By Joe Salemi, LO Deputy Executive Director
We don’t need a poll to tell us the industry in Ontario is divided. We don’t need to conduct a survey to know that the landscape profession is not aligned when it comes to Landscape Ontario’s position on the provincial government’s
Essential Workplaces List and how it’s interpreted. These divisions are playing out on social media, phone calls, emails, bulletins on websites and the list goes on.
This is Landscape Ontario's position: In light of our ultimate safety responsibility, member companies are advised to not work, unless you can cite specific government permission based on your interpretation of Section 20, 24, 26 and 30 of the Essential Workplaces List, upgraded safety protocols are in place and you have confirmed insurance coverage.
So how does Landscape Ontario, a voluntary, membership-based trade association, get alignment through the entire industry? First, I think it’s important to remind ourselves of our mission:
“To be the leader in representing, promoting and fostering a favourable climate for the advancement of the horticulture industry in Ontario.”
There’s no doubt in my mind that all Landscape Ontario members subscribe to our mission. I’m also steadfast in believing that every member has their own reasons for taking on their own respective positions. So how do we foster the sense of community within Landscape Ontario?
Shared values and guiding principles are starting points to bring people together. Two of the strongest emotions we feel as humans are fear and love. Fear divides us, and love brings us together. Importantly, love is rooted in a deep sense of trust, and trust is founded on a shared set of values and goals.
I think right out of the gate we stop the judgment and shaming for the decisions we make to operate our businesses or not. Instead, we support our peers for making the courageous and difficult decisions they are forced to make.
It is healthy for people to disagree on how to accomplish a goal. In fact, it is often in the moment of dissent where creativity is born. But it is critically important for people to agree on what the goal actually is. Unfortunately, out of fear, people often assume their goals differ from the goals of others. The number one priority for the Government at all levels right now is containment of the virus, preventing further spread. As an organization that represents the landscape profession, we also share this goal. Our collective health is more important than anything. Without it we cannot be of value to anyone, not our families, not our employees, not our companies.
Landscape Ontario, through its industry volunteers and staff, has been working tirelessly to bring you the answers you are looking for, and advocating on your behalf to be able to operate your businesses. We’ve received many responses, all varying on either side of giving and denying permission to work. Regardless of the answers we receive from government officials, the shared values and goals that we need to align on are that we need to contribute to the containment of this virus by doing everything we are capable of to reduce the spread, and reduce the strain put on to our healthcare providers.
By aligning this way we will work together as an industry to collectively do our part. We are all in this together and we will all get through this together. It won’t be easy and it won’t be pretty. We are uncertain of how long we will need to tough this out, but what is certain is that we will all get through this together. Together as peers, together as competitors, together as a community.
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In these difficult times there are many support programs announced by government.
Here are two links, one for businesses and one for
individuals.
