LANDSCAPE SASKATCHEWAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

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NEWS

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

SPRING/SUMMER 2014 VOLUME 7, ISSUE 2

Landscape Saskatchewan’s Annual Softball Tournament is back! Bring your team out on July 19 for a full day of fun! Challenge last year’s winners, Lakeshore Tree Farms, for the gold. After the tournament, Landscape Saskatchewan will be hosting a dinner and social at The Thirsty Penguin Grillhouse.

Register today for a chance to relax, socialize and enjoy some friendly competition with other Landscape Saskatchewan members. The event will be held at the Canlan Sports Centre - Jemini in Saskatoon: 2301 Grasswood Rd.

Download the registration form or contact Chelsea Ten Broeck. Thank you to this year’s sponsors!

IN THIS ISSUE

2014 AGM

Softball Tournament July 19

Savings with Esso and Petro

Canadian Hardy Rose Breeding

2014 Snow Industry Benchmark Report

CNLA Staff Changes

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A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

IMPORTANT DATES AND UPCOMING EVENTSJuly 19, 2014 Annual Softball TournamentCanlan Sports Centre - Jemini, Saskatoon, SK

August 15, 2014 Landscape Alberta Nursery Growers Educational TourNiagara, ON

August 18-21, 2014CNLA Board of Directors Meeting Cape Breton, NS

August 21-23, 2014 Farwest Show Portland, OR

September 24, 2014National Tree Day

Board of Directors:LESLIE CORNELL Cornell Design & Landscaping Ltd. PresidentLLOYD TRASK The Lawn Loggers Limited Vice PresidentROBIN ADAIR Arbour Crest Tree Service Ltd. Director LUKE vanDUYVENDYK Dutch Growers Garden Centre Ltd. DirectorAARON KRAHN Lakeshore Tree Farms Ltd. CNLA Representative

Administrative Support:JOEL BEATSON Executive Director MARNIE MAIN Member Services DirectorERYNN WATSON Member Services AssistantVALERIE STOBBE Office Services Trade Show Co-ordinatorKYLA MCKECHNIE Administrative Assistant & CommunicationsCHERYL TEO BookkeeperCHELSEA TEN BROECK Provincial Relations Support, CNLA/Landscape Saskatchewan

Contact Us:For more information about submitting an article or advertising in this publication please contact:CHELSEA TEN BROECK chelsea@cnla-acpp.ca Phone: 1-888-446-3499 Ext 8730Fax 1-866-833-8603

c/o Landscape Alberta200, 10331 - 178 Street Edmonton Alberta T5S 1R5Tel: 780-489-1991 Toll Free: 1-800-378-3198Fax: 780-444-2152www.SNLA.ca

The wet weather this spring has led to many challenges in the landscape community. As the skies begin to clear, we can look forward to a warm and sunny summer! However, all of us now have more work to do than time to do it.

With that being said, I still encourage you to take the time to participate in this year’s softball tournament on July 19. It is the one day that we can all get together and enjoy the company of friends and colleagues. If you are not available to play ball, be sure to join us afterwards for dinner, we would love to see you.

This spring has seen some changes in the association with the retirement of Landscape Alberta’s Executive Director, Nigel Bowles. Change can be hard for many of us and although we will miss Nigel, we are excited to welcome Joel Beatson as the new Executive Director of Landscape Alberta and Administrative Manager of Landscape Saskatchewan!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone on the softball field in a few weeks!

Sincerely,

Leslie CornellLandscape Saskatchewan President

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ASSOCIATION NEWS2014 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND AWARDSLandscape Saskatchewan held its Annual General Meeting at The Heritage Inn in Saskatoon on March sixth. Thank you to the members who took the time out of their day to attend this meeting, your attendance and participation is appreciated.

It was a great opportunity for members to get together and compare notes about the industry.

Two 2013 Landscape Awards were presented:

Willow Creek Landscaping received an Award of Merit for their project “McDonald Residence”. Sandra and Lacey Jurke, along with Chandra Heath and Kim Young, were present to receive the award.

NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR LANDSCAPE ALBERTA

Joel Beatson, CAE, has been hired as Landscape Alberta’s new Executive Director. Joel began his duties as Executive Director this July, replacing Nigel Bowles, who retired at the end of June. Joel will be familiar to many

Landscape Saskatchewan members as he was the Manager of Industry and Professional Development at the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA), one of several positions he has held over the past 11 years. Prior to joining the CNLA, he was the Marketing & Communication Coordinator for Flowers Canada. He has moved from Ontario back to his home province of Alberta with his wife Laura. Joel brings to the position an extensive understanding of the landscape and nursery sectors, with a proven track record in dealing with the industry’s human resource issues. He has also been involved with numerous political issues at the federal level, which will be an advantage when dealing with municipal and provincial officials.

“This is a very exciting opportunity and I look forward to helping build on the amazing foundation that is Landscape Alberta and continue to grow both the industry and thus the association,” says Joel. Joel holds a Certified Association Executive (CAE) certificate from the Canadian Society of Association Executives and is a Landscape Industry Certified Manager with a degree in Communication Studies from the University of Windsor.

An Award of Merit was also given to Vision Landscape & Design for their project “Bennion Terrace Project”. Tom Levy was present to receive the award. This project was also nominated for submission into the 2015 National Awards of Landscape Excellence, which will be held in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Congratulations to all entrants and winners! The submission deadline for the 2014 awards is October 17, 2014.

Expert Tip: Take pictures of your landscape projects now in preparation for your award application.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

IMPROVEMENT TO THE ADVANCE PAYMENT PROGRAM FOR 2014-2015A number of improvements have been announced for the 2014-15 Advance Payments Program for the nursery sector including a large increase in the number of eligible products. AgCredit Corporation (ACC), the organization that administers the program on behalf of the nursery sector across Canada, has provided the following updates:

• Producers will no longer be required to submit proof of sales as long as a repayment schedule is completed and producers adhere to the repayment schedule.

• For deciduous trees, evergreens, container shrubs and flowering plants all species are now covered for the listed genus names.

• For container shrubs and flowering plants the list of eligible products has been greatly expanded.

• The advance rate summaries have been simplified so growers can more easily find their products and advance rates.

• If any products are missing please contact ACC and request their addition to the list of eligible products.

These improvements were effective as of April 1, 2014. The list of eligible products and advance rates apply to all provinces. Application forms can be downloaded from the ACC website at www.agcreditcorp.ca.

LANDSCAPE ALBERTA NURSERY GROWERS EDUCATIONAL BUS TOURA one-day nursery bus tour has been planned for Friday, August 15, 2014 in Niagara, ON. The tour will include stops at Winkelmolen Nursery, Connon Nurseries NVK Holdings, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, JC Bakker & Sons Ltd. and Southbrook Vineyards. The cost of the tour is $125.00 (+ GST) per person, plus the cost of flights/accommodation. For more information, visit www.lagrowerstour2014.eventbrite.ca or contact Kyla at the Landscape Alberta office at 1-800-378-3198 or email admin@landscape-alberta.com. Open to all members.

JC Bakker & Sons Ltd. Wholesale Nurseries

IS YOUR BUSINESS READY FOR THE NEW SPAM LAWS?Does your company send emails, social media messages or text messages to clients or prospective lists? If so, you are required to follow the Canada Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) regulations for sending commercial electronic messages (CEMs). The new anti-spam law took effect on July 1, 2014.

How do you make sure your business is compliant with CASL regulations? There are three simple rules to follow:

1) Obtain Consent: you must have express or implied consent to send a message.

2) Identify who you are: clearly and simply identify yourself and anyone else on whose behalf the message is sent.

3) Provide an unsubscribe mechanism: in every message, you must provide a way for recipients to unsubscribe from receiving messages in the future.

For more information on CASL, visit: www.fightspam.gc.ca

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MEMBER BENEFITSHOLD ON TO VALUABLE EMPLOYEESAn efficient way to employ skilled seasonal workers is to retain your employees from the past season. Retaining skilled employees is important, if not more important than recruiting new employees as it will save you on recruitment and training costs. Existing employees are familiar with the company’s methodology of work, have been trained to the company’s standard and have passed the crew’s initial review. Be the employer of choice by offering additional incentives to returning employees; whether it is a higher wage, educational and training opportunities, or by providing access to benefits the employee would not receive without your company.

