Waterloo this week: February 23, 2011

Waterloo Chapter this week
Add the Waterloo Chapter page and the LO events calendar to your bookmarks

Waterloo Chapter meeting, Mar. 2

Join the Waterloo Chapter at the Knights of Columbus, 145 Dearborn
Place, Waterloo, from 7 to 9 p.m. for an informative presentation about
locates by Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA). The Chapter
will also hold its elections for the coming year. For more information,
contact Helen Hassard at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 354, or helen@landscapeontario.com.

Permacon Spring Tour 2011

Permacon

has announced the dates for its Spring Tour 2011 Seminars. For Waterloo
Chapter members, the closest event is on Mar. 1 at Carmen’s, 1520 Stone
Church Rd. East, Hamilton. Educational seminars include
Sustainable Landscaping by Sean James, Pricing and Estimating for Profit
by George Urvari, Proper Installation of Polymeric Sand, Sealers, etc.,
and a keynote speech by Theresa Syer. The day is free of charge and
also includes product workshops, lunch, gifts, a mini trade show and even
a chance at a door prize. Register here.

LO this week

Garden Inspiration 2011: Order your bulk copies!

Once again, Landscape Ontario is producing Garden Inspiration, a
64-page, all-colour magazine, featuring award-winning landscapes and
exciting new plants for 2011. Its unique flip format also features the
Canada Blooms Show Guide. Cartons of 100 can be shipped direct in
mid-March, or picked up at LO home office in Milton. Cost is $67 per
carton delivered, or $54 per carton picked up in Milton, both prices
include tax. Download an order form, or contact Angela Lindsay, alindsay@landscapeontario.com , 647-723-5305.

Survive and thrive in today’s market, Mar. 2

Monroe
Porter, internationally-known business strategy speaker is coming to
Landscape Ontario! Learn to survive and thrive in today’s market in this
program that demonstrates how to establish goals and strategies to keep
pace with the lightning-fast changes in the green industry. Porter will
discuss how to combat shrinking margins, realistic budgeting,
profitable pricing structures, how to identify winning jobs and more.
This seminar takes place on Mar. 2, 1 to 4 p.m., at the LO home office.
Cost is $60 for LO members, and $96 for non-members. For more information, see the flyer. Space is limited to 15: register today at the LO seminar page.

Landscape Lighting Symposium, Feb. 24
Don’t miss your opportunity to attend the second annual Lighting
Symposium. You will learn about
LEDs, how to
properly shoot photographs of your night lighting projects, participate
in round-table discussions and visit the mini-trade show, all in one
building. Last year, the symposium was sold out, resulting in a move this year to
the
larger Grand Chalet venue in Milton. Register here, or view flyer for more information on this popular event.

Last chance to get involved in Canada Blooms garden
For members of Landscape Ontario, it’s the last call to get involved in the Canada Blooms garden build. If you’re interested in getting
involved in this exciting opportunity, contact Kathleen Pugliese.

Industry Canada creates SME benchmarking tool

Industry Canada has created a web page benchmarking tool which provides
background information on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The
program provides access to industry averages for income statement and
balance sheet items, financial ratios and information on profitability
for small- and medium-sized businesses, and features detailed financial
data on more than 600 industries across Canada, including more than 30
performance benchmarks to help small businesses determine how they
measure up to their competitors. To access the page go to
Benchmarking.

NEW employee handbook for garden centres

The Garden Centre Sector Group of Landscape Ontario has created a
template that all business owners can adopt and modify for their
business. This initiative was done to help you create consistency of
behaviour, training and job safety for garden centre employees. The
template is considered a guideline only, and employers are reminded to
make sure they are in compliance with up-to-date legislation. The
handbook template can be downloaded from Landscape Ontario’s website, Employee Handbook.

Ground Maintenance Week Feb. 28

Risk Management and the Law in Construction: Avoiding Problems and Getting Paid Mar. 2

Customer Service: Back to Basics for Extraordinary Success Mar 3

Quit hoping for Profit: Plan for it Mar. 7
CLT—Prep Seminar: Soft and Hardscape Installation Mar. 7

CLT—Prep Seminar: Turf and Ornamental Maintenance Mar. 7

Strategic Planning Mar. 7

Going Greener in the Landscape Industry Mar. 8

CLP-Corp. Financial Management Mar. 8

Building your Prosperity Mar. 9

Human Resource Management, Leadership and Corporate Citizenship Mar. 9

CLP- Risk Contracts and Legal Requirements: Marketing and Sales Management Mar. 10

IPM:The Good, the Bad, the Ugly Mar. 10

Growing Gretzkys:How to Find and Develop Superstars Mar. 10

Improved Grounds Maintenance Mar. 11

Are you confusing your Customers? Mar. 11

To register or get more information, click seminars.

