Upper Canada this week: Jan. 18, 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

Mayor thanks LO for St. James
On Jan. 11, Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, attended Landscape Ontario
Awards of Excellence during Congress 2012 to honour the association and
its members for bringing back St. James Park. You can hear Mayor Ford’s
presentation that was part of the gala awards evening.

In memoriam: Christopher Robert Graham

On Jan. 14, 2012, Chris Graham of Flesherton, in his 61st year, passed
away. A recognized plantsman and mentor to many in the green industry,
Chris Graham worked at the Royal Botanical Gardens for many years, first
as a student, then foreman, superintendent and Director of
Horticulture. He was a member and volunteer in a number of LO activities.
A memorial visitation in celebration of his life will take place at
Corbett Funeral Home, 95 Dundas Street N., Cambridge, on Sat., Jan. 21,
from 1 – 4 p.m. Cremation has taken place. He will be interred with his
parents in Mississauga. As an expression of sympathy, a donation may be
made to the horticultural society of your choice.

HR toolkit for green industry companies now online
Landscape Ontario is offering a new human resources tool for green industry employers, available free at www.horttrades.com/HRtoolkit. The online resource includes over 100 pages of information, including a policy and procedures manual, along with recruitment and retention tools to help employers hire staff effectively and keep them engaged. The HR tool kit can be downloaded in its entirety, or in sections, based on your needs.

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.

Landscape Lighting Conference, Feb. 16
This year’s lighting conference features keynote speaker Doug Alderman of Lighting Design, a showcase of award-winning landscape lighting projects and invaluable networking and problem solving at the round table discussions. Meet with lighting suppliers and learn about the newest techniques and technologies. The conference has moved to Pipers Heath Golf Club on Trafalgar Road in Milton. For more information or to register, visit www.horttrades.com/lighting-2012.

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

Stuck on Annuals? Feb. 1
This is a great seminar for parks professionals, those new to
maintenance companies or anyone wanting a refresher when it comes to
planning and designing. You’ll learn how to use annuals in the
landscape, whether to fill space until permanent plantings grow, or to
get a big bang of all-season colour and interest in boulevard,
commercial and residential gardens. Learn how to choose the best annuals
for drought tolerance, colour combinations, texture and size.
Maintenance, plus new varieties will be discussed. This packed day will have you
come away set to order, design, seed and install annuals better than
ever! For other opportunities to receive professional development, go to seminars for more details.

Chiseled in Stone: An Introduction, Jan. 23
Green Roof Design 101: Introductory Course, Jan. 25
Landscape Design – Above and Beyond, Jan. 27
Is there a Plant Doctor in the House?, Jan. 27

Simply Accounting-Next Step, Jan. 27

On-the-Job Training, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1
Trees and Shrubs: Establishment and Maintenance from the Ground up, Feb. 3
Chiseled in Stone – Advanced, Feb. 6

Times of Transition: Succession Planning, Family Dynamics and Multiple
Generations at Work, Feb. 6

Skid-Steer Certification Training, Feb. 6
Fundamentals of Fall Protection, Feb. 7
Forklift Operator Training: Class 1, 4, 5, Feb. 8

Proposal Preparation & Presentation, Feb. 9
Landscape Plants: Where, What, Why and Uses? Feb. 9
Paving Your Way to Perfect Interlock, Feb. 9
Flagstone Fundamentals, Feb. 10
Mission Possible: Effective Hiring and Performance Management, Feb. 10

Enforcement blitz and seminars on MSDs
According to the Ministry of Labour (MOL), musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
are still the number-one cause of lost-time injuries in Ontario. To help
end the problem, MOL is conducting an enforcement blitz on MSDs in
February. The Infrastructure Health and Safety Association is hosting
five half-day seminars across the province to help people take practical
steps to reduce MSDs in their workplaces and prepare for the upcoming
MOL blitz. To learn more about the seminars, or to register for one in
your area, go to MSD.

C. buxicola reported in Canada

Cylindrocladium buxicola (also known as C. pseudonaviculatum) and
commonly known as box blight or boxwood leaf drop is a fungus that has
been reported to occur on all Buxus species and cultivars. C. buxicola
has been a serious pest of boxwood in the U.K., Europe and New Zealand
since the mid-1990s. On Jan. 6, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
confirmed a positive find of Cylindrocladium buxicola at a B.C. nursery.
CFIA will conduct further surveys to determine the possible spread of
this disease throughout the rest of Canada. As an immediate
precautionary measure, all growers are advised to be very aware of their
sources of incoming boxwood shipments. More info at www.horttrades.com.

Grounds Guys part of Undercover Boss

LO member, The Grounds Guys Landscape Management, has announced that The
Grounds Guys and the CEO of their strategic partner The Dwyer Group
will be featured on this Sunday’s episode of Undercover Boss, airing at 8
p.m. EST on CBS and CTV. Founded in 1989 by the ten van Stralen
brothers, who worked together mowing lawns and cleaning yards, The
Grounds Guys has become one of the fastest growing franchise systems in
North America.

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.

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.

Garden Centre training, Feb. 18-19

The Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington is offering a mixture of
hands-on practical and classroom theory-based knowledge to give novice
employees the training to provide excellent customer service, while
properly caring for living merchandise. The goal is to increase the
level of knowledge and customer service in your retail garden centre to
maximize your sales and profits. The two-day program, each day from 9:30
a.m. to 4 p.m., is designed for garden centre and nursery employees
Experienced professional horticulturalists Jim Lounsbery and Rodger
Tschanz instruct the program, covering topics such as plant basics,
nomenclature, annuals and perennials, soils, insects and diseases,
pruning and much more. For more info, or to register, go to Garden
Centre training.

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. The agency wants to document in-the-ground projects, highlighting 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.