thegardenplace.ca.

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Staff from Dutchmaster Nurseries, hosts of this year’s auction.

Dutchmaster Nurseries hosts Growers’ Industry Auction Perfect weather, fantastic food and gorgeous plants delighted participants of the 38th annual Landscape Ontario Growers’ Sector Group Industry Auction Sept. 16 at Dutchmaster Nurseries in Pickering, Ont. The auction helps to raise money for horticultural research and scholarships. All plants and items up for bid in the live and silent auctions are donated by growers and suppliers. This year, over 200 skids were

auctioned off to the highest bidder.

The Growers’ Awards of Excellence entries were judged by industry experts Jen Llewellyn (OMAFRA), Michael Pascoe (Fanshawe College), Perry Grobe (Grobe Nursery and Garden Centre), Len Mancini (Holland Park) and Jon Peter (Royal Botanical Gardens) in the morning, with winners announced and put up for bid to kick off the live auction.

Once again, auctioneer Jim McCartney kept things light — and moving at a steady clip.

The event would not be possible without the outstanding generosity shown by donors this year, including: Alcock Nurseries, AVK Nursery Holdings, Bakker (JC) & Sons, Blue Sky Nursery, Braun Nursery, Canada Blooms, Canadale Nurseries, Connon/NVK Holdings, Dutchmaster Nurseries, GO GPS, Gro-Bark, Hillen Nursery, JM Peeters Nurseries, Kam’s Grower Supply, Kobes Nurseries, Langendoen Nurseries, M. Putzer Hornby Nursery, Pan American Nursery Products, Plant Products, Royal Botanical Gardens, Sheridan Nurseries, Somerville Nurseries, Timm Enterprises, TradeWinds International Sales, Willowbrook Nurseries, Winkelmolen Nursery.

To sweeten the pot, an iPad Mini was donated by Plant Products and raffled off to auction participants. David Onofre of Erin Mills Landscaping was the lucky winner.

The LO events staff would like to thank all donors and participants, as well as Dutchmaster Nurseries and their staff of Henry Jr., Mike, Dave, Simon, Carol Anne, Brian, Marlin, Peter, Betty-Anne, Matthew, Alex and Fred.

Refreshments, cupcakes and lunch were prepared by Carol Anne Tillaart, Cupcakes Canada and staff.

Growers Group volunteers on-site were: John Moons, auction operations manager, Jeff Gregg, Dave Tillaart, Jeanine West, Joel Schraven, Gerwin Bouman, Serge Leclair, Andrew Barbour, Jennifer Llewellyn, Bill Putzer, Rob Naraj and Mark Ostrowski.

Paul Brydges, Landscape Ontario president was also on hand to present the award winners with their certificates.

Continued >

The auction includes judging of plant material entered in LO’s Growers’ Awards of Excellence program.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS 2016 GROWERS’ AWARD WINNERS CATEGORY

PLANTS

COMPANY

CATEGORY

PLANTS

COMPANY

Evergreens - Field Grown, Upright and Spreading

Picea omorika.

Dutchmaster Nurseries

Deciduous Ornamental Trees, 300 cm or less

Liquidambar styraciflua.

NVK Holdings *Judges Choice

Evergreens - Container Grown, Upright and Spreading

Taxus media ‘Fairview’, Thuja occidentalis, Juniperus horizontalis, Picea pungens glauca.

Willowbrook Nurseries

Deciduous Ornamental Trees, Top Grafted/Worked

Cotoneaster apiculatus (top graft).

NVK Holdings

Caliper Trees

Quercus palustris.

Sheridan Nurseries

Vines and Groundcovers

Assorted.

Willowbrook Nurseries

Perennials

Assorted.

Willowbrook Nurseries

Unusual and Rare Plants

Seascape strawberry, Wellington black current, Pinot noir grape, Heritage raspberry, Black satin blackberry.

AVK Nursery Holdings

Design on a Skid

Assorted.

Willowbrook Nurseries

Broadleaf Evergreens

Deciduous Shrubs

e

Yucca filifera, Yucca filamentosa, Cotoneaster dammeri, Euonymus fortunei.

NVK Holdings

Caryopteris × clandonensis, Spiraea japonica, Weigela florida, Hydrangea paniculata.

NVK Holdings

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OHTF SCHOLARSHIPS PRESENTED AT CUDDY GARDENS

On Sept. 9, Landscape Ontario executive director Tony DiGiovanni, manager of training, education and labor development Jeff Hicks, as well as past president Bob Allen and his wife Ruby joined Fanshawe College horticultural technician students at A.M. (Mac) Cuddy Gardens in Strathroy, Ont. to present Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation scholarships.

Under sunny skies Michael Pascoe, program coordinator for the London-Ontario based school, gave first year students a tour of the beautiful botanical gardens, before organizing orientation activities and lunch.

Each year Pascoe and his staff host first and second year horticulture students at Cuddy Gardens for Hort Fest, an event designed to celebrate the beginning of the new school year and to give newcomers a peak at the amazing gardens that will be a big part of their college experience.

This year, for the first time, scholarships were presented during the event, giving LO management, OHTF scholarship donors Bob and Ruby Allen and Fanshawe staff the chance to recognize and celebrate the

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

I can’t say enough how much I appreciate the support.”

Fanshawe College students who received scholarships this year include: Scott Pollock (Bob Allen Scholarship); Caitlin McPhee (Horticulturist); Nicholas Hunt (Horticulturist); Jensen Maunder (High School); Alison Meeuse (Horticulturist); Zora Miller (Horticulturist); Rebekah Selland (Horticulturist); Easton Klaudi (Tony DiGiovanni Scholarship); Rachael Radauskas (Mark Cullen Scholarship); James Duncan (Mark Cullen Scholarship).

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LO Executive Director Tony DiGiovanni (right) planted a Stewartia at Cuddy Gardens alongside the first (Tim Elliott, left) and most recent (Easton Klaudi) recipients of the Tony DiGiovanni Scholarship.

recipients.

“This is a really special day,” Bob Allen said. “We made the decision a couple years ago that we wanted to create a scholarship to help the next generation get their start in the industry, and it’s wonderful to be here today to see it come to fruition.”

