Upper Canada this week: Jan. 11, 2012

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

Upper Canada Chapter meeting, Feb. 1

Join the Upper Canada Chapter at Holiday Inn Express, 291 North Front
Street, Belleville, for a joint Board and Chapter meeting from 10 – 3
p.m. This meeting will deal with the Strategic Plan for the Chapter and
make plans for 2012-2013. Contact Dan Clost at dan.clost@sympatico.ca,
or Terry Childs at sales@natureswaylandscaping to rsvp for this event.
Those with dietary restrictions should mention it with the rsvp.

Ornamental growers safety program

An Occupational Safety and Health Administration-compliant safety
seminar, aimed at ornamental growers, will take place on Jan. 30, from 9
a.m. to 12-noon at Iroquois Parks Sport Centre, Whitney Hall, 500
Victoria St. W., Whitby. This progressive risk management seminar will
engage owners using interactive training techniques to help employers
towards establishing a basic health and safety management program. To
register, or for more information, go to Growers Safety Program. Other
programs are scheduled in London and Vineland in February and March.
Lunch is not included.

Upper Canada education survey

Landscape Ontario’s Upper Canada Chapter, in conjunction with Workplace
Safety and Prevention Services, will conduct an all-day workshop to
cover annual training and certification requirements for companies
involved in landscaping. The event will be held at Nature’s Way
Landscaping in Gananoque on Apr. 13 and 14, in order for companies to
get a handle on their new hires. Some firms are equipped with in-house
trainers, but many are not. Could you please take a moment to fill out
the survey, so we can tailor the workshop to best fit our industry’s
needs? Landscaping survey.

Are you Landscape Industry Certified?

Certification dates for the 2012 Ottawa/Upper Canada Chapters have
just been announced. Candidates will have the opportunity to take the
written tests on Jan. 31, at Algonquin College and Sept.
27 at Kemptville College, followed the next day with practical testing
at Kemptville. For more information or
questions about Landscape Industry Certifications, visit Certifed, or contact
certification@landscapeontario.com.

Check out Upper Canada Chapter’s Facebook page

Seminars that take place in Upper Canada

LO this week
Energy way up at Congress 2012: Show runs through Thursday!
Energy was strong at opening day of Congress, and exploded on Wednesday with even more visitors taking advantage of the annual trade show and all it has to offer. There is still time to see all the great attractions at North America’s largest horticultural trade show at the Toronto Congress Centre, 650 Dixon Rd., Toronto. For details visit Congress 2012. Learn to
trim your costs, sharpen your skills and build your professional edge. Congress is a great opportunity to connect with your industry, face-to-face, up until 4 p.m. on Jan. 12.

Growers Group annual short course, Feb. 8
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.

Building Your Prosperity, Feb. 16
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 4 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.

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 by downloading an order form, or from Kathleen
Pugliese at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 309, or kpugliese@landscapeontario.com.

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

On-the-Job Training, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1
On-the-job is where most of the learning in our industry happens, every
day, working side-by-side with a more experienced or knowledgeable
person. There is no doubting the skills of the trainer, but how many
people have ever had training on how to train? Designed as two-half
day sessions, participants will actually practice the training method in
class, just like the real thing. Participants will act as both trainees
and trainers throughout the day. During day two, participants will
review the method using the training moments they have prepared, and
learn from their experience in putting it in to action. To register for
the seminar, go to On-the-Job Training.

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

Chiseled in Stone: An Introduction, Jan. 23
Landscape Design – An Introduction, Jan. 23
Green Roof Design 101: Introductory Course, Jan. 25
Negotiating with the Savvy Buyer, Jan. 25
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
Stuck on Annuals? Feb. 1

Intro-Sketchup Seminar, Feb. 2

Flagstone Fundamentals, Feb. 2
Trees and Shrubs: Establishment and Maintenance from the Ground up, Feb. 3
Retaining Walls from the Ground up, Feb. 3

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.

Airblast 101 Workshop Series

Starting Feb. 27, four airblast workshops conducted by Jason Deveau of OMAFRA will begin at the first of four Ontario locations. Growers are invited to take part in one of the interactive
classroom workshops that will include hands-on demonstrations and
dialogue with an experienced airblast technician who will provide tips
on airblast sprayer calibration, maintenance and how to adjust your
sprayer to match your specific crops. Space is limited. To register call
Nancy at 416-622-9771. The $20 workshop fee is paid at door. To see which
workshop is closest to you, go to airblast workshops.

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. Survey Link.

TRIECA conference early bird pricing ends Jan. 31

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the Great Lakes Chapter of
the International Erosion Control Association Conference are co-hosting
the first annual TRIECA Conference on Mar. 27 and 28, at the
International Centre in Mississauga. Organizers anticipate it will be a
great event for networking and educating industry professionals. Early-bird pricing is in effect until Jan. 31. Any LO members interested in
participating as a sponsor or an exhibitor at the conference can find
more information, or register at TRIECA, or
contact Patricia Lewis, project manager, at 289-268-3903.

Webinar on prevention of musculoskeletal disorders

Throughout the month of February, the Ministry of Labour (MOL) will
conduct a blitz on musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). On Jan. 18, from
9:30 to 11 a.m., Public Services Health and Safety Association and MOL
will offer a webinar on musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in the public
sector. Learn about the legislative requirements regarding prevention of
musculoskeletal disorders, what MOL inspectors will look for during a
visit and more. To learn about the webinar, go to MOL Blitz.

Conservation group looking for sustainable projects
Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) is creating case studies on sites that
utilize green infrastructure: green roofs, bio-retention/bio-swales,
rain gardens, rainwater harvesting systems and permeable pavement. We
want to document in-the-ground projects, highlight some of the
features/benefits, the industries and partners involved in the project,
as well as discuss any challenges faced and the lessons learned. If
interested in participating, contact Chris Despins, Water Resources
Technician, at 905-670-1615, ext. 288, or cdespins@creditvalleyca.ca.
CVC has a website that contains its Strategies for Sustainability.