Spring is in the air

After a seriously successful Congress trade show, who isn’t eager to get back into the landscaping season? Over 17,000 attendees for the three-day show, as well as sold out training and education events on the Monday, tells you people were excited to learn, talk and see all things landscape related. This bodes well for a successful and prosperous 2023 season.

Now, boots are on the ground, and work is starting to ramp up. This is an exciting time of year. We are taking all the good things we learned at Congress, as well as through online and in-person education and training opportunities from Landscape Ontario, plus chapter and sector group meetings and our personal networking occasions to help us become the best companies we can be.

Safety and training are paramount for the well-being of our employees. Congress provided great opportunities to learn about truck and trailer safety, and events were well attended and received. Landscape Ontario still offers opportunities for pros to become safer and better informed through courses like chainsaw safety and maintenance, supervisor responsibilities and due diligence, first aid and CPR, WHMIS, and so much more. Establishing and maintaining a culture of safety ensures everyone returns home to their loved ones unscathed.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA) meetings in Victoria, B.C. It was great to hear from our provincial counterparts about what is happening in other regions of Canada. Overall, insurance issues, climate change, government relations, labour concerns and product availability are the major points affecting all provincial associations’ membership. Landscape Ontario is proud to be tackling many of these concerns through its committee structure, including the Snow and Ice Management Sector Group, Growers Group and Workforce Development department. We also have representation at the national level in the following committees: Human Resources, Green Cities Foundation, Growers, Landscape Canada, and at the executive leadership level. Landscape Ontario will continue to be at the forefront of environmental and landscape developments and projects.

I wish you all a safe and prosperous 2023 landscaping season. As always, feel free to reach out to me to discuss any landscape-related concerns.