November 15, 2011
By Helen Hassard
Membership and Chapter Coordinator

Helen HassardNow that I’ve been working at Landscape Ontario for a year-and-a-half, I’ve really come to think of the chapters I work with as family. If you’ve ever received the type of four-page letter which my mom sends out around the holidays, then you know some families like to brag about their accomplishments. So, I thought I would take the opportunity to give you an update about the great things each of our chapters is doing. Unlike my mother, I can’t go on with four pages per chapter, because the editor won’t let me have more than one page per issue for my article.
 

Durham Chapter

This year the Durham barbecue was a complete success. It was well attended, well promoted and everyone had a great time. But since Carol Fulford from the Chapter board has already told you all about the barbecue in the October issue of Horticulture Review, I want to talk about something different. This chapter not only ran a successful event in August, but meeting dates and topics were selected in June. This chapter is on the ball and the line-up they selected is both informative and entertaining.
 

Golden Horseshoe Chapter

The Golden Horseshoe Chapter has always prided itself on the annual chicken roast. It’s an event that is unique to the area and has a long and shining history. But I think with all the focus on the chicken roast, the members may not realize that the golf tournament has also become quite A force with which to be reckoned. This year’s golf tournament, on Aug. 18, was once again a sold out shotgun tournament with the highest attendance of any LO tournament. Next year’s event will surely be as successful, so to guarantee a foursome, better sign in early.
 

Georgian Lakelands Chapter

The Georgian Lakelands Chapter runs a number of great events, including the annual Christmas party that combines a dinner, casino night and live auction in a way that I’ve never seen before. The way it works is when you attend any of the chapter events over the year, you accumulate LO dollars. At the Christmas dinner, you are given a certain amount of LO dollars just for registering, plus the LO dollars you earned during the year. You get to use this fun money to gamble at casino night and then at the end of the evening there is a live auction that accepts your LO dollars.
 

London Chapter

Carla Bailey, London Chapter coordinator, tells us of a unique and historic agreement between the City of London and LO, which was signed on Sept. 30 by Joe Fontana, mayor of the City of London. This agreement provides the authority for the Veterans Memorial Parkway Community Program to begin operations. The program will plant 8,000 large trees over the next five years, which will stand as living sentinels. As well, 15 commemorative features will be built to remind us of the values inherent in service to our country and our communities.  
 

Ottawa Chapter

Ottawa Chapter coordinator Martha Walsh provided us information on the 2011 golf tournament, which raised $3,000 for the Ottawa Food Bank. The membership has an ever-increasing philanthropic philosophy of prosperity through engagement, which continues to serve the National Capital Region. The members collectively decided to increase the percentage of proceeds donated. This is just one of the community engagement activities that unify and motivate the membership toward building a better Ottawa.
 

Toronto Chapter

This chapter also has a number of successes of which I can brag about, but the one I’m going to tell you about is truly unique. They have started a project entitled Green Streets. This program will bring industry leaders together next summer to install 50 urban gardens in downtown Toronto. Gardens will be conceived in partnership with artists, landscape professionals, floral designers and students. The high-visibility gardens will be linked by a walking tour and widely publicized across many media platforms. There are still opportunities to get involved, so contact Allan Kling 416-805-0703, or akling@urbangarden.ca.
 

Upper Canada Chapter

Upper Canada Chapter is another group with many strengths. The one I’d like to talk about is the Chapter’s focus to give members in Upper Canada the education that they want. Each year the chapter hosts a few one-day seminars on issues such as safety training, skid steer certification, etc. The Chapter determines what the members want by distributing an online survey in the winter (look for that in an upcoming e-news). Last year’s educational days booked-up fast, so the Chapter has decided this year to hire more instructors. I still would book early to ensure your space.
 

Waterloo Chapter

The Waterloo Chapter does many things extremely well. Meetings are always well organized, fun, educational and well-attended. Organizers also run a number of great social events and carry out a lot of work in the community. The fall freeze-up dance is unique to this Chapter, and coming up soon. Get your tickets before it’s too late to enjoy this event, which consists of dinner, dancing, large prizes and door prizes. Go To http://bit.ly/q12plm to purchase tickets online.
 

Windsor Chapter

I’m sure you’ve all heard of the Landscape Ontario Awards of Excellence, but did you know that the Windsor Chapter has its own awards program? Each summer, members are invited to submit projects to the Windsor Chapter for judging. The awards are presented at a ceremony at the end of October. This event allows members to gain recognition at the local level, while being recognized at an event by their peers. Even though this article is in the November magazine, I’m writing this mid-October, so I don’t know who the winners are, but keep your eyes peeled for the results. 
Helen Hassard may be contacted at helen@landscapeontario.com.