Landscape Ontario’s Ottawa Chapter continues to raise the bar on supporting various charitable organizations and outdoor green spaces in our nation’s capital. The chapter is currently continuing a multi-year partnership with the Caring and Sharing Exchange, a local charity that distributes food hampers to families in need in time for the Christmas holiday season. In December 2024, chapter volunteers helped to prepare and distribute 350 hampers and have set the goal of 500 hampers to be distributed this year.

Golf tournament

Over the past two decades the chapter’s annual golf tournament has raised over $50,000 for local charities. These include: the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario ($30,000+ raised from 2013-2017), the Canadian Mental Health Association ($3,000 in 2018), and Youturn Youth Services (over $10,000 in 2019). Recent tournaments, including this year’s event on Sept. 17 at Meadows Golf & Country Club, will help support the Caring and Sharing Exchange hamper program.

Cancer Survivors Park

Located on 4.5 acres in the Alta Vista neighbourhood, Ottawa’s Cancer Survivors Park offers a place of serenity and inspiration to cancer patients, survivors of the disease and their loved ones. 

Officially opened in 2008, Landscape Ontario members donated product and labour to build a portion of the park that is the result of a unique collaboration between leaders of the Ottawa business and construction communities. 

Since 2008, dozens of Ottawa Chapter member companies have collaborated to maintain the park to keep it looking in tip-top shape. The park has also served as an outdoor classroom to instruct Algonquin College students on proper maintenance techniques.

Day of Tribute

In Canada, 2005 was designated as “Year of the Veteran.” A small group of Ottawa members, led by Sharon Urquhart and Chris Lemcke, organized a Day of Tribute on Oct. 21 at Beechwood Cemetery, Canada's National Military Cemetery. The event sees green industry members volunteer their time, equipment and supplies to prepare the cemetery grounds prior to Remembrance Day proceedings. This united show of support for those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country is still going strong. 

Touch-A-Truck

In 2024, Ottawa Chapter board members took on an exciting new event to inspire young kids and families about the many career paths and services available to landscape professionals. The Ottawa Touch-A-Truck event will return to Nepean Sportsplex on July 19 with proceeds of this volunteer-run event going to support the Caring and Sharing Exchange. 

Green Trade Expo

Ottawa Chapter’s signature event, the Green Trade Expo trade show and conference, has been running since 1993. Typically held in mid-February, the one-day event outgrew its Lansdowne Park location and moved to the new, modern EY Centre in 2012 and expanded to two days in 2019. 

Featuring over 100 exhibitors, an impressive line up of free education and the chapter’s annual Awards of Distinction ceremony, the event continues to grow and run smoothly thanks to the help of students from Algonquin College and Ottawa Chapter volunteers. The next event will run March 3-4, 2026.

Living Landscapes at the Ottawa Home & Garden Show

Just a few short weeks after Green Trade Expo, Ottawa students and members once again put on a showcase for the landscape and horticulture profession at Living Landscapes, a feature section of Ottawa’s Home & Garden Show. Featuring beautiful display gardens with the sights and smells of spring, the event attracts thousands of eager gardeners as they prepare for another season. Ottawa Chapter members are often sought out by local media and become the ambassadors of the association, the chapter and the industry.

The shining example of the LO community

The vibrant Ottawa Chapter is a close-knit community of LO members who care deeply about their community. Year after year, they continue to support long-standing traditions that help make a difference in the lives of those around them, while also taking on new initiatives to promote the many benefits of the green industry.
 

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