Durham this week: Feb. 1, 2012

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

Durham chapter meeting, Feb. 7
This event will feature Rory Sheehan, a highly
sought-after speaker specializing in conversational sales. He will
teach the non-traditional sales approach to increase
the likelihood of making a sale. This meeting begins at 10 a.m. at Quality Suites Hotel, Bloor St., Oshawa. Please rsvp by contacting Helen Hassard at
1-800-265-5656, ext. 354, or hhassard@landscapeontario.com.

Seminar preps you for Landscape Industry Certified Manager exams

Improve your profitability, professionalism, productivity and people by becoming a Landscape Industry Certified Manager. Direct Landscape Supply, 935 Bloor St. E., Oshawa, hosts two seminars on Feb. 16 that will prepare you to write two modules of the LIC Manager exam. The first session covers risk management,
contract law and business structures and the second part
of the day looks at pricing strategies, market research, promotion,
competitive bidding, contract negotiation, as well as customer service
and effective communication. Visit www.clp.canadanursery.com, or call 1-888-446-3499 for more details
regarding cost and exam registration.

Corporate Financial Management seminar, Feb. 17 

Monitoring and guiding financial performance is key to the success of
any business, regardless of its size. Completing this seminar 
will guide
you towards a clearer basic understanding of how to utilize and
understand financial statements for smarter fiscal management, and will
alleviate some of the frustrations that can accompany managing
financials. This seminar will be held at Direct Landscape Supply, 935 Bloor St. E., Oshawa,
from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., and prepares you to write the financial module to become a Landscape Industry Certified Manager. Visit
www.clp.canadanursery.com, or call 1-888-446-3499 for more details
regarding cost and exam registration.

Seminars offered in Durham.

LO this week

Growers Group annual short course, Feb. 8
The annual LO Growers Group short course moves back to the Legion in Guelph. Over 12 speakers will make short presentations about current nursery management practices and research updates. Download a faxable registration form here. Pre-registration pricing is $65 for members, $75 for potential members and $25 for students. Onsite registration is $90.

HR Toolkit for green industry companies now online
Landscape Ontario is offering a new human resources tool for green industry employers, available free at HRtoolkit.
The online resource includes over 100 pages of information, including a
policy and procedures manual, along with recruitment and retention
tools, to help employers hire staff effectively and keep them engaged.
The HR tool kit can be downloaded in its entirety or in sections, for
customization based on your needs.

Better Illumination For Outdoor Living: Feb. 16 Lighting Conference
This year’s landscape lighting conference features keynote speaker Doug Alderman from Palm Harbour, Fla., in an interactive session discussing the history
of light from torches and candles, to the invention of the incandescent light
bulb, to solid-state lighting and LEDs of today.  Using references and demonstrations,
participants will come to truly discover light, time’s swiftest traveler which
teaches us look at the body first, then the aesthetics. Meet with lighting suppliers and learn about the newest techniques and technologies. The conference has moved to Pipers Heath Golf Club on Trafalgar Rd., in Milton. $90 per member until Feb. 9 when pricing goes up to $110.  For more information or to register, visit Lighting Conference.

Building Your Prosperity, Feb. 16
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 4 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.

Contractors lecture series returns to TBG, Feb. 22

The annual Landscape Contractor Lecture series, presented by Landscape
Ontario, returns to the Toronto Botanical Garden. Featured speakers are Haig
Seferian and Terry McGlade.
Registration begins at 6 p.m. McGlade will present a retrospective of
memorable projects, while Seferian will present projects from a
landscape architect’s point of view. There is no cost to register for
this event, but an rsvp to Kathleen Pugliese is appreciated,
1-800-265-5656, ext. 209, kpugliese@landscapeontario.com.


Special-price Canada Blooms tickets: Great gift for staff and clients

LO members may purchase special bar-coded Canada Blooms tickets for $12 each; the regular ticket price is $20. Blooms tickets are a thoughtful gift for clients, staff, business associates
and family. The tickets come in packages of 20, and LO members will be
invoiced after the show, only for the tickets that were presented at  the event. Ticket packages are available by downloading an order form, or from Kathleen
Pugliese at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 309, or kpugliese@landscapeontario.com.

Landscape Industry Certified dates announced
Are you Landscape Industry Certified? The 2012 Ontario Certification dates are now available by visiting horttrades.com/landscape-industry-certified.