Tony DiGiovanni presented the OHTF scholarship in his name to Easton Klaudi.

Afterwards, the pair were joined by Tim Elliott, a Fanshawe College instructor and the first recipient of the Tony DiGiovanni Scholarship, to plant a Stewartia.

“This is a great place to be today to talk about all of the exciting, innovative things you can do in the green professions,” DiGiovanni told the group of students. “If you work hard and pursue your goals, you will have the opportunity to inspire others and truly provide benefit to society.”

James Duncan was awarded a Cullen Scholarship. Duncan worked at Cuddy Gardens during the summer, and hopes to set up a maintenance company next year.

“I am totally blown away, I had no idea,” Duncan said. “It really means a lot to me;

Landscape Ontario’s annual Professional Development Seminar Guide mails with this issue of Landscape Ontario magazine, and is also available online.

The 2016-2017 Guide features over 80 seminars, most held at the LO home office in Milton, Ont., with some courses also offered regionally via the nine LO chapters across the province. In addition, the Guide lists other educational and networking opportunities available to LO members and the green professions, such as annual sector-specific symposiums and conferences, apprenticeship, industry certification, events and safety groups.

Some courses are offered in November and December, with the bulk of courses running January through to early April, 2017. Those who register before Jan. 1, 2017 for courses held next year will automatically receive a 10 per cent discount.

Aligned with LO’s Prosperity Partners Program, all courses are designed to help improve business success in one of the

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five main prosperity pillars: Leadership, Financial Health, Operational Excellence, Customers for Life and Sales Success. In addition, individual course content is aligned with many industry certification programs, providing information or experience for key areas of certification. Some courses will also qualify attendees to earn Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) for recertification for: International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certification, accredited Green Roof Professional (GRP), accredited Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Water Smart Irrigation Professional (WSIP) certification, and various designations from the Irrigation Association (IA) and Red Seal Apprenticeship Program.

Courses are led by well-known professionals with many years of experience — many of whom are still very active within the landscape professions. There are a number of new instructors this year that will bring new energy and new perspectives to some popular topics.

Course registration is now open online. Landscape Ontario and Ontario Parks Association members get preferred pricing, and other savings are in place for those holding a Landscape Industry Certified or WSIP certification.

Once logged in, simply add courses to your shopping cart, select the employees who will attend each course, add new employees and checkout in a matter of minutes. When registering for courses, please note location, start time and any required prerequisites or materials participants need to bring with them.

For a complete listing of courses and online registration, visit horttrades.com/seminars.

WRIGHT LANDSCAPE CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY

A festive event took place recently in Bloomingdale, as Wright Landscape Services hosted a bash to mark 50 years in business. In his remarks, president Dave Wright expressed special appreciation for the company’s late founders, his parents John and Ruth Wright. LO president Paul Brydges presented a plaque on behalf of the association, and spoke about his long connection with the Wright family. LO executive director Tony DiGiovanni reflected on John Wright’s lifetime membership presentation, and Jeff Thompson of the Waterloo Chapter gave Dave Wright a painting on the chapter’s behalf.

We are still digging for fall orders, place your orders now Lots of plants with lots of colours Still available for your fall plantings

7314 Sixth Line Milton, Ontario L9E 0Y1 Phone: 905-878-7226 • Fax: 905-878-8737 Email: yard@putzernursery.com

WWW.PUTZERNURSERY.COM Dave Wright (left) accepts a plaque from LO President Paul Brydges.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

MEMBERS PUTT AT BLUE MOUNTAIN

Charcoal cooked chicken, led by Paul DeGroot (right), is the cornerstone of the Golden Horseshoe Chapter’s annual social event.

CHAPTER HOSTS FUN-FILLED CHICKEN ROAST

Over 200 people attended the Golden Horseshoe Chapter’s annual Chicken Roast, held this year at Ferrell Builders’ Supply in Hamilton, Ont., on Sept. 15.

The family-friendly event included pony rides, a bouncy castle and rock painting for more than 50 kids in attendance. New this year was the addition of a mobile gaming unit that was enjoyed very much by the teens in attendance — although a few board members provided a bit of entertainment dancing along to Wii Dance Party.

Amazing volunteers and board mem-

bers, guided by experienced head chef Paul DeGroot, cooked approximately 400 lbs. of chicken over the charcoal grill.

Golden Horseshoe Chapter board members would like to sincerely thank the many staff at Ferrell Builders’ Supply (Anthony, Rocco, Peter, Rohinton, Alicia, Chris, Tim, Aaron, Brad, Jeremy, Lucas and Jacob) for all their hard work preparing for and hosting this great event and the following sponsors who also made the event possible: Techo-Bloc, Oaks, Best Way Stone, Fix My Brick and Dirty Boyz.

Hamilton Bobcat is already planning on hosting a great event for next year.

The annual Georgian Lakelands Chapter Putting Challenge took place on Sept. 23 at the picturesque Cascades Putting Course at Blue Mountain Resort in Collingwood, Ont. Now in its third year, the event would not have been possible without the support of our putters, generous sponsors and prize contributors, including: dinner sponsor Georgian Bay Outdoors; hole sponsors LA Gardens, The Diamond Studio, Vanden Bussche Irrigation, Ikes Turf, Zwart’s Topsoil and Landscape Supplies, and Ladybird Garden Designs; and prize contributors Clearview Nursery and Blue Mountain.

An extra special thank you to our event co-chairs, Lynne Barnes and Margot Byers, for their tireless efforts in making this event a success. Congratulations to the best scoring team from Garden Holistics and the best scoring putter, Claire Woodhouse.

Another foursome from Garden Holistics also took home the Most Honest Foursome award, with Adam Whitesed winning the Most Honest Putter prize. We look forward to seeing you at this event next year.

LO members worked on a different kind of green at the Georgian Lakelands Chapter Putting Challenge

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www.kobesnurseries.com 12 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO OCTOBER 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR I am writing in response to Tony DiGiovanni’s article, “Right plant, right place,” in the July-August issue of Landscape Ontario magazine.