CNLA offers many member benefit programs that can be taken advantage of at the employee level. The Mark’s discount card, through Imagewear, offers members a 15% discount on workwear and up to 20% off specific items in the member only discount catalogue. Discounts range from savings on CSA approved work boots, high visibility clothing and rainwear, as well as savings on other selected merchandise.

The Imperial Oil – Esso and Petro-Canada fuel card programs not only ensure your peace of mind when it comes to your fleet’s fuel purchases, but they can also

be used as an employee incentive program. Travelling to and from work can be an added cost that is getting increasingly pricey. By providing an incentive on travel costs, your employees will enjoy driving into work knowing that they are saving on the litre. The Imperial Oil - Esso and Petro-Canada programs can be monitored and controlled online so that owners can offer employees personal usage. A simple reduction of the cost from the employee’s paycheque can remove the financial hassle of having to gas up regularly, especially with fleet savings of 2.4-2.9 cents off of the litre. Utilizing programs such as gasoline incentives or covering transit costs can have a direct positive effect on your employee’s bottom line and their willingness to attend work.

Offering incentives for returning employees is important to retaining skilled workers. Incentives are linked to the rewards and recognition concept, which are good motivators to keep employees and keep them working successfully. Other common benefits that you can provide to your employees are a contribution to a retirement savings plan or career development through tuition support and training. Spending a few minutes planning your retention strategy can be a valuable exercise that saves your company money and stress in the long run. Let your employees know how valuable they are to you! Visit www.snla.ca/benefits for more information.

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INDUSTRY NEWSRESEARCH UPDATEBy: Vineland Research & Innovation Centre

In 2010, the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA) obtained the rights to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Hardy Rose Breeding Program including all of its germplasm. In a collaborative effort, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland) assumed the breeding responsibility for the research program. Dr. Rumen Conev, Research Scientist in Plant Breeding at Vineland explains the project.

Q. Can you explain what the Vineland-CNLA partnership’s Canadian Hardy Rose Breeding Program is about?

“The intent of the program is to develop a continuous line of high quality rose varieties that will generate profitability for Canadian nurseries and retailers and brighten the Canadian landscape. Our number one priority is to breed cold hardy and black spot disease resistant landscape roses. We’re also interested in developing varieties that are aligned with what consumers want in a landscape rose – specific colours, glossy dark green foliage and fragrance. The roses need to be resistant to powdery mildew and have the ability to bloom continuously. We breed for classic garden roses, as well as for landscape roses suitable for mass planting, ground cover and container and patio grown plantings.”

Q. The program is now in its fourth year, so what’s new?

“We’re launching a Pan-Canadian testing network with collaborating nurseries and academic institutions from coast to coast. Our team is busy performing over 15,000 crosses each year and combining the heredity of 100 parental varieties and lines from Canada and around the globe. Every year 10,000-15,000 hybrids are planted on our farm in Vineland, Ontario and evaluated for ornamental display and resistance to black spot disease. The best of these roses are sent to collaborators across Canada including the University of Saskatchewan for further testing in a variety of climatic conditions for black spot resistance and winter hardiness.

Following two to three years of rigorous testing in harsh conditions without fungicide sprays and winter protection, a couple of the best performing and adapted varieties are selected for commercialization each year.”

Q. What is the future of the program?

“The first Vineland-bred selections are already in the pipeline and new varieties combining disease resistance, hardiness and consumer appeal are planned for release by early spring 2018. In addition to the traditional Canadian market, Vineland’s Business Development team is working on establishing partnerships in the U.S. and Europe. Russia, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia are rapidly growing but mostly untapped markets where Canadian roses have a solid reputation.

The royalties obtained from the new releases will be funneled back into research to sustain breeding and commercialization required to continuously release rose varieties for Canadian growers for years to come.”

For more information, please contact Dr. Rumen Conev, Research Scientist, Plant Breeding at 905-562-0320 x.773, rumen.conev@vinelandresearch.com

HindSite Software released its 2014 Snow Industry Benchmark Report surveying more than 150 snow removal businesses within industry on the challenges, services, marketing, education and practices of snow. The results show the impact that the snowy season of 2013 left upon North Americans.

