Ottawa this week: Nov. 9, 2011

Ottawa Chapter this week

Add the Ottawa Chapter page and the LO events calendar to your bookmarks

Volunteers
help at Day of Tribute

Great appreciation goes out to all the members and their staff,
especially committee chair Sharon Rouette-Urquhart, who volunteered in
this year’s annual Day of Tribute. Sponsors were Bradley’s Insurance and
Norleans Technologies; with product providers Weed Man, OJ Company,
Green Unlimited, Greenspace Services — Ottawa, Peter Knippel Nursery, Ritchie Feed and
Seed, and Peter Smit and Sons. Special thanks to member companies for
participating: Green Unlimited, Bradley’s Insurance, Geosynthetic
Systems, Clintar — Ottawa, Lafleur de la Capitale, Weedman, Hirsig
Landscapes and Peter Smit and Sons. Your work ensured the success of
the day when we honour those who have given us so much. Check out
photos from the day available on the Chapter’s Facebook page.

Chapter maintains Cancer Survivors Park
The final fall maintenance work of the Cancer Survivors Park in Ottawa
took place on Nov. 1. Huge thanks go to volunteers from Hansen Lawn and
Gardens, Clintar — Ottawa, Lafleur de la Capitale, and Horticare
Landscaping. Thanks also to members who maintained the park this year:
Horticare Landscaping, Garden Creations, The Professional Gardener,
Clintar Landscape Management, GreenLife, Terrapro, Lindsay Landscape and
Greenscape Watering Systems. Ottawa Chapter will continue to maintain
the park next year. Interested members should contact Ed Hansen, Hansen
Lawn and Gardens. To view photos of the day see the Chapter’s Facebook
page.

Get your employees registered as apprentices now!

Only a few seats still available for the Level 1 Horticulture Technician Apprenticeship program that starts Nov. 14 at The University of Guelph Kemptville Campus. For more information go to www.kemptvillec.uoguelph.ca, or contact Claude Smith, co-ordinator, 613-258-8336, ext. 61358, fax, 613-258-8438, or email.

Ottawa Chapter meeting, Nov. 15

Don’t
forget to register for next week’s Chapter meeting, to hear a great speaker Terry Lussier of
ActionCOACH, present strategies to grow a successful small business. Join fellow members at noon at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 641,
3500 Fallowfield Road, Ottawa. Advance registration gives you a
chance to win one of two pairs of tickets to attend an upcoming 200 level
Ottawa Sens game, as well as two all-inclusive passes to LO Congress, and a
FREE LUNCH, thanks to sponsor Southbank Dodge. For more
information contact Martha
at mwalsh@landscapeontario.com.

Green Trade Expo 2012

Preparations are underway for the 19th annual Green Trade Expo, Eastern
Ontario’s premier green industry event. This year’s Expo will include
MTO contractors’ breakfast, business building, networking and new
products, along with educational opportunities, all under one roof.
Green Trade Expo will take place at the newly constructed CE Centre,
4899 Uplands Drive, Ottawa. Exhibitor applications welcome and
sponsorships are available. Attendee registration opens Fri., Nov. 11. More information may be found at Green Trade Expo.

Winter seminars now online

The new schedule for Ottawa Chapter winter seminars is now available for
viewing and online registration. Opportunities include business
prosperity, social media, irrigation and much more. Safe and secure online registration is available. For more information, contact Martha
Walsh at mwalsh@landscapeontario.com.

Follow us on Twitter

Ottawa Chapter now has its own Twitter account. Follow the tweets on @LndscapONottawa for all the chapter’s activities.

Ottawa Chapter now on Facebook

Join Ottawa Chapter the new Facebook page, where you can get all the most up to date news
and events relevant to the Ottawa Chapter. Don’t forget to LIKE us!

LO this week

Conference line-up announced; registration is open!
Tools for the trade … the Conference at Congress, Jan., 10-12, welcomes many new and exciting presenters.
Featured speakers include Kyle Lacy, Jody Shilan, Ron Koudys, Bill Arman, Jeff Mowatt, Jim Chatfield and many more! See the speakers and sector events in the new 40-page Conference Guide. Now in its 39th year, Landscape Ontario’s premier show
attracts close to 12,000 buyers.
To find out more about the conference and reserve you spots go to Congress 2012

New accessibility standards coming in January

As of Jan. 1, 2012, all employers in Ontario who provide goods and
services must be compliant with Accessibility Standards for Customer
Service issued under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities
Act. Employers will have a legislated obligation accommodate customers
with disabilities. The province has a
website explaining the new rules, while a number of companies are
providing seminars on the issue. Go to seminars to see dates and prices.