Is the author qualified to make the sweeping statements on seed zones, the use of native trees and the planting of Norway maples? I am not qualified, so in my response I have reached out to more knowledgeable tree people.

Overwhelmingly, the responses received were in disagreement with the article. A recent Globe and Mail section, “When a Tree Falls” (10/6/16) was most enlightening. Arborist Todd Irvine stated that to let Norway maples go in and kill our forests is devastating.

Jason Doyle, Toronto’s Director of Urban Forestry states native species often possess the hardiness required to endure the urban environment. The Norway maple is the most common tree in Toronto. Because of the trees’ invasive nature, the city has stopped planting Norways, as have both Hamilton and London.

In 2015, Norway maples became regulated in New York State and now every Norway maple sold must be labeled with the statement “This is an INVASIVE SPECIES harmful to the Environment.”

Forest Ontario is a proponent of the use of seed zone-appropriate native trees. It is a concept firmly based on more than 40 years of science, both at the university and field levels.

The Forest Gene Conservation Authority (fgca.net) states: “The concept of biological appropriateness recognizes that plants are genetically programmed to grow in sync with environmental cues in the location from which they originated.”

The current trend towards native species should be recognized as an indicator of the changing demand for trees. Urban planners and arborists are sending signals to the nursery industry, specifying an increased need for native species.

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GEORGIAN LAKELANDS Central Ontario Seepage Solutions Kyle Wilson PO Box 34 Singhampton, ON N0C 1M0 Tel: 705-446-7037 Membership Type: Active Maple Leaf Masonry Supply Ltd Brian Demattia 2135 Long Lake Rd Sudbury, ON P3E 5H2 Tel: 705-522-5282 Membership Type: Chapter Associate South Parry Lumber & Millwork Mike Argue 20 South Parry Rd Parry Sound, ON P2A 2Z1 Tel: 705-746-8491 Membership Type: Associate GOLDEN HORSESHOE O'Neils Farm Equipment Casey Smith 2461 Hwy 56 Binbrook, ON L0R 1C0 Tel: 905-572-6714 Membership Type: Chapter Associate LONDON Tri-County Brick Kevin Adams 320 Home St Stratford, ON N5A 7C9 Tel: 519-273-5151 Membership Type: Chapter Associate OTTAWA Manulift EMI Ltee Michel Robert 606 Lionel-Boulet Blvd Varennes, QC J3X 1P7 Tel: 450-652-5550 Membership Type: Associate

Professional Mobile Wash Michael Treacy 2610 Glenfield Rd Ottawa, ON K1G 5N3 Tel: 613-749-5500 Membership Type: Chapter Associate The Silverstone Group Angel Hover 19 Colonnade Rd PO Box 5542 Ottawa, ON K2C 3M1 Tel: 613-692-8488 Membership Type: Active TORONTO Benchmark Irrigation Gary Faria 81 Montrose Ave Toronto, ON M6J 2T6 Tel: 647-960-0990 Membership Type: Active Meltco Inc Sebastian Pawlak 101 - 7030 Woodbine Ave Markham, ON L3R 6G2 Tel: 844-635-8423 Membership Type: Associate Orin Contractors Corp Anthony Niro 100 MacIntosh Blvd Concord, ON L4K 4P3 Tel: 905-738-6655 Membership Type: Active Pilot Trucking/S.A.G. Services Ezra Galati 21 O'Neil Crt Nobleton, ON L0G 1N0 Tel: 416-823-7943 Membership Type: Chapter Associate

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EVENTS

November 4

Ottawa Chapter Day of Tribute

Find full details and registration links at horttrades.com/comingevents October 14

October 25

LO Hardscape Committee at Oktoberfest

Windsor Chapter meeting

Dominion Golf Course This free meeting for LO members and St. Clair College students will teach you how to leverage available resources to develop staff with Jeff Hicks from Landscape Ontario. Dinner starts at 5 p.m. You must RSVP by Oct. 23 to Jay at jaytopgrade@hotmail.com. Visit horttrades.com/ windsor.

The Schwaben Club, 1668 King St. E., Kitchener Buy tickets now and celebrate Oktoberfest with LO’s Hardscape Committee, plus get a special rate on accommodations at the local Best Western. Full details at gfl.me/h2Yc. October 18

Ottawa Chapter meeting

Royal Canadian Legion, 3500 Fallowfield Rd., Ottawa Pre-register for the first meeting of the season and get free lunch and a chance to win Sens tickets. Sponsored by Manulift, the panel discussion will begin at 12 p.m. with utility company representatives discussing your rights and responsibilities for underground utilities.

Visit horttrades.com/ottawa.

November 1

Golden Horseshoe Chapter meeting

Vineland, 4890 Victoria Rd. N., Lincoln Arvils Lukss, president of Landscapes by Lucin will reveal proven strategies to help market your business in today’s marketplace. You must register online to attend this free event. Runs from 6-8 p.m. See horttrades.com/golden-horseshoe.

November 2

Waterloo Chapter meeting

Knights of Columbus, 145 Dearborn Pl., Waterloo Are you prepared for the coming winter? Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the annual snow meeting.

Visit horttrades.com/waterloo.

National Military Cemetery, 280 Beechwood Ave., Ottawa Volunteer to prepare the grounds for Remembrance Day. Contact Pete Campbell at 613-7339585 or pete@geosyn.ca or Martha Walsh at 613-796-5156 or martha@landscapeontario. com or visit horttrades.com/ottawa for details.

November 8

London Chapter Meeting

Lamplighter Inn, 591 Wellington Rd., London Meeting starts at 6 p.m. Check for details at horttrades.com/london.

November 8

Durham Chapter meeting

731 Wilson Rd. S., Oshawa Beer and wings night returns at 7 p.m. for a networking session between Durham College students and green professionals. Visit horttrades.com/durham.

November 9

Upper Canada Chapter meeting

Cataraqui Community Centre, Sunnyside Hall, 1030 Sunnyside Rd., Kingston Landscape Ontario’s Denis Flanagan will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about LO and how you can maximize your membership.

Meeting starts at 7 p.m. Visit horttrades.com/ upper-canada.

