NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE CNLA

BY STUART SERVICE

POSITIONS ON THE CNLA EXECUTIVE BOARD changed at the association’s Annual General Meeting on February 7, with Board of Directors meetings taking place February 7-9 in Victoria, BC.

Acclaimed to the position of CNLA president is Bill Hardy, owner of Grow & Gather (Trice Farms Ltd.) in Maple Ridge, BC. Bill is a Landscape Industry Certified Manager with more than forty years experience in retail and management environments.

Acclaimed to the position of 1st Vice President is Antia Heuver, an owner and the manager of Eagle Lake Nurseries Ltd. in Strathmore, AB, where she has worked for more than 25 years. Anita studied horticulture at the University of Guelph, where she graduated with her Associate Diploma in Horticulture, and she is also a Certified Landscape Horticulture Apprentice. Anita is now Chair of the Communications Committee.

Acclaimed to the position of 2nd Vice President is Alan White, owner of Turf Systems Inc. in Burlington, ON, who is a strong advocate for connecting plants and people for a cleaner, healthier urban climate. Alan continues in his roles as Chair of the Green Cities Foundation and as Chair of the Climate Change Adaptation Committee.

Acclaimed to the position of Treasurer is Jeff Foley, owner and operator of Para Space Landscaping Inc. in Vancouver, BC. Jeff is a Certified Landscape Manager, Certified Landscape Technician, Certified Arborist and Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist. Jeff is passionate about the industry and volunteers provincially, nationally and internationally. He is Chair of the Professional Development & Human Resources Committee.

Anthony O’Neill has now moved to the role of Past President and will Chair the Governance Committee. Anthony brings an extensive knowledge of the CNLA board operations to this new role. We would like to thank Phil Paxton for his 17 years of service, from 2006-2023, on the CNLA Board of Directors, as his term of Past President was completed. Phil will remain engaged as the Chair of the Canadian Ornamental Horticulture Alliance (COHA).

A Past Presidents Committee was formed at the Board of Directors meeting. This new committee will be advisory in nature and aims to provide updates to past CNLA presidents, keeping them informed of the association’s activities and direction. We would also like to thank Michael Kato for his 14 years of service as a Director, from 2009-2023, as he leaves the CNLA board as the BC Representative. We would like to give a warm welcome to Heike Stippler, who is succeeding to the BC Representative position.

Whistler Landscape Pro Heike Stippler Joins Cnla Board As Bc Rep

The CNLA Board of Directors welcomed its newest member, Heike Stippler, at its February meeting in Victoria, B.C. Heike is a Red Seal certified Landscape Horticulturist with a degree in Architecture from Germany. After immigrating to Canada, originally for ski instructing, she has been working successfully in Whistler since 1999, producing various projects of all sizes and several award-winning landscapes.

When she started Heike Designs Inc. in 2005, she became a member of the British Columbia Landscape & Nursery Assocation (BCLNA) as soon as possible, recognizing its benefits right away. “Being aware that there is an association, membership was not even a question,” Heike said. “Back when I started a one-person company, you really can’t achieve and reach much by yourself. You also get a very important exchange of ideas. All of a sudden, finding that there is a group of people that think alike was, for me, extremely empowering and really helpful in feeling that ‘Yes, I can do this.’”

The business has now grown to combine design/ consulting, installation and maintenance services to cover all aspects of Landscaping, and Heike focuses on environmentally conscious projects that fit each individual location. Passion for Horticulture and the environment go hand in hand for her, and she uses green practices and creates awareness by educating clients and contractors to do the same.

Heike uses and promotes the Canadian Landscape Standard (CLS) and has been part of developing various resources for the Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist training program on the national and provincial levels. She added that the CLS is “a very important piece to make sure that we do things right and we present ourselves properly to clients. “It’s something I can show clients why and how things should be like,” Heike continued.

As B.C. Representative at the CNLA Board and Past Chair of the BCNLA Board, she is involved in various aspects of the horticulture industry. Heike is a director with HortEducationBC and past director with the Invasive Species Council of BC. She is a horticulture advisor with the Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council and Heike Designs Inc. is ‘invasive-free’ certified.

An issue close to home for Heike is the same Human Resources predicament many businesses are facing. “Everybody needs labour,” she said. “We need the right people. Once the season gets rolling it’s usually 24/7, and it’s tough for me to get away. Being such a small company and having the challenge of finding labour that sticks around longer, I have to be involved quite a bit,” Heike said. She noted that being a business owner in a resort town like Whistler, where permanent residents are particularly rare, creates amplified employee retention challenges. This means Heike will need to fill in for any labour gaps and that she expects as busy a summer as ever in 2023.

Growers

Jamie Aalbers, Growers Sector Specialist jamie@cnla-acpp.ca www.cnla.ca

Garden Centres

Anne Kadwell, Landscape & Retail Sector Specialist anne@cnla-acpp.ca www.cnla.ca

“But we’ll see how it goes,” she said. “I’ve seen in the past it usually is a great exchange. I do gain from being involved (in the CNLA), but we’ll have to see how we can juggle and manage the time involved in it,” Heike continued. “I believe I can bring the smaller business perspective to the table and help represent a lot of our members’ interests.”

Climate Change

Frydda Sandoval, Environmental Policy Coordinator frydda@cnla-acpp.ca www.cnla.ca

Government

Leslie Sison, Industry & Government Specialist leslie@cnla-acpp.ca www.cnla.ca

Certification

Edith

Oyosoro, Certification Coordinator edith@cnla-acpp.ca www.cnla.ca

At her first meeting in her new role at the CNLA Heike was an active participant in discussions covering a range of topics. Going forward, she is eager to continue exchanging ideas with representatives across the country. “I’m excited about getting involved in some items that are close to my heart,” she said. “I’m always interested in the education side of things. Certification, education and communication are the things I think are really important.”

Stuart Service, Media Coordinator stuart@cnla-acpp.ca www.cnla.ca