LO this week: January 26, 2011

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

Durham Chapter meeting, Feb. 1
Join
the Durham chapter at 10 a.m. to hear a representative from Landscape Management Network
discuss business, and getting started with spring rate cards. The meeting will take place at the Holiday Inn, 1011 Bloor Street East, Oshawa. For more
information on the meeting, contact Helen Hassard at 1-800-265-5656,
ext. 354, or helen@landscapeontario.com.

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

LO’s annual snow day, Feb. 11
Enjoy a day on the slopes with the Georgian Lakelands and Toronto Chapter Annual Snow Day. The event will take place on the hills of Alpine Ski Club in Collingwood. Each year everyone raves what a great time they had at the snow day. To register, or for more information, contact Lexi Dearborn.

Georgian Lakelands Chapter meeting, Feb. 16
Join us for this daytime chapter meeting at Innisbrook Golf Course, 2957 Lockhart Road, Barrie. Ensuring the safety of
those who work or live in the vicinity of underground facilities and
protecting vital services is everyone’s responsibility. Our featured speaker from Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA) will discuss Damage Prevention/Dig Safe – Safe Digging Practices. Safety is and should be involved in all of our activities. Networking and registration starts at 1 p.m. with coffee, tea, and snacks served. There will be a cash bar. To register for this daytime meeting, contact lexi@landscapeontario.com, or 1-800-265-5656, ext. 2317.

Check out Georgian Lakelands Facebook Page.

Golden Horseshoe Chapter this week

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

Jeffrey Scott to speak at Networking Dinner, Feb. 1

Join
the Waterloo Chapter for a networking dinner with Jeffrey Scott, an internationally-known
author and consultant to the green industry. The event
starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Charcoal Steak House, 92980 King Street
East, Kitchener. During dinner you will enjoy getting to know other
like-minded contractors, hearing and sharing success stories and gaining
inspiration. In addition, Jeffrey Scott will give each attendee a
complimentary copy of his new book on peer groups, entitled The Leader’s Edge.
Cost is $85 per person and space is limited to the first 20 landscape
businesses who sign up. For more information, contact Dave Wright at
519-465-4845, or davew@wright.on.ca or pay online

Golden Horseshoe Chapter meeting, Feb. 24
Join
the Golden Horseshoe Chapter on Thurs., Feb. 24 from 10 – 2 p.m. This
lunch meeting will feature the Ontario Regional Common Grounds
Association that will present information on locates. Watch horttrades.com for updates, including the location of the meeting. Contact Helen Hassard at Helen@landscapeontario.com for more
information.

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.

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

London Chapter meeting, Feb. 8
Join the chapter at the Lamplighter Inn, Royal Palm Room, 591 Wellington Rd. S., London, for a buffet lunch at 12 noon, followed by a seminar
on website development, and taking perfect pictures to showcase your business. Cost is $25 per person, with lunch included. Our meeting sponsor is Landscape Safety. Pre-registration
is required. For more information, or to register, contact Wendy Harry at
519-488-0818, or 1-888-211-5606, ext. 2356, or wharry@landscapeontario.com.

Job Fair, Feb. 16
Landscape Ontario members from the London Chapter are invited to take part in the annual Future Employment
Ontario Job Fair. This event is being held Feb. 16 at the Carousel Room of the Western Fair in London, Ont., from 9:30 a.m. to 12-noon. For more information, contact Emilie Pilon-David at 519-850-2236, ext. 242, or emilie@acfo-ls.org.

Ottawa Chapter this week

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

Register now for Green Trade Expo, Feb. 16

Three weeks left to register for Eastern Ontario’s premiere landscape
industry networking and learning day. Free admission; learn about the
latest industry developments; network with industry colleagues; take in
the free educational seminars; limited seating to attend the profit
builder’s luncheon with Hockey Hall of Fame coach Brian Kilrea and MTO
snow contractors breakfast. Click here to register. Limited booth spaces and sponsorships available. For more information, go to www.greentrade.ca, or contact Martha.

Winter seminars begin Feb. 1
Check out the Ottawa Chapter Winter course schedule here.