Join your peers at the 2017 edition of the

Garden Centre NEW LOCATION with Congress Trade Show & Conference at the Toronto Congress Centre Wednesday, January 11

Featuring the Awards of Excellence Ceremony announcing Garden Centre program winners and recognizing 2016 Grower Award winners!

Tom Shay

Ceremony at 9:00 a.m. followed by workshops with Tom Shay 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and then lunch!

Register today at

LOcongress.com 16 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO OCTOBER 2016

INDUSTRY NEWS Gardening personality Esmonde-White dies Anstace Esmonde-White, a long-time gardening television and radio personality in Canada and the United States, passed away Aug. 21. She was 96.

Esmonde-White hosted From a Country Garden on PBS from 1986 to 1999 with her husband Larry at their Kemptville, Ont. farm. The couple were also regulars on CBC television and radio for many years.

Born in Ireland, Anstace and Larry, who passed away in 2013, immigrated to Canada in 1948. In 1971 they purchased Evergreen Farm, a stone farmhouse with five acres of land south of Ottawa, and created the beautiful gardens that would become the background of their shows and books.

“Her impact was really quite large in that she made everybody understand and thoroughly believe that they could do it,” Ed Lawrence,

CBC Ottawa’s gardening specialist told the national broadcaster. “You had to trust her, she looked like your grandmother!”

Ottawa contractor Tim Kearney knew Anstace for many years. “(Anstace and Larry) singlehandedly created relevance for our industry,” Kearney said. “To this very day, we (as an industry) struggle with creating relevance; struggle to find an answer. Perhaps we needed to look no further than to know that Larry and Anstace Esmonde-White created relevance by being honest, frowning upon malpractices, and mentoring the young bucks to reach for higher goals.”

PROVINCES AGREE TO BOOST CPP

Earlier this summer, Ontario’s Wynne government scrapped plans to go it alone on pension reform, joining eight of ten provinces in an agreement to expand the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). The changes, which mark the first significant increase to CPP benefits since the program’s creation in 1965, will take effect on Jan. 1, 2019. All employers in Canada with employees outside of Quebec will be affected.

The new CPP will see: benefits increased from one-quarter to onethird of pensionable earnings; employer and employee contributions raised by roughly $7 per month for workers earning $55,000; and the Year’s Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YMPE) – the limit on income subject to CPP contributions and accruals – jump 14 per cent by 2025, from $54,900 to $82,700. Changes will be phased in over a seven year period.

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INDUSTRY NEWS MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES

The decision means the planned Ontario Retirement Pension Plan previously proposed by the Wynne government will no longer be needed.

For a comprehensive look at the changes, visit gfl.me/h2YE.

GARDEN EXPO EDUCATION MOVES TO CONGRESS 2017

Retail guru Tom Shay headlines the new Garden Centre Symposium on Jan. 11, 2017 at the Toronto Congress Centre — just part of the new half-day event added to the Congress conference line up to benefit retailers in the green professions.

Shay, a fourth generation small business owner and author, will present The Science and Art of Buying and Selling, and Advanced Professional Selling Skills. The symposium will also feature the Awards of Excellence ceremony for the growers and retailer programs and end with lunch and an opportunity for retailers to get caught up with one another before the spring rush.

For the last 15 years, Ontario retailers have attended Garden Expo in October to take part in Landscape Ontario’s annual Garden Centre Symposium. With the move of Expo into Congress this coming January, retailers now have an event at Congress created just for them.

For full details and online registration, visit LOcongress.com.

As of Oct. 1, new minimum wage rates in the province are $11.40 per hour for general work and $10.70 per hour for students. Announced back in April, both rates are increasing by 15 cents.

The student rate applies to anyone under the age of 18 who works 28 hours a week or less when school is in session or working during a school break or summer holidays.

The minimum wage rates are subject to annual indexation based on inflation.

If that rate is changed, the new rate will be published on or before April 1 and will come into effect on Oct. 1.

If a change to the minimum wage rate comes into effect partway through an employee’s pay period, the pay period will be treated as if it were two separate pay periods and the employee will be entitled to at least the minimum wage that applies in each of those periods.

MOL TARGETS REPEAT OFFENDERS AND CHEMICAL HANDLING

Ministry of Labour employment standards officers and inspectors are conducting safety blitzes focused on repeat violators and chemical handling, through Oct. 31.

Repeat violations are one indicator of intentional or willful non-compliance.

Focusing on repeat violators provides the ministry with an opportunity to reinforce employer obligations under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) in workplaces by placing an emphasis on employers who have a history of noncompliance with the ESA.

During the repeat offenders blitz, employment standards officers will focus primarily on sectors where there is a high rate of precarious employment and repeat violators. The officers will check that employers are complying with core standards of the ESA, such as: recordkeeping, hours of work, vacation with pay and unauthorized deductions to name a few.

During the same period, Ministry of Labour inspectors will fan out across the province, visiting workplaces to check records, observe, and ask questions about company chemical handling practices.

WSPS occupational hygienist Ilma Bhunnoo offers 12 sample questions that can help you assess the comprehensiveness of your chemical handling program.

Ask yourself these questions with the spirit of the blitz in mind: “It’s about prevention, not just compliance,” says Bhunnoo.

“Everyone in Ontario’s prevention system wants people to go home healthy and safe at the end of the day, just as you do. This means knowing what’s on site, knowing the risks, and ensuring you have proper controls in place to protect your people and your property.”

To view the 12 sample questions, visit gfl.me/h2YT.

WEBSITE PROMOTES BENEFITS OF SMART WATERING

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(WSIP) program who are trained to provide detailed assessments on water usage and recommend strategies to save water use and reduce costs.

The recommendations include hardware upgrades, maximizing irrigation system life and efficiency, calculating optimal run times and providing a customized watering schedule and outlining potential savings and return on investment — and ensuring the initial beauty of the property is kept intact.

The WSIP program is a partnership between Landscape Ontario’s irrigation sector group, York Region, the Region of Peel and the City of Hamilton.

According to the website, an annual average water savings of $1,535, or 665 cubic meters, can be obtained by installing a smart water controller.

Reducing water usage not only benefits a property owner’s bottom line, it also helps to reduce stress on government infrastructure.

