Skills Canada - Ontario took place on Apr. 30 to May 2, at RIM Park in Waterloo, with over 1,800 student participants competing at elementary to post-secondary levels.

Over 900 students competed in over 60 skilled trades in front of more than 30,000 spectators. The event brings in senior elementary, secondary and post-secondary students.

Two students per team represented their school in the landscape gardening competition.
 

Guelph team wins title

Taking top spot in Landscape Gardening at the secondary level was the team of Amanda Beatson and Josh Berger from College Heights Secondary School in Guelph, Upper Grand District School Board (DSB). Second place went to Evan Ryckman and Grant Fisher from Bluewater DSB, and third to Connor Parkin and Michael Smeja of Halton Catholic District School Board.

The following list names the third- to 14th-place secondary school Landscape Gardening winners, in order: Ryan Daley and Todd Jones, Toronto DSB Southeast; Dalton Bonneville and Justin Cabrera, Waterloo CDSB; Matt Anderson and Matthew Patterson, Halton DSB;  Bryan Amaral and Joao Gomes, Toronto CDSB; David Moss and Remi Woodruff, Niagara CDSB;  Brandon De Rijk and David Bruinsma, Thames Valley DSB; Dallas Potter and Marshall Leblanc, Durham CDSB; Joseph Careri and Matthew Pecile, Dufferin-Peel CDSB; Aliesha Lyddiatt and Zachary Degen, Waterloo Region DSB; Yan Piche and Yanik St-jean, CEP de l’Est de l’Ontario; and Cassandra Foord and Michael Nelson, Peel DSB.

The Landscape Gardening competition in the post-secondary level was won by the Humber College team of James Fawcett and Mark Wideman, with Bradley Small and Kevin Boggs of St. Clair College taking second.
The following secondary school students are listed in the order of placement for the design competition: Mauricio Estrada, Waterloo Region DSB; Stephanie Prymak, Grand Erie DSB; Zachary Simao, Halton CDSB; and Michael Achmatowicz-otok, Bluewater DSB.
 

National event

The winning post-secondary teams from Ontario qualified to take part in the national Skills competition held in Edmonton from, May 13 to 16. Medals went to Team Alberta, Team Quebec and Team Manitoba.

Unfortunately, Team Ontario didn’t make it to the competition. The Alberta team qualifies to compete in the World Skills competition in Lepzig, German in July 2013.

“I had the added honour and privilege of representing Ontario at the National Skills Competition for the Landscape Gardening contest in Edmonton, as a an industry national committee member,” said LO’s manager of education and labour development Sally Harvey. “I echo Mike Holmes, who attended both the competition and the awards ceremony in Edmonton, that Canada has youth with skill and talent to be proud of!  We have much to celebrate in the landscape horticulture industry.”

For more information on Skills Canada, go to www.skillscanada.com.

 

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