Golden Horseshoe this week: February 16, 2011

Golden Horseshoe Chapter this week

Add the Golden Horseshoe Chapter page and the LO events calendar to your bookmarks

Golden Horseshoe Chapter meeting, Feb. 24
Don’t let a small mistake cost you your business or your life! Get
educated on utility locates at the Golden Horseshoe Chapter meeting on Thurs.,
Feb. 24, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. This lunch meeting will feature the Ontario
Regional Common Grounds Alliance. The meeting will take place at Copetown Community Center, 1950 Governors Rd., Copetown. Contact Helen Hassard at Helen@landscapeontario.com for more
information.

Safety essentials for foremen, Feb. 24

This program is designed to teach supervisors, safety committee members
and representatives of organizations their responsibilities under the
Occupational Health and Safety Act. It will take place at Copetown
Community Centre, 1950 Hwy. 99 Rd., Copetown, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. Participants will examine regulations that pertain specifically to
landscaping-maintenance and construction. In addition to this,
participants will examine their organization’s health and safety
standards in relation to the legislation. Lunch is included in the $221
cost.
For more information, or to register, go to Seminars. 

First aid with Level ‘A’ CPR, Mar. 4 and 5

A two-day practical first aid course at Copetown Community Centre, 1950
Hwy. 99 Rd., Copetown, meets WSIB requirements and prepares participants
to administer first aid for common landscape injuries. Every landscape
crew must have a member with first aid training to assist injured
workers. Participants must bring a blanket. The course begins at 8:30
a.m. and runs to 4:30 p.m., both days. Cost to LO members is $150, and
for non-members, it is $220. Lunch is not included in this event. For
more info, or to register.

Parks and Landscaping Equipment Safety Operations
A workshop to help the competencies
of experienced employees, and set the foundation blocks for
those being introduced to green space maintenance and
management, will take place from Feb. 22 to 25 at Gale Centre Arena, Niagara Falls, Click here for a map and directions. Participants will be introduced to best practices
and learn the skills required for safe operation of small hand tools to
large grass cutting and turf care equipment. Working safely in a parks/municipal environment requires a comprehensive
understanding of the tasks at hand and the equipment designed to
effectively and efficiently perform the work. The course is $881.40 for OPA members, and $1,000.05 for non-members. Click here to register online now.

Permacon Spring Tour 2011

Permacon has announced the dates for its Spring Tour 2011 Seminars. For Golden Horseshoe Chapter members, the closest event is on Mar. 1 at Carmen’s, 1520 Stone Church Rd. East, Hamilton. The program includes educational seminars on
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.

Due diligence training, Mar. 10

What is required from a company to practice due diligence under the law?
A one-day program that is designed for all owners and managers to
jump-start their health and safety program will take place at Copetown
Community Centre, 1950 Hwy. 99 Rd., Copetown, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Participants are encouraged to bring copies of their current programs,
as well as any relevant materials for discussion. Lunch is included in
the cost of $221. For more information, or to register, go to Seminars.

Peel Halton Job Fair, Mar. 30

Employers have the opportunity to recruit and interview potential
candidates on-site at the Peel Halton Job Fair at the International
Centre, Hall Five, 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga. The event begins at
10 a.m. and runs to 4 p.m. The one-day job fair serves the Peel and
Halton regions. For more information, go to Job Fair.

LO this week

Minimum wage remains at $10.25

The Ontario minimum wage rate will remain at $10.25 per hour in 2011.
Ontario still has the highest provincial minimum wage in Canada. The
Ontario minimum wage has increased by 50 per cent with annual increases
in the last seven years. This fall, the provincial government has
promised to appoint a committee, representing both business and workers,
to provide advice on the minimum wage in advance of the 2012 budget. Find Ministry of Labour minimum wage info here.

Green Roof seminars next week

Now is your chance to take advantage of two seminars next week that will
provide green roof accreditation. Green Roof Design 101: Introductory
Course will take place on Feb. 22, while Green Roof Implementation 201
will be held on Feb. 23. The courses are presented by Green Roofs for
Healthy Cities (North America). Each course will take place at the LO
office in Milton, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To find out more, or to register
for the introductory course go to Feb. 22, and to take Implementation 201, go to Feb. 23.

Video reveals Greening Ontario Highways project
A video produced by Vineland Research and Innovation Centre shows how
Landscape Ontario, local nurseries, horticultural suppliers, the
Ministry of Transportation and Vineland are collaborating with Ohio
State University on an initiative that will re-forest areas along
Ontario highways. To see the video go to Greening Ontario Highways.

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.

Building your Prosperity seminar, Feb. 17
The
introductory Prosperity Partnership seminar will get you started on to
the road of success. The next program is scheduled for Landscape Ontario
home office at 7856 Fifth Line South, Milton. It is intended to help
green industry members clarify what they excel at and what components of
their business need attention and improvement. A seminar workbook will
be provided. Take this online survey, to measure your strengths and weaknesses in the six Prosperity pillars. Click here for more information, or to register.

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.

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.