Jeremy Harris, technical analyst with the Region of Peel, says the program makes perfect sense for the region because it is “a proactive and innovative approach to address peak water demands.” Communities do not have unlimited budgets for water infrastructure projects and have focused on education and conservation to reduce peak demand.

“Many infrastructure elements are designed to meet peak demands which may only occur one or two days a year,” Harris says. Adding, “Inefficient and improperly maintained irrigation systems can waste large volumes of water and contribute to these peak demands. By leveraging and training the irrigation industry to perform irrigation system assessments, we are helping to reduce peak day water demands by driving market transformation and making efficient irrigation systems the norm.”

Bill MacDonald, owner of Angus Irrigation, a WSIP certified contractor in Hamilton, says “The WSIP program has simplified the process and made it easy for clients to immediately recognize dollar savings.” MacDonald believes in a few years the program will reach right across the province.

The WSIP training program includes both in-class and field components. Following certification, irrigation contractors are required to conduct at least five irrigation audits at client facilities, using the new methods learned in the program.

Contractors interested in the WSIP program can find more information online at horttrades.com/wsip.

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EXECUTIVE DESK

Gord Shuttleworth speaking at a retirement party in his honour.

Values that connect generations Tony DiGiovanni CHT LO Executive Director

I

recently attended a celebration marking Wright Landscape Services 50 years in business. To last 50 years is quite an amazing feat! What was even more remarkable to me was the link I saw between two generations of the family business.

In the past 50 years, there have been many changes in business philosophy, markets, techniques, customer perceptions, products, equipment and knowledge. But what has remained the same is the contribution ethic, core values, character, trust and caring nature of the Wright family and their team.

The values passed down from one generation to the next work to link the generations in a common goal.

The late John Wright (whom I think about often), started this wonderful venture that has enhanced the lives and properties of thousands of people. He reached well beyond his business and his community to influence and encourage an entire profession. His son Dave Wright and his team now proudly and instinctively carry on that work. As a result, both the community and the profession continue to benefit and be inspired by the values passed down from one generation to the next.

As I was leaving the event, one of the guests stopped me. He was a customer of Wright’s and wanted me to know how much he appreciated their efforts to keep his property looking good. He was in awe of the level of service he received, particularly in the middle of winter. I wonder how many

companies also have such loyal and appreciative clients. It reminded me of what Peter Guinane from Oriole Landscaping once told me: his mission was to convert customers into fans. What a great way to do business.

Another wonderful event I had the privilege of attending recently was the retirement party for Gord Shuttleworth from Delaware Nursery. Again, I witnessed a very strong connection of values passed down from one generation to the next. In his speech, Shuttleworth (a past president and Honorary Life Member of Landscape Ontario), described his father’s influence and inspiration that left a lasting effect on him. When the pair had a disagreement, they would walk over to a fence line away from the employees in order to work out their issues through honest and direct communication.

Gord told the story of family innovation, entrepreneurship and hard work. They were one of the first companies to open a year-round garden centre. They were one of the first to manufacture and sell patio stones across Ontario. They were one of the first to provide ready-mix concrete to job sites. They were one of the first to grow plants in containers. They were one of the first to manufacture potting machines.

Both the Wright and Shuttleworth families, as successful and hardworking as they are, still give extra attention to their customers, their communities and to furthering their professions through thousands of hours working on behalf of their association. Their leadership and passion will inspire a new generation just as a previous generation inspired them.

Their caring and contribution connects the generations, some of whom they may never even meet. The Landscape Ontario family thanks them.

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

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PUBLIC RELATIONS

ley Turf Products.This will truly provide a unique location for what may be the very first interprovincial picnic.

As hundreds of families gather for this event, it could be an indication as to how our green professions can connect, entertain and inspire the next generation of gardeners and better engage young people to consider a career in horticulture. Our green professions are in fact, the ones who supply the seeds, soil, greenhouses, land and knowledge that feed the nation.

On an everyday basis, using the “food frenzy“ as a way of connecting with your clients and local communities would be great way strengthen your business connections.

Garden media get a taste of some plum tomatoes at the Stokes Seeds trial gardens in St. Catharines, Ont.

Food, glorious food

By Denis Flanagan CLD Manager of Membership and Public Relations

T

he song from the movie Oliver Twist was all about an obsession with food by a group of young boys. In 2016, that same obsession is still prevalent — not only with young boys, but with entire families and even within entire communities. Self-dubbed “Foodies,” this passionate group of people indulge in magazines, cooking classes, TV shows, specialty restaurants, websites and even travel to exotic countries to learn how to harvest and cook fruits and vegetables with local residents.

The Landscape Ontario budget could not stretch far enough for me to travel to an exotic location to report back to you on this topic, so instead, I recently took a short drive to St. Catharines to visit the Stokes Seeds trial gardens. Hosted by Loblaw’s, the event is designed specifically for the garden media to taste and comment on the new President’s Choice vegetable selections for 2017. Just the fact that such an event exists is a testament to the growing popularity of the food industry in our daily lives.

Our green professions are well-positioned to be a major link in this blossoming food chain. A great example of this is a unique event in 2017 — just one of the many events celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday, on July 2 the historic Royal Alexandra bridge in Ottawa is going to have a grass surface for a day. Turf is being supplied courtesy of LO member, Mander-

Recipe for your business: • Add 1 to 2 vegetable and herb gardens to every landscape design.

• Mix 2 fresh staff and have them attend LO seminars on edible gardens, pollinator gardens and soil sciences.

• Purchase 1 copy of The New Canadian Garden by Mark Cullen.

• Blend your company with a local community garden.

• Stir up a few fresh plants and donate them to a school vegetable garden.

• Sprinkle staff training with websites and magazines to stay informed on the trend.

• Serve with dandelion wine and enjoy!

Denis Flanagan can be reached at dflanagan@landscapeontario.com or at 905-875-1805, ext. 2303.

