Toronto this week: Dec. 21, 2011

Toronto Chapter this week

Landscape Ontario Snow Day, Feb. 10, 2012
Georgian Lakelands Chapter is proud to host Snow Day 2012. Remember the
fun you have when you spend a day skiing or boarding? This winter,
discover it all over again with a great day at Craigleith Ski Club in
Collingwood. Fresh snow, good friends, and a great day at skiing and
boarding. Register for LO Snow day at Congress (Booth E23) you will have
the chance to win your Snow Day Pass! Prices are $95 for adults, $75 for students and $50 for children under 8. Price includes breakfast, lunch, lift ticket, fun race, apres ski snack and prizes. Download registration form here. For more information, contact Lexi Dearborn or Jeff Lee.

Add the Toronto Chapter page and the LO events calendar to your bookmark

LO this week

Congress 2012: Top up your toolbox!
Don’t miss the 39th edition of Congress! See exciting new products and ideas, meet with colleagues and suppliers and attend the conferences. Learn to trim your costs, sharpen your skills and build your professional edge.
Pre-trade show events on Mon., Jan. 9 include IPM Symposium, CLP Study Group and Landscape Designer Conference. Conference sessions run Tues., Jan 10 to 12, with the Irrigation Conference and Luncheon on Wed., Jan. 12. Tailgate Party XVI admission is included with trade show or conference registration. New for 2012, owners-only workshops and lunch roundtables included with conference registration. Register now to avoid line-ups at the door: www.locongress.com.

Park makeover gratefully acknowledged
In just two short days, Dec. 7 and 8, St. James Park in Toronto was
transformed by volunteers from Landscape Ontario, the
Nursery Sod Growers Association and Project EverGreen. The three-acre park, was aerated and amended, mature trees and shrubs
were pruned and mulched and fresh sod laid throughout. Many thanks to to all who donated materials and time. The media attention and acknowledgements have been archived here.

Awards of Excellence ceremony coming: Get inspired!
Don’t miss the 39th Annual Awards of Excellence celebration on
Tues., Jan. 10, at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, 655 Dixon Rd., Toronto. As
always, there will be lots of surprises and great entertainment value!
Meet and mingle with LO President Tom Intven at the President’s wine and cheese reception preceding the ceremony at 4:45 p.m. Purchase
tickets at www.locongress.com or at the door.

Seminars help employers comply with new accessibility standards act
As of January 1, 2012, most private sector employers in Ontario will be required to comply with the accessibility requirements set out in the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service (“Customer Service Standard”) under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”). Employers will have a legislated obligation to accommodate customers
with disabilities. The province has a
website explaining the new rules, while a number of companies are
providing seminars on the issue. Compliance seminars offered by Gowlings. Free compliance seminar offered by Heenan Blaikie.

Growers Group annual short course, Feb. 8, 2012
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. Online registration opens on Dec. 23, 2011.

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 from Kathleen
Pugliese at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 309, or kpugliese@landscapeontario.com.

2012 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. Register early for early-bird pricing. January test dates include: Jan. 12, at Congress and Jan. 31, at Algonquin College.

Winter seminar series

Chiseled in Stone: An Introduction, Jan. 23
This three-day introductory seminar is suitable for those seeking greater
insight and skill development in the art of stone masonry. Topics
covered include construction techniques, selection and application of
various building materials, relationship of design to stone selection,
and the hands-on skills of working with natural stone. Participants can
expect to leave the seminar with the knowledge and basic skills required
to successfully complete any stone masonry project, but not the years
of practice required to hone masonry skills. Participants are required to bring
the following personal protective equipment: work boots, gloves, eye
and hearing protection, dust mask, etc., along with a 2-3 lb. steel
mallet, one splitting chisel and one facing chisel. You are asked to
help clean up at the end of the day. Flagstone is touched on in this
seminar, but covered at length in LC002

For other opportunities to receive professional development, go to seminars for more details.

Landscape Design- An Introduction, Jan. 23
Native Trees and Shrubs: Expand your Knowledge, Jan. 24
Green Roof Design 101: Introductory Course, Jan. 25
Negotiating with the Savvy Buyer, Jan. 25
Getting Started in Concrete, Jan. 26
How to Use Dynascape, Jan. 26

Landscape Design – Above and Beyond, Jan. 27
Is there a Plant Doctor in the House?, Jan. 27

Simply Accounting-Next Step, Jan. 27

Chiseled in Stone: Intermediate, Jan. 30
The Hardy Woody Plant, Jan. 30
On-The-Job Training, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1

OPA
Educational Forum

Join the Ontario Parks Association on Mon., Jan. 9 for the 56th
Annual Parks Educational Forum, ‘Turning Grey to Green, 75 Years of
Protecting Tomorrow Today.’ This full-day event features a parks,
politics and pancakes networking breakfast, sessions, a keynote
presentation and door prizes, being held in the Mississauga Room at
Doubletree Hotel Toronto Airport, 655 Dixon Rd., Toronto. There is early bird
pricing of $165 for members before Dec. 16. Register at
www.locongress.com. Contact Shelley May at OPA
shelley@ontarioparksassociation.com.

Are you looking for a job? Do you need employees?

Landscape Ontario’s Congress 2012 Job Board will connect employers with
potential employees and applicants with employers. New this year, we
are now accepting job postings and resumes for our job board on the show
floor in the LO Resource Booth # 41. For more information and
guidelines for your posting, visit job board.

Building Your Prosperity, Jan. 9
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.

Survey to provide info on invasive species
The Invasive Species Centre is gathering information on the status of
activities in Ontario with respect to invasive species
education/outreach and invasive plant management. The survey contains 28
questions, mostly multiple choice. Once answers have been
tabulated, results will be posted online early next year. Landscape
Ontario is a member of the Invasive Species Council. The deadline for
responses is Jan. 12, 2012. Survey Link.

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.

Permacon Industry Night, Jan. 10

After an inspiring opening day at Landscape Ontario’s Congress or Awards
of Excellence ceremony, enjoy a great evening that includes dinner,
casino games, prizes, music and more. It takes place from 5 p.m. until 1
a.m. at the Doubletree Hotel in the
International foyer. For more details, or to RSVP, contact
1-800-668-4805, or cs.milton@permacon.ca, or register at the event.