For most snow contractors, the 2013-14 snow season was a good one, says the Hindsite report. Revenue was up over last year, profit margins were above 20 percent and the economy either improved or at least stayed the same. But there are still concerns. Many contractors faced salt shortages and more cited rising costs - insurance, salt, equipment maintenance, fuel - as threats to their business.

2014 SNOW INDUSTRY BENCHMARK REPORT AVAILABLE

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INDUSTRY NEWSCONTINUED...

For the most part, contractors were happy with the 2013-14 snow season. 44 percent of respondents indicated that their revenue increased by more than 20 percent. Just nine percent saw revenue decrease from the previous year.

Not only was revenue up, but profitability was as well. Roughly seven out of every 10 snow professionals saw their profit margins exceed 20 percent, with 16 percent indicating they had profit margins in excess of 40 percent.

The full report can be read by clicking here!

PRAIRIE PROVINCES TAKE HOME FOUR MEDALS FROM SKILLS CANADAOver 500 students from across Canada gathered in Toronto for the 2014 Skills Canada National Competition. The competition challenges young adults in over 40 skilled multi trade and technology contests. Landscape Gardening is one of the competitive elements which includes both hardscape and softscape modules. At the end of the two day competition,

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Quebec took home the gold. Mantioba’s Dexter Bracken and Andrew Tutte came in with a close second, while Alberta’s William Singerland and Nicholas Arnoldussen took home bronze.

Next year’s Skills Canada National Competition will take place May 27-30, 2015 at the Prairieland Park in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

The Skills Canada National Competition provides a great opportunity for students of all ages to learn more about the landscape trade. For more information about careers in this exciting industry, please visit www.cnla-acpp.ca/careers.

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INDUSTRY NEWSNEW FACES AT THE CNLACERTIFICATION

Claudia Santos and Colin Vince have recently started in the Certification department over at CNLA. Colin is the Landscape Saskatchewan representative. If you wish to register for an exam, submit your recertifcation forms, volunteer for a test day or have a question about Landscape Industry Certification, contact Colin.

Claudia Santos Colin Vince888-446-3499 x.8635 888-446-3499 x.8625claudia@cnla-acpp.ca colin@cnla-acpp.ca

HUMAN RESOURCES

Sally Harvey, Manager of Education and Labour Development at Landscape Ontario, has recently added the role of Director of Human Resource Strategy. Reporting to Sally is Stacey Porter, Industry Human Resources Coordinator. They are focusing on human resource issues directly affecting the industry, at both a national and provincial level. Here are just some of the projects they have been working on:

Canadian Apprenticeship ForumThis June, the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CFA-FCA) held a two-day conference aimed at promoting trades and training to key stakeholders. One of the goals of CFA-FCA is to harmonize the various apprenticeship models in Canada across the different trades. Presentations highlighted both national and international best practices.

Mark Breslin, a keynote speaker at the event, used data drawn from the audience to show the critical state of Canada’s workforce in terms of matching jobs with the

current demographics. Another topic at the conference was the benefits of training using blended learning, which combines both classroom and online teaching. There are a lot of good things happening in the world of apprenticeship in Canada; however, there is room to grow.

HR SummitCNLA is hosting an event to help unify the association’s human resource strategy by bringing together leaders from across the country. This will clarify the relevant HR issues to be prioritized in the future. The event is happening in Toronto, July 14th and 15th.

Wage SurveyCNLA and Landscape Ontario have partnered to lead a wage survey project. With help from all ten provincial associations, the survey aims to collect wage rate data to provide industry-driven labour market intelligence. This information will then be made available to employers, employees, educators and government agencies. The project completion deadline is set for the summer of 2015.

Get in touchConnect with the association on HR issues by contacting:

Sally HarveyDirector of Human Resource Strategy1-800-265-5656 x. 315 sally@cnla-acpp.ca

Stacey PorterIndustry Human Resource Coordinator1-888-446-3499 x.8660stacey@cnla-acpp.ca

LANDSCAPE SASKATCHEWAN’S VISION Our vision is that the landscape and nursery industry of Saskatchewan be an example of professionalism and integrity, a leader in environmental improvement, and

recognized as a provider of quality goods and services to our communities.

http://www.wajaxequipment.com