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MEMBERSHIP

q Find your favourite photos of your best jobs this year and upload them to your online LO company profile. Your profile is where potential clients can connect with you via the popular landscapeontario.com website. qS pecial event: Celebrate your company’s success at the Georgian Lakelands Chapter’s Awards of Distinction. These awards recognize members of the Georgian Lakelands Chapter, and are presented during a fun, social evening. qU pdate your employee handbooks for winter using the ‘Labour Resources’ section at horttrades.com. Make sure to review the ‘hours of work and overtime tool’ to calculate rest periods and rest between shifts for those long nights spent plowing snow.

Your fall membership checklist Landscape Ontario Membership Checklist, Fall 2016

By Myscha Burton Membership and Chapter Coordinator

October q Make sure dues payment has been mailed in. Pay online or call Landscape Ontario with credit card information. q Attend monthly chapter meeting and try to include your staff. q Put the LO decal you received in your membership renewal package on your vehicle. Call LO if you need more. q Take time to relax and enjoy the latest Landscape Ontario and Landscape Trades magazines to get caught up with association and industry news. q Visit horttrades.com and download your standard snow and ice contract templates and prepare them for last-minute clients. q Browse through LO’s 2016-2017 Professional Development Guide and identify courses to attend in the winter.

T

his fall has already been a busy one for me personally, and I am sure it has been for you as well. I recently moved to Guelph and I am amazed at the city’s commitment to maintaining green spaces and the variety of outdoor places to visit. With the move I also had to move plants and transform what was an exclusively stone patio into something much more green. Naturally, I Googled ‘fall gardening’ and the first search result was the “Fall Gardening Checklist” courtesy of the Landscape Ontario website. It’s nice to know our search engine optimization is working!

If you spend any time with me you will know I am borderline obsessive about checklists (added bonus if they are colourcoded), so I thought I would provide you with one of your own. With the above average temperatures we’ve had this summer, it’s hard to believe winter is coming. Just as I had a fall gardening checklist, here is your fall membership checklist:

November q Attend monthly chapter meeting and try to include your staff. q Special event: Ottawa Chapter’s annual Day of Tribute to honour the Canadian military and their families at Beechwood Cemetery. q Get caught-up with the latest association and industry news with Landscape Ontario and Landscape Trades magazines. q Special event: All members are invited to take a trip to Waterloo for the annual Fall Freeze-Up on Nov. 18. Make it your company holiday/end of season party.

December qR egister by Dec. 16 to take advantage of early-bird pricing for Congress. q Attend a monthly chapter meeting. This is your last chance in 2016 for ultimate networking. qS end holiday greeting cards to your favourite clients. qR ead the latest Landscape Ontario and Landscape Trades magazines. q Check horttrades.com for details on winter chapter meetings and add them to your calendar. q Budget planning for 2017; review the list of endorsed suppliers and member savings programs available to you and find out where you can save money in the new year. q Register for courses under LO’s Professional Development series before Jan. 1 to qualify for a 10 percent discount.

Myscha Burton can be reached at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 333 or myscha@landscapeontario.com.

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APPRENTICESHIP Join the apprenticeship training movement

By J. Alex Gibson LO Eastern Ontario Apprenticeship Program Development Coordinator

O

ver the past several months, the Landscape Ontario team has traveled across the province promoting the benefits, incentives and perks of the Apprenticeship Program. As a result, we have seen a positive increase in apprenticeship registration across the entire province, with more employers taking advantage of the program. Currently, we have assisted over 80 employers/staff with registering for the 2016 season. With the help of your LO team, registration is easy and hassle-free. Why not join the growing movement across the province to develop and train the future of your workforce?

What is Apprenticeship?

Apprenticeship, offered through the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development (formally the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities) in conjunction with the Ontario College of Trades, is a training and skills development program for your current staff. The program is a mix of 20 per cent in-class training and 80 per cent on-the-job, hands on work experience. Employee apprentices work with your company trainers to complete the required on-the-job competencies log-book for the program. The two in-class training sessions are offered at five colleges across the province and are approximately 12 weeks in length (usually January through to the first week of April). The apprenticeship takes approximately three to four years to obtain all program requirements and apprentices who complete these requirements and successfully pass their final exam will also gain Red Seal status — a training designation recognized across Canada.

Here are the top five reasons to register an apprentice today:

1. Financial incentives Employers who sponsor staff in apprenticeship are entitled to a tax credit as well as a $1,000 bonus for each apprentice that completes the program.

Apprentices have the opportunity to collect $4,000 in grants and can access a number of loans and bursaries.

2. Easy access Landscape Ontario will support employers and apprentices from registration to program completion. A number of companies across the province have accessed our support service with great success. We will work to ensure the process is hassle free.

3. More confident staff Staff participating in the program will gain valuable skills in the profession. The in-class sections of the program will help staff learn new skills and competencies that they may not encounter in everyday work. This knowledge will make staff more confident in handling new situations that may arise when they are on-the-job.

4. Staff retention Participating employees need to log approximately 5,400 hours of on-the-job work experience in order to complete the program. They work with their employer to gain these hours, learning valuable onthe-job skills and standards that are set by the company. The Apprenticeship Program provides the opportunity for the employer to develop and integrate a staff member into different roles within the company.

5. Cost effective Participation in the Apprenticeship Program is essentially free for employers.

Employers are primarily responsible for ensuring enrolled staff work to complete their training competency log book and attend in-class training when it’s beneficial and available. Apprentices only have to pay a yearly Ontario College of Trades fee of approximately $67 and about $650 for each term of schooling.

Want to meet with us?

Let us help you train and develop your staff. The LO apprenticeship team will be in the following regions below. If you would like us to visit your office/work site for an individual consultation, please contact us and we would be happy to oblige.

LO Ottawa Chapter Meeting: October 18 Upper Canada Region: October 24 For more information about the Apprenticeship Program or to register, visit horticulturetechnician.ca or contact Alex Gibson at 613-809-5093 or apprenticeship@ landscapeontario.com.

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UNDERGROUND WORLD

numbers, partly due to new companies reporting due to the introduction of Bill 8 in the Ontario Legislature.

Other stats are hard to believe

Believe it, or not!

By Terry Murphy CLM

H

ave you ever heard something on the radio or television or read an item in the newspaper and said to yourself, “that can’t be true. It must be a mistake!” That’s the reaction I had when I read the recent statistics from the 2015 Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA) DIRT Report (Damage Information Reporting Tool).

