When wrote my first column, I asked you to think with me. I meant it literally.
Since then, I’ve been on the road. I’ve met with many of our Chapters and Sector Groups. I’ve sat down with small groups of members and had one-on-one conversations to talk honestly about where Landscape Ontario is and where it needs to go. These weren’t presentations. They were real conversations, and I walked away from every one of them with something I didn’t have before.
Here’s what I heard.
First: Members understand the world LO was built for is not the world we’re operating in today. The governance structures that served us brilliantly for decades have become outdated, leading to slower decisions and energy spent on process instead of impact. These structures made sense in 1973, but now create friction in 2026. I didn’t have to make that case from scratch in a single room. The recognition was already there.
Second: Members are curious about what comes next. We talked about what the future of our governance could look like. We discussed designing a governance structure that’s both efficient and representative, which protects regional voices and builds an organization capable of moving quickly when advocacy demands it. Those conversations were genuinely energizing.
I’ve also had members reach out. One email that stuck with me came from a longtime member and Master Gardener. He wrote to say he liked where we were going — and asked us not to lose the ground we’ve gained on environmental issues as we modernize. It was a good reminder that governance reform isn’t abstract. It connects directly to whether we can deliver on concrete things our members care about, like advocacy, the environment and the next generation of professionals joining this industry.
That connection is exactly the point.
We’ve already made some solid progress. At the last Provincial Board meeting, we reached a broad consensus on the future of Chapter events — a framework that balances high-quality, regionally focused programming with local micro-events built around connection and community. Two different kinds of value, delivered two different ways. It’s a good example of what responsive governance actually looks like in practice.
And there’s more changes coming. A bylaw committee is kicking off shortly, and the working groups forming around it will shape the specific proposals members will vote on at our next Annual General Meeting in January 2027.
If you haven’t weighed in yet, the door is still open. Reach out to me at the email below. And if you want to understand the impetus behind the direction we’re heading, I will explain more in my next message.
We’re building this together.
Lindsey Ross
LO President
president@lglinc.ca
