Upper Canada this week: December 22, 2010

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

Upper Canada Chapter meeting, Jan. 19
Join the Upper Canada Chapter for a
budgeting workshop at the Strathcona Paper Centre in Napanee, starting
at 8:30 a.m., and running all day. Led by the Landscape Management Network, Plan For Profit will teach to you work with your numbers to develop a profitable
pricing system based on your services.
Review LMN at www.landscapemanagementnetwork.com. Seating is limited, so register early. Cost for L.O. members is $115, and potential members, $192.
For more information, or to register, contact Helen Hassard at
1-800-265-5656, ext. 354, or helen@landscapeontario.com

Upper Canada Chapter meeting, Feb. 9
Join
the Upper Canada chapter for a daytime meeting at Strathcona Paper Centre, Napanee, starting at 2 p.m., to
hear from Fred Young, Workplace Safety and Prevention Services. It’s a must-attend event for all members who want to learn about the latest requirements for compliance with the multitude of Acts and regulations,and are looking to set up training systems and focus on safety at the workplace. Don’t let complacency or ignorance cost your business or, more importantly, jeopardise your employees’ safety. For more information, contact Helen Hassard at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 354 or helen@landscapeontario.com.

Mark the date for Green Trade Expo, Feb. 16
Green Trade Expo 2011 Registration page has been launched, offering ONE
STOP registration for attendance, MTO Snow Contractors Breakfast,
Profit Builder’s Lunch featuring Ottawa 67’s general manager and former
OHL coach Brian Kilrea, and pre-order for his new book all in one place. Don’t miss out on limited seating for the Profit Builder’s Luncheon. Booth spaces and sponsorships still available. For
more information go to www.greentrade.ca, or contact Martha.

LO this week

Pricing goes UP after today, Dec. 22!

January Horticulture
Review
online
Read the
latest news of interest to Landscape Ontario members in the January
edition of Horticulture Review.
This month features comprehensive stories on a report on the University of Guelph’s Trial Gardens, testimonials from LO members excited about the new Green for Life garden project at Canada Blooms, Algonquin College retaining its horticulture program, lots of info on Congress 2011, in addition to the regular columns.
Click
here to
access the January issue of Horticulture Review. Anyone may sign up to receive the a free HR
online subscription by
clicking
here.

Get Smart about Irrigation at irrigation conference
This year’s
line-up at the Irrigation Conference on Jan. 10 includes topics such as
World
Water Trends, Water Efficient Products, the Impact of Irrigation on
Water Resources, and even Business Opportunities with Rain Water
Harvesting.You don’t want to miss out at this great event at the Toronto
Congress Centre. More details and registration are at www.locongress.com, under Education and Conference.

Designer Conference offers creative connections, Jan. 10

In addition to
keynote speakers Rosalind Reed on
Business Plans and
Ron Koudys covering the Impact of Influential Landscape
Architects and Designers on our landscape today, the annual designer’s conference
at Congress 2011 will feature the ever-popular Beth Edney. She will give
some creative solutions to small spaces,
while in another breakout room, Dave Maciulis will talk about creating a
healthy and successful workplace. More details and registration can
be found at www.locongress.com under Education and Conference.

Corporate
Financial Management Study Group, Jan. 10
Are
you working on getting your
designation? If so, you won’t want to miss the full-day Professional
Corporate Financial Management Study Group on Jan. 10 with instructor
Paul Doornbos CLT, CLP. More details and registration can be found at by clicking here.

One IPM Symposium, one date: Jan. 10
Early bird pricing includes lunch, but after Dec. 22, lunch will not be included. Do not delay, register today! You don’t want to miss the opportunity to listen to
respected speakers, Dr. Roger Funk
and Dr. David Shetlar (The Bug Doc). New this year is a networking reception
with thousands of dollars worth of door prizes. More details and registration can be found at www.locongress.com under Education and Conference.

Congress job board applications being accepted
As
a member of Landscape Ontario, you are exclusively entitled to post employment ads
on LO’s job board at Congress 2011. To find out how
you can take advantage of the job board, click here.

Awards of Excellence ceremony
The 38^th
Annual Awards of Excellence Ceremony is set for Tues., Jan. 11. The
evening begins at 4:45 with our President’s Reception wine and cheese, featuring Landscape Ontario’s president Tom Intven, followed by the ceremony at 5:15 p.m. Tickets are $35 each – buy a ticket here.