Is the 2015 data reversed?

The specific item I am referring to is the key statistics on utility hits for 2015. Utility hits for the green professions (landscaping, fencing, irrigation, waterways and agriculture) in Ontario is reported as 15 per cent of the total hits, while the public (homeowners) is reported as 12 per cent of the total hits. To me, it seems these numbers should be reversed. Let me explain.

In general, homeowners don’t think about what’s underground when they are

planting in their garden. They don’t understand damage prevention. They don’t know there are billions of dollars worth of buried infrastructure everywhere. They don’t think underground safety when planting a tree or shrub they have just purchased from their local garden centre or nursery. On the other hand, you have a professional industry that knows it is law in Ontario to first obtain locates by calling ON1CALL before digging and that hand digging is mandatory in the tolerance zone (one metre on either side of a buried utility). Substantial fines and penalties exit if someone strikes a buried utility. There are an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 excavating firms in the province compared to millions of homeowners.

It would seem to me, that the professional, knowledgeable, and experienced professions would have far fewer hits than the mass of unknowing homeowners. The facts say it is the reverse — that it is the professionals having more hits than the homeowners. With a total number of 4,434 hits in Ontario in 2015, homeowners accounted for 12 per cent (532 hits), while the green professions were responsible for 15 per cent (or 665 hits). Both are very high and increased significantly over the 2014

One of the things I pay very close attention to is the root cause of utility hits. In other words, what is the main reason for so many hits? We are always looking to see what the main reasons are for so many underground utility hits and why they are on the increase. We are always looking to correct the situation. Again, I find it very hard to believe that year after year, the main reason for most hits is because a contractor fails to call ON1CALL for locates prior to digging.

Last year, 40 per cent of all underground utility hits were for this very reason (two out of every five). Ask yourself this question: With the free ON1CALL service providing locates within five business days, and potential fines and damages to a contractor ranging from $3,000 to $15,000, why would a contractor not call for locates before digging? Yet it happens again and again, year after year.

Secondly, 33 per cent of all hits are due to poor or faulty excavation practices by the contractor. This is another statistic that baffles me. How can a contractor not get it right with so much at stake? Contractors work within a tolerance zone on every job, so why are there any hits at all? I understand when working in hard clay it can be easy to cut, scrape, or fracture a plastic pipe. But with current hyrdrovac technology available, why not let those experts handle the excavation within the tolerance zone? Why take a chance? The two root causes of not calling for locates, and poor excavation account for over 70 per cent of all damages. Surprisingly, this is consistent year after year. We all have to work harder towards reducing these two ailments.

Educating both groups is key

WE KNOW SALT. YOUR PARTNER IN SAFETY AND SERVICE FOR 25 YEARS. 416.798.7050 | 1.888.907.SALT (7258)

DraglamSalt.com

24 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO OCTOBER 2016

The purpose of the ORCGA is to educate anyone who digs about the potential hazards underground and the need to contact ON1CALL for locates. Becoming a member of the ORCGA will help to further this goal.

The root causes of utility hits can be greatly reduced in numbers through participation in spring Dig Safe events, literature and continued focus at various meetings and functions. I encourage you to share this information with your colleagues and hope we can have fewer hits in the future (and no loss of life in the process). It costs nothing to make a two-minute call to ON1CALL to get locates before you dig.

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

PROSPERITY PARTNERS A glance at the horizon

By Jacki Hart CLM Prosperity Partners Program Manager

A

t this time of year, many of us are pushing hard for production, switching seasonal services and products, clearing out summer stock, changing retail and office displays, finalizing late season project details, quoting on snow contracts, and perhaps, flipping through travel websites dreaming of some down time in the months ahead.

Believe it or not, Congress is less than three months away!

It’s time to start thinking about professional development over the winter. You should also take time to review which systems need improvement and debrief the past seven months of activity, profitability and successes.

One area many business owners seem to look away from or are “too busy” to consider is an exit strategy (sometimes referred to as a succession plan).

I have met many small business owners who work very hard, year after year, making the common assumption that when they are ready to retire or sell their business they will have built-up a valuable company and can make an easy return on all they have invested.

The reality is, it’s just not that simple.

Selling a business is not at all like selling a house. There can be deep layers to the way in which a business is valued and there are simple ways too. This depends on who is buying, who is selling, the urgency, the structure of the business, the current market, the assets, profitability, and at times, who may stay with the business through a transition, who will leave, and how quickly the owner expects to exit.

Of the many business transactions and offers to purchase I’ve seen over the past 10 years, every transaction is different.

There is no golden formula.

I’ve seen a large company move in on a small, struggling service operator, offer to cut a cheque for 15 per cent of gross sales, and tell the owner to keep the used equipment and trucks, dispose of them at

will, and keep the cash. I’ve seen others purchase a business just to get a strategically located yard at a discount, because the owner can’t manage the debt load and requires a quick bail-out. The seller may even stay on to manage the yard for the new owner. Typically, the seller wins in the short term and the purchaser wins in the long run.

At the opposite end of the scale, I’ve seen very well run businesses, with solid financial track records, real estate assets and low debt ratios, negotiate excellent returns on their time invested and the soft value of their business — resulting in a winwin for both parties. I’ve also seen quite a few in between.

When it comes to selling a business, it’s rare someone will walk through your door, look and make you an offer as if they were buying your house. It’s also rare to find a buyer prepared to cut you a cheque for full payment within days, weeks or months of your decision to sell. Selling a business can take months, if not years, to transpire. Payment schedules and methods to fund succession vary greatly and can take years to execute until the new owner has full control and the exiting owner has payment in full.

The point I’m making here is that if you own a business and you plan to move on, retire, or take on a partner, you need to turn some attention to a long-term (three- to five- year) strategy to prepare your business for sale in order to get the best possible return and to prepare for the tax

implications of the transaction.

The CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) has strict guidelines and rules for disposing of shares and assets in a business, as well as when capital gains exemptions can and cannot be applied. It can be extremely complicated, or simple, depending on how your business is structured and how the transaction is negotiated (for example, a purchase of assets versus a purchase of shares), and with whom.

