London this week: Sept. 14, 2011

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

Funds from golf tournament help Goderich
The London Chapter’s joint donation, with funds raised at its annual golf
tournament and Echo Equipment Canada, saw $1,400 go to the Goderich
Relief Fund. The tournament was blessed with beautiful weather for the
over 130 golfers who enjoyed a break from the every-day. A thank-you to
the golf committee for organizing this event, and we look forward to
more golfers joining us next year. Also, huge thank-you goes to all of
the sponsors of London Chapter’s annual golf tournament, as well as our
major sponsors, Bobcat of London, Agrium Advanced Technologies, Unilock
Concrete Products, Stihl Limited and Echo Power Equipment Canada.

Parkway project receives green light

The London Building and Natural Environment Committee passed a
recommendation for approval which will be presented to the City Council
on Sept. 19, and according to Barry Sandler, program manager, is
expected to pass. The committee approved an agreement with Landscape
Ontario that will see millions of dollars of new plantings along
Veterans Memorial Parkway, in exchange for $155,000 from the City of
London. Scheduled planting begins on Oct. 1, at 8:30 a.m., rain or shine. The assembly point is the
parking lot at Trojan UV. For
more information, go to www.vmpcp.ca.

Certification testing cancelled
Landscape Industry Certified tests at St. Clair College on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 have been canceled. For more information, contact Rachel Cerelli.

Fanshawe College hosts written certification evaluation
There will be a written evaluation opportunity for all Landscape Industry Certified designations at Fanshawe College on Nov. 5. Technicians, this was created to complement your out-of-town practical exams held in Milton last July, or coming up in Milton Oct. 24 and at St. Clair College on Sept. 30. Click here for more information or to register, or contact Rachel Cerellli.

LO this week

Fall Equipment Show this Thursday
This equipment show runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and features exciting new products and popular snow removal equipment and technology – held at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex on Sept. 15.
Trade show admission is free, and sessions and lunch cost $40 per person. Register at www.fallequipmentshow.com, or at the door.

National Tree Day, Sept. 21

With Ontario students back in school, now is time to act for National
Tree Day. What better way to get youth interested in a career in
landscape horticulture, than bringing the classroom outside and showing how to plant and care for a tree along with the many environmental
benefits the tree has to offer over its lifespan? There is a toolkit for everything you need for a tree planting ceremony at a school
on CNLA’s website. A number of Ontario school districts have expressed interest in participating in
National Tree Day, York, Halton, Simcoe, and Ottawa-Carleton and the Town of Orangeville. Any Landscape Ontario members in those regions interested
in planting a tree, should contact Joe Salemi at the
CNLA office joseph@canadanursery.com, or 1-888-446-3499, ext. 8620, or check the CNLA website for specific schools and contact people in your area.

Special strategy meeting for garden centre owners, Sept. 21
A special meeting is scheduled for Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for
garden centre owners. Sponsored by LO’s Garden Centre Sector Group, the
meeting on challenges and strategies for retailers will take place at the Milton home office. Renowned business
growth specialist Judith Guido will facilitate the session. There are only 30 spaces left at this free meeting.

Email your confirmation to tonydigiovanni@landscapeontario.com as soon as possible, so we can order food.

Vineland open house highlights
innovation, Sept. 22

Vineland
Innovation and Research Centre is holding an open house to show
the latest science and technology innovations for the horticulture
industry. The event will feature Glen Hodgson, Chief economist for
the Conference Board of Canada, Mark Cullen, chair of the Centre for
Horticultural Research and Innovation, and Dr. Jim Brandle, ceo of the
Vineland Centre. Organizers ask that attendees rsvp by Sept. 16, to
Kathryn Goodish at 905-562-0320, or
kathryn.goodish@vinelandresearch.com.

Sheridan hosts farm tour,
Sept. 23

Sheridan Nurseries is hosting a farm tour at its
Georgetown location, 12302 Tenth Line, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The tour
will highlight the expansion of Sheridan’s new varieties program, growing
techniques, pot-in-pot container trees, state of the art water recapture
and retention system, and much more. For more information, contact
b2b@sheridannurseries.com.

Oakville hosts Sports Turf
Association’s Field Day, Sept. 22

The 24th Annual Sports Turf Association’s Field Day is set for
Oakville’s Glen Abbey Community Centre, 1415 Third Line. Educational
sessions will include water conservation and irrigation control, weeds
be gone, fertility and fertilizer technologies. The speaker roster
includes Rob Cook, Rain Bird Canada Services; Pam Charbonneau, OMAFRA;
Dr. Eric Lyons, University of Guelph, and Constable Carla Draper, Halton
Regional Police Service. Three of the four sessions have been
accredited by the IPM Council of Canada for Continuing Education
Credits. To find out more go to
Sports turf day.