Landscape Industry Certified written test, Jan 13

At
Congress 2011, written
tests in all categories of Landscape Industry Certified will take place
in the Toronto Congress Centre’s Patcher Karsh Room. To register, contact Rachel Cerelli, Certification Coordinator, by email rachelc@landscapeontario.com.

Earn money by taking free safety training program
SCIP is a free training program created by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) that promotes workplace safety, with opportunities coming up in London, Milton and Ottawa. This group focuses on landscaping and related services in partnership with Landscape Ontario. Participating companies receive a one-time fixed five per cent rebate on their firm’s WSIB insurance premiums. To find out more about the program, check out the flyer. Complete and submit SCIP firm application form to Carol Divitkos by Jan. 21, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, 200 Front Street West, 11th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5V 3J1, by fax – 416-344-3493, telephone 1-800-663-6639, ext. 3431, or carol_divitkos@wsib.on.ca.

Professional development seminars
Quit hoping for Profit: Plan for it, Jan. 17
Lean and Green: the Landscaper’s Boot Camp for Waste Elimination, Jan. 20
Growing Gretzky’s: How to Find and Develop Superstars, Jan. 21
Installation & Construction Week Jan. 24
Quit hoping for Profit: Plan on it Jan. 24
Landscape Design: An Introduction Jan. 25
Chiseled in Stone-Intro Jan. 26
Estimating to Win Jan. 27
Benchmarking your Overhead Jan. 28

To register or get more information, click seminars.

Green Communities, Parks and Partnerships
The Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, will present the keynote address at Green Communities on Tues.,
Jan. 11. Ontario Parks Association, Communities in Bloom – Ontario and
Landscape Ontario will come together to celebrate our treasured parks
and greenspaces, and promote the enjoyment and healthy lifestyle
benefits that open spaces provide to Canadians. It will be held in conjunction with
Congress 2011, at the Toronto Congress Centre. Register here.

Growers’ Group Short Course, Feb. 9
The
annual LO Growers Group Short Course will take place at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington. The program will focus on important production
issues, including weed management, effective IPM strategies and lots of
research updates. This year’s featured speaker is Charles Gilliam from
Auburn University. Pre-registration price is $65 for LO members, $75 for
potential members and $25 for students. On-site registration is $90.
Online registration will be available shortly. Read More.

Special offer on Canada Blooms tickets

Members of Landscape Ontario can buy special bar-coded
tickets in packages of 20 to give
clients, staff, family, etc. You will only be charged $12 for only those tickets handed in at the gate. The regular price is $18. Canada
Blooms 2011 takes place Mar. 16 to 20. Go to Canada Blooms to see the form.

Essential Skills offers webinars

Workplaces are all about change, and
Essential Skills programs can help employees meet those changes, and ensure
that job performance, safety and consistency in work practices are clearly
communicated and understood. The current Essential Skills initiative at the Canadian
Apprenticeship Forum
(CAF) seeks to help employers who sponsor apprentices address this issue. The
project offers employers a series of six webinars that provide a step-by-step approach for Implementing Essential Skills in the Workplace. For more
information on the project,
contact HRSG, the consultants facilitating the project on behalf of the
Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, Claire Hall, project consultant, 613-745-6605, ext. 313.

Home Sweet Home Competition for contractors
The Home Sweet Home Competition is a new event developed by OntarioGreenSpec.ca, with the help of over 30 green building practitioners, producers and academics acting as advisers and judges. Home Sweet Home consists of two categories: The Home Sweet Home Competition, which awards
builders, contractors, and/or individuals, and the Home Sweet Home Student Challenge
which awards Ontario’s post-secondary students. The new
OntarioGreenSpec.ca Home Sweet Home Competition is open and accepting
entries until Dec. 31. Details are at www.hsh-competition.ca.

Inspection blitz results
The Ministry of Labour has posted results on its inspection blitzes in 2010. The blitzes are announced in advance and results are reported after the blitzes are completed. The ministry tracks each sector to determine if the blitzes result in a long-lasting increase in compliance and decrease in injuries. To see the results for 2010 go to Safety Blitzes.

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