For business owners with family members in line to succeed, there are also considerations to include who is the right fit for each role, what the business needs, and whether or not the succeeding generation has the necessary skills, temperament and passion to successfully carry on. Many businesses fail in their second generation, even more fail in their third. Just because they’re related doesn’t mean they are qualified.

There are two LO events this fall designed to help you start thinking about your business, without you.

Peer to Peer Network workshop: Nov. 9, 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. at the Radisson in Kitchener. Join a panel discussion of members who have gone through the process, combined with general information to get you started on the journey.

LO Milton seminar: Nov. 22, 9 a.m. 3:30 p.m. with Phil Kriszenfeld discussing The Fundamentals of a Well Planned Succession Plan.

For details and registration, visit horttrades.com/seminars.

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

Next Session: session: November September9,23, 2016 in Ottawa 2016 in Kitchener Join the Peer to Peer network, visit

horttrades.com/p2p-network

COMING SOONER THAN YOU THINK! Peer to Peer Warm Up Monday.

January 9, 2017 at Congress

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CLASSIFIEDS

EQUIPMENT

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.

NURSERY STOCK

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

LARGE CALIPER TREES 5”-8” 10’-20’ AT CLEARING PRICES!!!

Sugar Maple, Oak, Pear, Locust Norway, White, Serbian and Colorado Spruce, Fir, Pine, and Japanese Yews 5’-9’ and more.

EBERT’S TREE FARMS 882984 Road 88, Kintore (226) 377-6321 anna.ebert@bell.net

PROFESSIONAL SALES PERSON Gro-Bark is looking for a driven professional sales person who has demonstrated the ability to develop new business and gain new customers in a technical sales capacity. GroBark is a market leader in mulch and engineered soils for the landscape industry. This person will be focused on continuing to grow the soil and soil ammendment business along with performing traditional territory management.

Occasional overnight travel will be required.

Gro-Bark offers competitive compensation, an outstanding work environment and a commitment to growth. Minimum qualifications include post-secondary education, sales experience, technical training or aptitude.

Please submit cover letter and resume to neil@gro-bark.com

FOR SALE 2500 White Pine trees, 6’ to 14’ - All sheared and full from top to bottom. Can be used for Landscape or Christmas trees.

300 Meyer Spruce Trees, 3’ to 6’ - Slow growing, sheared and full to the bottom. Makes a great landscape tree.

2000 White Spruce Trees, 6’ to 16’ - All sheared. Can be used for Landscape trees or Christmas Trees.

TAYLOR TREE FARMS E-mail johnrklecker@gmail.com Cell 416-458-9289

MACUTO NURSERIES Experienced farm workers required to perform manual work. Hand cultivating, digging and tree planting. Hourly rate $11.25.

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

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE TAYLOR TREE FARM Solo Mist Sprayer – Will fog 40’ per pass.

Good for orchards, Christmas Trees, nursery trees, and grape vines.

Mitchel Christmas Tree drilling system for stands.

50, 42 Gal Grower Containers c/w handlesbrand new. Can be used for container trees or irrigation.

44cm Timms biodegradable weed prevention discs 2 cases Sajie Tree trimmers – Gas/ for shearing conifer trees. One operator can shear approx. 3000 trees per day.

Howey Tree Shaker – Model 150A Heavy duty - 4HP gas engine.

48” Seaforth Finishing Mower - Can be used for lawn or grass in rows. PTO. Portable Propane Infrared Heater Jet Spray Hot Chocolate Machines - In good working condition. (2) 90 Cup Coffee Makers (4) SS - 60 cup thermos Pizza Pal – Electric oven TAYLOR TREE FARMS E-mail johnrklecker@gmail.com Cell 416-458-9289

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES LOST HORIZONS PERENNIALS NURSERY Renowned throughout Southern Ontario and beyond as THE go-to source for rare perennials - over 3,000 varieties in-stock.

5.5 acres including 2.5 acre public display gardens and upgraded heritage residence.

Original owner will assist in the transition.

For details, visit prosper.ca or call Steve Dawkins, Broker, RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. (Guelph) 1.855.95.REMAX

ADVERTISERS

Canadian Landscape Standard

The benchmark standard for industry stakeholders

To purchase, visit csla-aapc.ca/standard

26 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO OCTOBER 2016

Arborjet, Inc. Braun Nursery Limited Connon Nurseries/CBV Holdings Inc. Connon Nurseries/NVK Holdings Inc. G & L Group (Draglam Salt) Glenwood Tree Service Great Lakes Wood Products Inc. Halton Autolease Inc. John Deere Dealers Kobes Nurseries Inc. Ledex Industries Legends Landscape Supply Inc. M Putzer Hornby Nursery Ltd. Metal Pless Inc. Newroads National Leasing Potters Road Nursery Inc. Sipkens Nurseries Ltd. South Oakville Chrysler Fiat Stam Nurseries Timm Enterprises Ltd. Uxbridge Nurseries Limited 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.draglamsalt.com 416-798-7050 www.glenwoodtree.ca 905-855-8711 www.glwp.ca 877-266-0636 www.haltonautolease.com 877-837-5674 www.johndeere.ca www.kobesnurseries.com 905-263-8814 www.ledexindustries.ca 905-844-2229 www.landscapestore.ca 905-336-3369 www.putzernursery.com 905-878-7226 www.metalpless.com 866-362-1688 www.newroadsleasing.com 416-587-1021 www.pottersroadnursery.com 519-688-0437 www.sipkensnurseries.com 866-843-0438 www.southoakvillechrysler.com 905-845-6653 www.stamnurseries.com 519-424-3350 www.timmenterprises.com 800-769-8466 www.uxbridgenurseries.com 877-655-3379 www.wajaxequipment.com 877-469-2529

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PUSH THOSE LIMITS You don’t become one of the world’s top equipment manufacturers by mistake. Focusing on and pushing the evolution of design gets you there. Advanced safety ratings, lofty cabs, 270° visibility, better serviceability and lower fuel consumption, take the wheel of a JCB skid steer and experience it first hand.

Visit us online to find your nearest Wajax dealer.

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