Navigating the regulatory landscape
If the first few months of 2026 have taught us anything, it is that our industry is operating in a climate, both meteorological and economic, that is becoming increasingly challenging to navigate.
The winter season has tested us. From supply chains to classrooms to city halls, we are seeing structural shifts that require more than just a “business as usual” response. This is why our association is evolving. It is about building an organization that is agile enough to protect your business when the ground shifts beneath it.
Right now, that ground is shifting on three critically important fronts.
Protecting our workforce pipeline: Algonquin and St. Clair Colleges
We received deeply concerning news in February regarding the future of horticultural education in Ontario. Both Algonquin College and St. Clair College have announced they are suspending intake for their respective horticulture programs.
This is a significant blow. These programs are not just classrooms; they are the primary pipelines for the future leaders of our workforce in Ottawa and Windsor-Essex. When a pipeline closes, the impact isn’t felt immediately. It is felt three years from now when the next generation of skilled technicians is missing from the labour pool.
LO moved on this immediately, engaging directly with college administration to discourage these program suspensions. On Feb. 12, the provincial government announced they would be investing $6.4 billion into the postsecondary system and a day later, we learned Algonquin College would delay their decision to suspend intake on those 30 programs.
The intersection of salt and liability
The snow and ice management sector in Ontario has experienced a severe pressure test due to a critical road salt shortage. This scarcity has led to a scramble among many contractors and smaller municipalities. Supplies are being prioritized for larger municipal contracts, leaving private contractors to bear the brunt of the shortage. Compounding the issue, salt prices are rising exponentially, forcing many suppliers to mix in sand to stretch available reserves. Furthermore, the Goderich salt mine is directing a greater volume of salt to the United States than it is keeping within the province.
This shortage has brought the issue of liability into sharp focus. For years, contractors have been forced to over salt to protect themselves from frivolous slip-and-fall litigation. But when salt is physically unavailable, that “insurance policy” disappears, leaving contractors exposed.
This creates a perfect storm that validates exactly what LO has been fighting for, a limited liability framework. We are intensifying our push for legislation similar to the “New Hampshire Model.” In a world where salt supplies are finite, a legislative framework that demands “bare pavement at all costs” is no longer just unfair; it is impossible.
Municipal watch: Changing rules in Ottawa and Toronto
While continuing to advocate at the provincial level, our advocacy work is equally active in our cities, where new bylaws and procurement rules are rewriting the playbook.
In Ottawa, we worked closely with the City as they developed their new landscape contractor license bylaw. Our goal is to ensure that this framework achieves its intended purpose of eliminating the fly-by-night operators who damage our industry’s reputation, without creating excessive red tape for legitimate, professional businesses. We are at the table to ensure the outcome is a levelled playing field, not a bureaucratic wall.
In Toronto, the pressure is twofold. First, we are tackling a critical zoning proposal that would designate swimming pools as “hard landscaping.” This technical change would drastically reduce allowable lot coverage for patios and outdoor kitchens, effectively shrinking the scope of projects for thousands of homeowners.
Second, the shift to green technology is no longer theoretical, it is contractual. The City of Toronto has introduced a mandatory transition to battery-powered equipment for maintenance tenders. This is a three-year phased-in requirement, meaning if you want to bid on City work, you must be ready to retire gas-powered fleets on their timeline. LO is actively monitoring this rollout to ensure the City’s environmental ambitions do not outpace the operational realities of equipment performance and charging infrastructure.
The way forward
Effective advocacy is about resilience, adaptability and presence. It is about understanding that when St. Clair pauses a program, a salt mine slows production or a city tender mandates new technology, we don’t just react with worry. We respond with data, influence and unity.
These are complex issues, but they are exactly why Landscape Ontario exists. We will keep you informed as we continue these vital conversations on your behalf.
Joe Salemi CAE
LO Executive Director
jsalemi@landscapeontario.com