Unilock to hold Spring Contractor seminars

Unilock’s Spring Contractor Seminars will include information on how you
can build your own website effectively with special guest speakers from
WSI, the Dos and Don’ts for Unilock Select Products and a look at
correct aggregates for paving installations, and much more. The seminars are free of charge and
include lunch. There will be ballots for a chance to enter a draw to win
up to $40,000 in landscaping equipment. For dates and locations of
Unilock seminars, visit Unilock, and to register call Marcello @ 905-887-1717, or email Marcello.cantanna@unilock.com.

Garden Tourism Conference in Toronto
The
second Canadian Garden Tourism Conference, themed Blossoming
Partnerships, will take place Mar. 14 and 15, at the Delta Chelsea
Hotel in Toronto. For more information on the event, and to register go
to Garden Tourism Conference.

Support Foundation and win cash
Try your luck in the Ontario Horticultural Trade Foundation raffle, and
help support your industry. Tickets are $20 each; first prize is $5,000,
second is $1,000 and third is $500. Only 1,000 tickets have been
printed. The draw will take place at the 2011 Growers Auction on July
15. You may donate in increments of $20 to get raffle tickets. All proceeds to go to scholarships and research projects. Contact Kathleen Pugliese to purchase tickets.

Order personalized, reusable tote bags by Mar. 18
Reusable tote bags are a great gift for your customers, as well as, an eco-friendly way to promote your business. LO is
offering a chance to order your personalized tote bags and give your company logo visibility. The bags feature your
company logo on one side, and Landscape Ontario’s attractive “Green for
Life” icon on the other! Don’t let your competitors beat you to it! The more members who purchase the bags, the cheaper the cost will be for everyone; price based on quantity ordered! For more information, contact Helen
Hassard at 1-800-265-5656 ext. 354 or Helen@landscapeontario.com

WSIB’s service for clearance certificates is online

The WSIB launched its new electronic clearance certificate program, called eClearance, on Jan. 17. The WSIB says this online service will allow employers to easily check
the validity of a potential contractors’ clearance to avoid any
financial liability when hiring independent operators / contractors. Contractors will be able to obtain an electronic clearance certificate
to verify their WSIB account is in good standing, and both parties will
be able to view clearance status at any time. For more information about clearance certificates, refer to OPM
Doc. No. 14-02-04, Clearance Certificates: Employer Accounts.

Green Roof Boot Camp

A Green Roof Boot Camp is scheduled in Toronto the end of March.
The event is an opportunity to become an Accredited Green Roof
Professional. Location varies by day: Mar. 24, and Mar. 27 at Ted Rogers
School of Management – Ryerson University, 55 Dundas Street West, and
March 25 and Mar. 26 at Oakham House Room A/B, 55 and 63 Gould Street.
Find out more information on the
Boot Camp, or contact training@greenroofs.org

Landscape Industry Certified tests at Canada Blooms

Written tests in all categories of Landscape Industry Certified will
take place at Canada Blooms 2011 on Mar. 17. To register, visit Certification, and email completed registration form to rachel@landscapeontario.com, or fax 905-875-3942. Registration to take the tests closes Mar. 3.

Great Ontario Garden Guide

The Master Gardeners of Ontario, with the help of sponsorship from
Landscape Ontario, have created a brochure on gardening in Ontario. The
Great Ontario Garden Guide is available for the low cost of only $20
per 100 copies. Act now and order some before they are in short
supply. It is expected that this informative brochure will be popular
with your customers. Use it as a sales promotion, goodwill tool, or just
to say, “Thank You.” Contact John Craw at jonbon@bell.net for further details.

Irrigation conference, Mar. 1-3

The three-day Ontario Agricultural Irrigation Conference, at Elm Hurst Inn, Ingersoll, will feature a drip irrigation course, presentations by irrigation experts and assistance with the Permit to Take Water program,
as well as a trade show. New technologies and the latest research developments in the field of agricultural irrigation will be the focus of the conference. To access the poster and registration form, go to Irrigation Conference.

OPA Foundation offers seven scholarships

Ontario Parks Association Foundation Awards Program
Once again, Ontario Parks Association Foundation is offering seven
$2,500 scholarships and bursaries to students completing their first
year in a program related to horticulture, landscaping, parks services,
conservation, or environmental management. To see both information and
registration form, go to scholarships. The deadline for applications is Apr. 29.