October 31, 2024
2023 Sector Group Reports
The scope and mandate — and therefore the needs — of the industry sectors served by Landscape Ontario are distinctly different. The specific requirements of each of these groups are facilitated by the association’s sector group structure. The objective of each sector group is to respond to current concerns resulting from marketplace pressures and government legislation.
Jump to: Garden Centre, Grounds Management, Growers, Irrigation, Landscape Contractors and Hardscape, Landscape Designers, Lighting, Turfgrass Management, Snow and Ice Management
Hiring and recruiting continue to be a challenge in the garden centre sector for most businesses.
The garden centre sector group has been working on training programs for new and returning employees as a way to provide great value to our members as many businesses struggle with investing in training in a quick to start retail business each spring. Plans are underway to expand and continue in 2024. The group will also be organizing online sessions targeted to owners and managers to hear from experts as well as network on topics of interest.
Respectfully submitted,
Art Vanden Enden
Chair, 2022-2023
Vice-Chair: Terry Childs
Past Chair: Joe Morello
Provincial Board Representative: Peter Guinane
National Board Representative: Shawn Giovanetti
Members: Jason Gaw, Thomas Blatter, Ryan Bostock, Frank Bourque, Ed Hanson, Jarrett Woodard
The Contractors Sector Group is excited about the “normal” that is back in our industry post COVID. Together with the experiences of the Hardscape Committee, we have been developing some new initiatives to better serve our industry.
Hardscape Live 2023 was the first renewal of the event and it was successful. We are looking to build out 2024 and elevate the contractor experience and the hardscape members of our committee have helped develop and enhance the hardscape experience.
We have furthered our operations with the provincial and national programs such as the Canadian Landscape Standard - latest edition.
We are planning to develop regional education programs with an anticipated schedule ready for Congress 2024. The programs will be taken across Ontario with a travelling roadshow element in discussion. We are working to tie this education in with the regional chapters in Ontario.
Our main priorities for the current year are extensive representation from across Ontario and enhanced effective education programs.
Respectfully submitted,
Nick Lang
Chair 2022-2023
In May of 2022 the CSA group produced a Workshop Agreement on Assessing the need for a Snow and Ice National Standard of Canada. Four key issues were identified; liability, training and competency, environmental impacts and regulatory framework. They indicated that they could not lead this initiative at that time. While we wait for a National Standard for Canada, the Landscape Ontario Snow Sector Group continued to work towards that initiative. In the summer of 2022 we developed a curriculum along with an accreditation program for training employees in the snow and ice industry.
In October 2022 the group received a presentation from Daisy Group, a government and public relations lobby firm who ultimately was selected as the our government and public relations lobby firm group to represent our concerns and solutions to the provincial government.
The Insurance Crisis part 2 event was held both in person at LO and virtually on May 25, 2023 with a total attendance of over 100 members. This meeting was a follow up to the meeting in January of 2021 at Congress where over 300 members attended expressing their disappointment and frustration with the availability and cost of insurance. Since obtaining the services of Daisy Group, the sector group has been extremely busy working on solving this serious problem for the industry. Daisy Group consulting presented their approach on combining government and public relations.
What are the issues for the snow and ice industry? We are facing an insurance and liability crisis as the availability, capacity, and price of insurance is unstable, and many contractors are being driven out of the industry. The declining numbers of snow and ice contractors will result in a lack of service for many next winter without changes by government. Bill 118 has not solved the problem. Winter safety should be a shared responsibility for all involved, managers, owners and contractors. Snow and ice contractors are currently shouldering the bulk of the liability risk, and many are going out of business.
The LO Snow Sector group has developed a plan to reform the industry and Daisy has begun to work the plan to make it happen. We have the attention of the premiers chief of staff and meetings have been held with other ministries.
On Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., about 15 representatives from LO’s Snow and Ice Sector Group and Daisy Group went to Queen’s Park to lobby for legislative change on issues affecting contractors and communities across Ontario. We spoke face-to-face with MPPs about the issue. We informed them that Landscape Ontario wishes to achieve the following goals through legislative reform and the establishment of technical standards:
A regulated snow and ice management system supported by a legal framework as recommended will provide owners, site managers and snow contractors with a system that improves the unstable insurance cost environment while concurrently creating balance between acceptable risk, and protection of the environment.
Currently liability risk is preventing the reduction of salt use. Legislation and a regulatory framework is needed to provide limited liability protections to those involved if they can demonstrate compliance with the education, and processes which a regulatory framework can establish. Oversalting is the result of working within a system that does not involve proper site-specific risk analysis and clear levels of service through risk analysis and established policies.
Ontario needs its own solution to the identified issues which is fair to all. It was evident at the Lobby day that this is a bi-partisan issue as all MPPs, (including the premier) that we spoke to supported our cause.
Some of our other activities included Snowposium which was still virtual in 2021. In September of both 2022 and 2023 we had live conferences and tradeshows with attendance of over 300 attendees for both events.
In September of 2022 our recommendation to add KSMI Weather services to LO as a member benefit was implemented by all LO members.
It's clear there is light at the end of the tunnel as the needle is moving in the right direction. We shall see what 2024 brings. I want to thank the committee especially our Provincial Board Rep Jon Agg and our Snow Sector government relations chair Christopher Morrison for their work on this committee.
Respectfully submitted,
Gerald Boot, chair
2022-2023
Report to follow.
Jump to: Garden Centre, Grounds Management, Growers, Irrigation, Landscape Contractors and Hardscape, Landscape Designers, Lighting, Turfgrass Management, Snow and Ice Management
Garden Centre
2022-2023 has seen a return to normalcy with regards to the garden centre sector traffic and sales. increased selling prices need to be considered when making comparison to pre-pandemic sales volumes. Demand has softened from the years of the pandemic as consumers have broadened their scope of activities and travel has bounced back. There continues to be strong interest in growing your own vegetables, herbs, small fruit and fruit trees. Food price inflation has helped maintain momentum in these categories. For many younger or newer home owners, the increase of mortgage rates and an unstable real estate market has caused some to hold off on major landscape projects whether they are DIY or DIFM. Many garden centres have prepared for better supply availability and are working to keep their inventories manageable. This has been more through 2023, as in 2022 when there was still a fear of real or perceived supply shortages and price increases from suppliers.Hiring and recruiting continue to be a challenge in the garden centre sector for most businesses.
The garden centre sector group has been working on training programs for new and returning employees as a way to provide great value to our members as many businesses struggle with investing in training in a quick to start retail business each spring. Plans are underway to expand and continue in 2024. The group will also be organizing online sessions targeted to owners and managers to hear from experts as well as network on topics of interest.
Respectfully submitted,
Art Vanden Enden
Chair, 2022-2023
Grounds Management Group
Report to follow.Growers Group
Report to follow.Irrigation
Report to follow.Landscape Contractors and Hardscape
Chair: Nick LangVice-Chair: Terry Childs
Past Chair: Joe Morello
Provincial Board Representative: Peter Guinane
National Board Representative: Shawn Giovanetti
Members: Jason Gaw, Thomas Blatter, Ryan Bostock, Frank Bourque, Ed Hanson, Jarrett Woodard
The Contractors Sector Group is excited about the “normal” that is back in our industry post COVID. Together with the experiences of the Hardscape Committee, we have been developing some new initiatives to better serve our industry.
Hardscape Live 2023 was the first renewal of the event and it was successful. We are looking to build out 2024 and elevate the contractor experience and the hardscape members of our committee have helped develop and enhance the hardscape experience.
We have furthered our operations with the provincial and national programs such as the Canadian Landscape Standard - latest edition.
We are planning to develop regional education programs with an anticipated schedule ready for Congress 2024. The programs will be taken across Ontario with a travelling roadshow element in discussion. We are working to tie this education in with the regional chapters in Ontario.
Our main priorities for the current year are extensive representation from across Ontario and enhanced effective education programs.