Winter seminar series

Skid-Steer Certification Training, Feb. 6. Individuals who want to learn how to operate a skid steer safely and
correctly should attend this seminar. It will include instruction on
basic operator safety, inspection, and equipment characteristics in
accordance with applicable OSHA regulations and equipment manufacturers’
guidance. Each participant will receive classroom evaluation and
demonstrate proficiency in a simulated job-site environment.
Participants are required to bring (PPE) Personal Protection Equipment,
work boots, gloves etc. for this seminar. Note: This seminar is offered in
other Chapters see www.horttrades.com/seminars for more details.
For other professional development opportunities, go to seminars for more details.

Learn about rainwater harvesting systems, Feb. 9

A one-day course at Earth Rangers Centre for Sustainable Technology,
9520 Pine Valley Drive, Woodbridge, will focus on the regulatory and
technical aspects of rainwater harvesting systems for residential,
industrial and commercial buildings. Technical aspects
discussed include rainwater catchment and conveyance, tank selection and
sizing, rainwater treatment, water system and backflow prevention, and
handling overflows from rainwater storage tanks. The course runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For further details, and to
register visit rainwater harvesting.

Enforcement blitz and seminars on MSDs
According to the Ministry of Labour (MOL), musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
are still the number-one cause of lost-time injuries in Ontario. To help
end the problem, MOL is conducting an enforcement blitz on MSDs in
February. The Infrastructure Health and Safety Association is hosting
five half-day seminars across the province to help people take practical
steps to reduce MSDs in their workplaces and prepare for the upcoming
MOL blitz. To learn more about the seminars, or to register for one in
your area, go to MSD.

C. buxicola reported in Canada

Cylindrocladium buxicola (also known as C. pseudonaviculatum) and
commonly known as box blight or boxwood leaf drop is a fungus that has
been reported to occur on all Buxus species and cultivars. C. buxicola
has been a serious pest of boxwood in the U.K., Europe and New Zealand
since the mid-1990s. On Jan. 6, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
confirmed a positive find of Cylindrocladium buxicola at a B.C. nursery.
CFIA will conduct further surveys to determine the possible spread of
this disease throughout the rest of Canada. As an immediate
precautionary measure, all growers are advised to be very aware of their
sources of incoming boxwood shipments. More info at www.horttrades.com.

Stormwater management and erosion control focus of new conference
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the Great Lakes Chapter of
the International Erosion Control Association Conference are co-hosting
the first annual TRIECA Conference on Mar. 27 and 28, at the
International Centre in Mississauga. Organizers anticipate it will be a
great event for networking and educating industry professionals. Any LO members interested in
participating as a sponsor or an exhibitor at the conference can find
more information, or register at TRIECA, or
contact Patricia Lewis, project manager, at 289-268-3903.

Permacon Innovation Tour 2012

Permacon has announced the dates for its Innovation Tour 2012 seminars:
Feb. 28 at the Hamilton Convention Centre, 1 Summer’s Lane, Hamilton,
and Mar. 1 at Le Parc, 8432 Leslie Street, Thornhill. The events include
educational seminars on Landscaping Challenges by Rob Vogel, and Social
Media by Frank Ferragine. The seminars are free of charge and also
include product workshops, lunch, gifts, a mini-trade show and even a
chance at a door prize. For more info go to Innovation Tour 2012.

Garden Centre training, Feb. 18-19

The Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington is offering a mixture of
hands-on practical and classroom theory-based knowledge to give novice
employees the training to provide excellent customer service, while
properly caring for living merchandise. The goal is to increase the
level of knowledge and customer service in your retail garden centre to
maximize your sales and profits. The two-day program, each day from 9:30
a.m. to 4 p.m., is designed for garden centre and nursery employees.
Experienced professional horticulturalists Jim Lounsbery and Rodger
Tschanz instruct the program, covering topics such as plant basics,
nomenclature, annuals and perennials, soils, insects and diseases,
pruning and much more. For more info, or to register, go to Garden
Centre training.

Airblast 101 Workshop Series

Starting Feb. 27, four airblast workshops conducted by Jason Deveau of
OMAFRA will begin at the first of four Ontario locations. Growers are
invited to take part in one of the interactive
classroom workshops that will include hands-on demonstrations and
dialogue with an experienced airblast technician who will provide tips
on airblast sprayer calibration, maintenance and how to adjust your
sprayer to match your specific crops. Space is limited. To register call
Nancy at 416-622-9771. The $20 workshop fee is paid at door. To see
which
workshop is closest to you, go to airblast workshops.

MOL releases blitz data
The Ministry of Labour has released data on its blitz that took place
from Aug. 1 to 31, 2011 of hazards involving all types of access
equipment at Ontario construction sites. Ministry of Labour inspectors
checked on compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA)
and its regulations. The blitz focused on the appropriate selection of
access equipment and its safe and proper use.

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