Smart
about Salt Essentials Training, Nov. 17

Become a Smart about Salt accredited operator through a training
program that will take place at
LO home office, 7656 Fifth Line, Milton, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30
p.m. Once certification is achieved, a company can promote its operators
as Smart about Salt Accredited. To find out more about the program, or
to register for the Nov. 17 course, go to Smart about Salt.

Integrated Water Management for Buildings
Developed jointly by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities and American Society
of Irrigation Consultants, the Integrated Water Management for
Buildings and Sites course on Nov. 18 will provide technical and economic
information on the design and performance, based on the “Net Zero Water”
concept. This approach promises to significantly reduce the consumption
of potable water in buildings. Tuition is $199, plus HST, and includes a
100-page course manual. For more information, and to register, go to
Integrated Water Management.

Concrete paver installation course, Dec. 5-6
The Interlocking Concrete Paving Institute (ICPI) is holding its Concrete Paver Installation course at the LO home office in Milton. Participants will learn about job planning, estimating, contracts, correct selection and techniques for base preparation and edge restraints and about specialty products. For more information about the two-day seminar, click here, or call the ICPI at 703-657-6900. Download the registration form here. To take advantage of the LO member price, members are asked to contact Kathy McLean.

Fall seminar series

WSIB
Claims Management Tips
The new WSIB Work Reintegration Policies have just been approved, and
most of us are confused over some of the details. This presentation on
WSIB Claims Management Tips, offered Nov. 22 at LO’s Milton home office, will address these new policies and help
provide answers to employees and employers. To receive the special 2012
Safety Group member registration fee ($45 p/p), registrations must be faxed or mailed. For other opportunities to receive professional development, go to seminars for more details.

Rain Gardens, Nov. 17
NEW! Intro Sage Simply Accounting, Nov. 21
NEW! WSIB Claims Management Tips, Nov. 22
NEW! Rapport and Relationship Building, Nov. 23
Risk Management & the Law in Construction: Avoiding Problems and Getting Paid, Nov. 25
Dry Stone Walling 101, Nov. 28 and 29
NEW! Envirobond Certified Installer, Nov. 29
NEW! Close the Sale! Dec.5
Building Your Prosperity, Dec. 7
Great Landscape Contractors, Great Landscape Businesses,Dec. 12 and 13

Building Your Prosperity, Dec. 7
Get started on to the road of success. This program is intended to help
green industry members clarify what they excel at and what components of
their business needs attention and improvement. The seminar will take
place at the LO home office in Milton, from 9 a.m. to 3:30
p.m. The cost to LO members is $115, and non-members is $192. Check out
the online survey, to measure your strengths and weaknesses in the five Prosperity Pillars. To find more information, or to register go to Building Your Prosperity.

Introduction to synthetic turf and maintenance, Nov. 10
Following up on last year’s highly successful professional development opportunity, this repeat session is offered under the leadership and co-ordination of the Parks and Open Space Alliance, and brings together leading industry speakers on the topic of synthetic turf and also provides practical hands-on turf maintenance opportunities. Visit the website for more information.

Irrigation
survey on until Nov. 11

The Irrigation Association is asking members to take part in a survey
seeking input on environmental issues and emerging best practices for
landscape management. Survey findings will help to shape educational
resources to help guide green industry professionals to meet
sustainability needs of urban landscapes. The survey is open until Nov.
11. To complete the online survey, go to environmental issues.

Time to join a Safety Group

The 2012 WSIB/Landscape Ontario Safety Groups Program helps industry firms develop a Ministry
of Labour compliant safety program for their workplaces. Firms will
select five WSIB safety elements at the start of the year, and then
initiate or improve upon them by attending at least three compulsory
meetings. Working with other members, the initiatives are put in place
by the end of the year. Along with an improved safety record, there are
financial benefits in the form of rebates from WSIB. For more details
and to participate in the 2012 program, go to Safety Groups.

Increase traffic to your website, Nov. 17
A free seminar for landscapers, garden care or garden supply companies will discuss how to capture more qualified sales leads through an enhanced website. Participants learn how to dominate page one of Google, Bing and Yahoo! and how to turn website visitors into qualified leads. They will take home a social media toolkit and access to a simple step by step process to set up free brand reputation monitoring. The seminar will be held from 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at WSI Halton, 810 Nippising Rd., Suite 201, Milton. Click here for more information, or to register.