Respectfully submitted,
Nick Lang
Chair 2022-2023
Landscape Designers
Report to follow.Lighting
Report to follow.Snow and Ice Management
Being in the snow industry for over 40 years and the only founder of the LO snow sector group still on the committee and now since June 2022 once again serving as chair things finally are getting better. We have made huge inroads with the Ontario Government. In the fall of 2020, stakeholders in the Canadian snow and ice management industry approached the CSA Group with a request to consider the development of a national standard on snow and ice management.In May of 2022 the CSA group produced a Workshop Agreement on Assessing the need for a Snow and Ice National Standard of Canada. Four key issues were identified; liability, training and competency, environmental impacts and regulatory framework. They indicated that they could not lead this initiative at that time. While we wait for a National Standard for Canada, the Landscape Ontario Snow Sector Group continued to work towards that initiative. In the summer of 2022 we developed a curriculum along with an accreditation program for training employees in the snow and ice industry.
In October 2022 the group received a presentation from Daisy Group, a government and public relations lobby firm who ultimately was selected as the our government and public relations lobby firm group to represent our concerns and solutions to the provincial government.
The Insurance Crisis part 2 event was held both in person at LO and virtually on May 25, 2023 with a total attendance of over 100 members. This meeting was a follow up to the meeting in January of 2021 at Congress where over 300 members attended expressing their disappointment and frustration with the availability and cost of insurance. Since obtaining the services of Daisy Group, the sector group has been extremely busy working on solving this serious problem for the industry. Daisy Group consulting presented their approach on combining government and public relations.
What are the issues for the snow and ice industry? We are facing an insurance and liability crisis as the availability, capacity, and price of insurance is unstable, and many contractors are being driven out of the industry. The declining numbers of snow and ice contractors will result in a lack of service for many next winter without changes by government. Bill 118 has not solved the problem. Winter safety should be a shared responsibility for all involved, managers, owners and contractors. Snow and ice contractors are currently shouldering the bulk of the liability risk, and many are going out of business.
The LO Snow Sector group has developed a plan to reform the industry and Daisy has begun to work the plan to make it happen. We have the attention of the premiers chief of staff and meetings have been held with other ministries.
On Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., about 15 representatives from LO’s Snow and Ice Sector Group and Daisy Group went to Queen’s Park to lobby for legislative change on issues affecting contractors and communities across Ontario. We spoke face-to-face with MPPs about the issue. We informed them that Landscape Ontario wishes to achieve the following goals through legislative reform and the establishment of technical standards:
- Create safe conditions for Ontarians while respecting the natural environment;
- Reform the liability system by balancing risk to all involved in site management in winter; and
- Establish a regulatory framework for snow and ice management in Ontario.
A regulated snow and ice management system supported by a legal framework as recommended will provide owners, site managers and snow contractors with a system that improves the unstable insurance cost environment while concurrently creating balance between acceptable risk, and protection of the environment.
Currently liability risk is preventing the reduction of salt use. Legislation and a regulatory framework is needed to provide limited liability protections to those involved if they can demonstrate compliance with the education, and processes which a regulatory framework can establish. Oversalting is the result of working within a system that does not involve proper site-specific risk analysis and clear levels of service through risk analysis and established policies.
Ontario needs its own solution to the identified issues which is fair to all. It was evident at the Lobby day that this is a bi-partisan issue as all MPPs, (including the premier) that we spoke to supported our cause.
Some of our other activities included Snowposium which was still virtual in 2021. In September of both 2022 and 2023 we had live conferences and tradeshows with attendance of over 300 attendees for both events.
In September of 2022 our recommendation to add KSMI Weather services to LO as a member benefit was implemented by all LO members.
It's clear there is light at the end of the tunnel as the needle is moving in the right direction. We shall see what 2024 brings. I want to thank the committee especially our Provincial Board Rep Jon Agg and our Snow Sector government relations chair Christopher Morrison for their work on this committee.
Respectfully submitted,
Gerald Boot, chair
2022-2023
Turfgrass Management
Report to follow.