Durham this week: Nov. 9, 2011

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

Oshawa school hosting career fair

On Dec. 6, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Monsignor John Pereyma Catholic Secondary
School in Oshawa will host a career fair for students in grades 9 to 12
(approximately 400 students). The SHSM students in landscaping class
hope to have a representative from the landscape industry book a table
at the fair. If interested in taking part, contact Joan McRae at
Joan.McRae@dcdsb.ca. The school’s address is 316 Conant Street, off
Ritson Road.

Seminars offered in Durham.

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.