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

When native plants are not the answer

Native plants are touted for their
drought tolerance and pest- and disease-resistance. But
are they always the best choice? Belinda Gallagher, former head of horticulture at the Royal Botanical Gardens,
will discuss the definition of native, what provenance means, how to choose the right native plant and when NOT to plant natives. The
hot debate between native and non-native plants is heating up, and writers and conservationists are coming
forward with their opinions. Don’t miss this presentation, which takes place on Jan. 27 at the Toronto Botanical Garden at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Admission is $20; free to TBG members.

Jeffrey Scott to speak at Networking Dinner, Feb. 1
Join
the Waterloo Chapter for a networking dinner with Jeffrey Scott, an internationally-known
author and consultant to the green industry. The event
starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Charcoal Steak House, 92980 King Street
East, Kitchener. During dinner you will enjoy getting to know other
like-minded contractors, hearing and sharing success stories and gaining
inspiration. In addition, Jeffrey Scott will give each attendee a
complimentary copy of his new book on peer groups, entitled The Leader’s Edge.
Cost is $85 per person and space is limited to the first 20 landscape
businesses who sign up. For more information, contact Dave Wright at
519-465-4845, or davew@wright.on.ca or pay online.

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

Upper Canada Chapter meeting, Feb. 9
Join
the Upper Canada chapter for a daytime meeting at Strathcona Paper Centre, Napanee, starting at 2 p.m., to
hear from Fred Young, Workplace Safety and Prevention Services. It’s a must-attend event for all members who want to learn about the latest requirements for compliance with the multitude of Acts and regulations,and are looking to set up training systems and focus on safety at the workplace. Don’t let complacency or ignorance cost your business or, more importantly, jeopardise your employees’ safety. For more information, contact Helen Hassard at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 354 or helen@landscapeontario.com.

Register now for GreenTrade Expo, Feb. 16


Three weeks left to register for Eastern Ontario’s premiere landscape
industry networking and learning day. Free admission; learn about the
latest industry developments; network with industry colleagues; take in
the free educational seminars; limited seating to attend the profit
builder’s luncheon with Hockey Hall of Fame coach Brian Kilrea and MTO
snow contractors breakfast. Click here to register. Limited booth spaces and sponsorships available. For more information, go to www.greentrade.ca, or contact Martha.

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

Planning meeting for Regional Skills, Jan. 27

Jeffrey Scott to speak at Networking Dinner, Feb. 1
Join the Waterloo Chapter for a networking dinner with Jeffrey Scott, an internationally-known author and consultant to the green industry. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Charcoal Steak House, 92980 King Street East, Kitchener. During dinner you will enjoy getting to know other like-minded contractors, hearing and sharing success stories and gaining inspiration. In addition, Jeffrey Scott will give each attendee a complimentary copy of his new book on peer groups, entitled The Leader’s Edge. Cost is $85 per person and space is limited to the first 20 landscape businesses who sign up. For more information, contact Dave Wright at 519-465-4845, or davew@wright.on.ca or pay online.

Waterloo Chapter meeting, Feb. 2
Grow Your Sales Faster with More Certainty. In these tough times where
profits are uncertain and competition is everywhere, you need a new
approach to ensure stronger sustainable growth. Join the Waterloo
chapter from 7 – 9 p.m., as they welcome Jeffrey Scott, landscape business
consultant and author of The Referral Advantage, who will share his 15
powerful tools to implement growth. For more information, contact Helen Hassard at
1-800-265-5656, ext. 354, or helen@landscapeontario.com.

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

Windsor Chapter meeting, Jan. 27
Join
the
Windsor Chapter at the Dominion Golf Course, 6125 Howard Avenue, in
Lasalle, from 12 to 3 p.m. for a presentation by John Lavoie of Unilock
on hardscapes. Lunch is included. For more information contact Helen
Hassard at helen@landscapeontario.com.

Employer Day, Feb. 23
The St. Clair College Landscape Horticulture Club is hosting
Employer Day on Wed., Feb. 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Landscape Ontario member companies are invited to participate in order to help fill any
employment needs and to also help the students with their own
employment decisions. Students will come prepared with resumes and
questions and employers will be asked to give a brief overview of their
operations. If you are interested in attending, please contact Jay
Terryberry at 519-972-2727, ext. 2874, or jterryberry@stclaircollege.ca before
Feb. 17. There is free parking and refreshments.