Purchasing for sustainable
profit and competitive advantage

George Szewchuk, principal of Szewchuk and Associates, will share his
wisdom on how to ensure that your purchasing function is optimized for
increased and sustainable profit, as well as competitive advantage. The
presentation through SB Partners will take place on Sept 23, from 8 to
10:30 a.m. at Hilton Garden Inn, 85 Syscon Road, Burlington. There is no
charge for the presentation, but seating is limited. To register or learn more about the free information series go to SB Partners.

Close More Sales and have happy clients — breakfast event
Join Rory Sheehan, Positive Strategies, for breakfast while, he gives an interactive presentation
that will cover closing the sale, overcoming objections and how to build
value instead of dropping prices. This networking event will take place during Landscape
Ontario’s Expo 2011, on Thurs., Oct. 20, at 8 a.m.
Register at www.loexpo.ca.

Business best practices offered at fall seminars
Landscape Ontario helps you navigate the path to prosperity with a wide range of practical fall seminars:
NEW! Sales vs. Marketing: What is the Difference? Nov. 7
Chainsaw Training, Nov. 7 and 8
Building Your Prosperity, Nov. 9
CLD- Equipped to Design, Nov. 10
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 & 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

Smart about Salt training opportunity
Take a one-day explanatory course on Smart about Salt, the innovative winter salt management program. Program covers risk management and record keeping, salt science, rates and calibration, materials and tactics, weather principles, storage and handling, and more. Wed., Sept. 28 at Waterloo Region Op’s Centre, 100 Maple Grove Rd., Cambridge.

Annual jazz party helping cancer centre
For the eighth consecutive year, LO member Pathways to Perennials is
hosting its Charity Art and Jazz Garden Party to benefit the Southlake
Regional Cancer Centre. This year’s event is set for Sept. 29, from 6 to
9 p.m. Tickets are $40 each, or $75 per couple. Click here to locate
Pathways to Perennials. Guests can enjoy 11 acres of gardens along with the musical talents
of The Trilogy Jazz Project. International sculptor, Brett Davis will
showcase his latest pieces during a presentation of his European
inspirations. For tickets or more information, call 905-939-8680, or
email angie@pathwaystoperennials.com.

Special Award nominations are open
The Special Awards program is open for nomination until Oct. 3, at 4 p.m. Nominations are accepted in writing; email to awards@landscapeontario.com, in 800 words or less. Include reasons for the nomination, as well as your relationship to the nominee. You may not nominate yourself, or an employee of your company. A list of Special Awards can be found at www.loawards.com.

Take the LIEP! — Landscape
Industry Executive Program
The Landscape Industry Executive Program (LIEP) is a professional
business management program developed for our green industry,
specifically for executives, managers, and owner-operators who want to
reach a heightened level of excellence in their businesses.
Registrations encouraged by Sept 20th. Space limited to the first 20
applicants. It is designed for the landscape, nursery and retail
garden centre sectors in Canada. Module 1 will be offered Nov. 1-5 in Niagara Falls; space is limited to the first 20 qualified
registrants. For complete information on dates, cost, program
curriculum, instructor profiles and registration details go to executive program.

Garden centre survey is
important

A few weeks ago Tony DiGiovanni distributed a survey seeking information to
determine average plant losses this year, and what caused them. Since then,
only 28 responses out of 229 garden centres were received. This friendly
reminder is hoping more centres will click on the survey link and
answer a few questions. The result will be useful information from a
benchmarking perspective to see how you are doing with respect to
others.

Greenbuild International Conference in Toronto
For the first time ever, Greenbuild International Conference and Expo
will hold its annual convention outside the U.S. The Metro
Toronto Convention Centre will house the event Oct. 4-7. The latest innovations in
green building will be showcased. To find
out more about the conference and exhibition go to Greenbuild. To view a slide presentation of green buildings go to Buildings.

Chainsaw training, Nov. 7-8

A two-day seminar on chainsaw safety meets the Ministry of Labour
requirements that all landscapers using chainsaws on the job be trained
on safe operation. Both classroom and outdoor instruction will take
place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., both days, at Allgreen Tree Service, 155
Union St., Elimira. For more details and to register, go to chainsaw
safety.

Argos offer discount to LO members
The Toronto Argonauts have created a discount offer for Landscape
Ontario members. Various price levels are available. To see more info on
the program, or to order ticks go to
Argonauts.

Attend Conversations on Design
Landscape architect Chris Clayton
will host four Wednesday evening events entitled Four Conversations on Design. Plan to attend Oct. 5, 12, 19 and 26, at Clayton’s home near the Lawrence subway stop, a five-minute drive from the 401.
The cost to participants is only $10 per evening. The event is suitable
for recent college or university graduates, as well as young garden
designers. Each evening is likely to span about three hours.
For more information, contact cjclayton@sympatico.ca.