LO this week

CLP certification course begins Saturday
Humber College, in
partnership with Landscape Ontario
and the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, is offering a green industry business management course, based on the six required modules to achieve CLP certification. The course will be offered in a
flexible delivery format involving in-class and online learning activities. In-class sessions are scheduled for three Saturdays, starting Jan. 22, and continuing Feb 5 and 19. A review session will be held on Feb 26.
Participants may write the CLP exam following the review session. Registration and information can be found by going to the
Humber College website.

Free safety training opportunity
Safety
trainer LandscapeSafety.com is offering each LO member a free,
comprehensive online training program for one employee. Participants may
choose from any or all of 23 online training modules, including WHMIS.
To sign up, visit http://www.landscapesafety.com/lo.php.

Growers’ Group Short Course, Feb. 9
The annual LO Growers Group Short Course will take place at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington. The program will focus on important production
issues, including weed management, effective IPM strategies and lots of
research updates. This year’s featured speaker is Charles Gilliam from
Auburn University. Pre-registration price is $65 for LO members, $75 for
potential members and $25 for students. On-site registration is $90.
Online registration is available here.

Garden Tourism Conference in Toronto
The second Canadian Garden Tourism Conference, with the theme of 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.


Green Infrastructure Ontario survey
The Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition questionnaire is part of an effort to
gauge green infrastructure challenges and opportunities in communities across Ontario. Through a
survey, the group, of which Landscape Ontario
is a partner, hopes to learn what’s
working, barriers faced, and what needs to change. Results will be presented at community
workshops and incorporated into a public report, scheduled for release in fall
2011. The questionnaire takes ten minutes or less to complete, and is submitted
anonymously. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 4.

Foundation raffle will help industry
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 were
printed. The draw will take place at
Industry Night at Canada Blooms on Thurs., Mar. 17. All proceeds to
go to scholarships and research projects. Contact Kathleen Pugliese to purchase tickets.

Professional development seminars
Quit hoping for Profit: Plan on it Jan. 31
Chiseled
in Stone-Inter Jan. 31
Keep
your Engines Running Jan. 31
The
Hardy Woody Plant Jan. 31
Plant
Doctor in the House Jan. 31

Trees and Shrubs: Establishment & Maintenance from the Ground Up Feb. 2

Getting Started in Concrete Feb. 3

Intro to Grading/Drainage & Other Practical Calculations Feb. 3

Ultimate Supervisors: A Foreman’s Guide to Productivity & Profit Feb. 3

Retaining Walls from the Ground Up Feb. 4

How to Utilize Dynascape Feb. 4

Quit hoping for Profit: Plan for it Feb. 7

Times of Transition: Succession Planning, Family Dynamics & Multiple Generations at Work Feb. 7

Paving your way to Perfect Interlock Feb. 7

First Aid and Level A CPR Feb. 9

ECO-Logic:How to Use it naturally in the Landscape Feb. 9

Flagstone Fundamentals Feb. 10

Landscape Design – Above and Beyond Feb. 10

Estimating to Win Feb. 10

Perennials = Sustainability Feb. 11
Ready, Set, Go! Feb. 11

Growing Gretzkys: How to Find & Develop Superstars Feb. 11

To register or get more information, click seminars.

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.

Professional organic horticulture course
An
intensive two-week course, Feb. 7 to 18, at Humber College, North Campus, Toronto, is
being offered on organic horticultural practices. Directed at educators
and landscape professionals, the course is offered
by Gaia College, in partnership with Humber College. Participants will
have the opportunity to write the SOUL organic certification exam at the
completion of the program. Registration instructions may be found here.

Ontario Turfgrass Symposium, Feb. 23-24
Rozanski Hall, University of Guelph, is the site for the 20th annual Ontario Turfgrass Symposium. Speakers from both industry and academia will provide information pertaining to the symposium’s theme, ‘On the Cutting Edge.’ Sports and recreation staff, lawn care, golf course workers and nursery sod growers will benefit from the many sessions, including pest and disease controls to safety and liability issues in turf environments. Registration for the symposium is available at Symposium, or call 519-767-5000 for more information.

Lighting Symposium, Feb. 24
At this year’s Landscape Lighting Symposium, internationally-known designer Jan Moyer will speak on LEDs, and George Gruel will address how to
properly shoot photographs of night lighting projects. Last year, the symposium sold out, so it has moved to the larger Grand Chalet venue in Milton. Hurry and register today! Click here to view flyer.

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.

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.

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