Landscape Trades - August 2022 by Landscape Ontario

TRADES LANDSCAPEAUGUST2022CANADA’SPREMIERHORTICULTURALTRADEPUBLICATION BESTteamCONTRACTORSupwithSIRPRACTICESequallesssaltMOVINGTHESNOW&ICEindustryforward ISSUESNOW ICE

4 | LANDSCAPE TRADES ISSUEICEANDSNOW 10 30 2418 28 10 TEAMING UP Snow contractors work together through Self-Insured Retention BY SCOTT BARBER 18 BEST PRACTICES DELIVER BIG RESULTS STEP conducts a commericial winter maintenance case study. BY PAMELA STRONG 24 HUMBOLDT URBAN GARDEN SANCTUARY Volunteers create a place of peace and reflection to honour the Humboldt Broncos hockey team. BY KARINA SINCLAIR 28 MOVING THE SNOW AND ICE INDUSTRY FORWARD Work continues on a national standard. BY GERALD BOOT 30 SNOW AND ICE SYMPOSIUM SIMA celebrates 25 years. BY CHERYL HIGLEY

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6 | LANDSCAPE TRADES EDITOR & PUBLISHER Scott Barber | sbarber@ ASSISTANT EDITOR Robert Ellidge | rob@ CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mike Wasilewski | mikew@ MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST Karina Sinclair | ksinclair@ ACCOUNT MANAGER Greg Sumsion | gsumsion@ BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Liz Lant | elant@ COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Angela Lindsay | alindsay@ DIGITAL MARKETING SPECIALIST Adele Bedard | abedard@ ACCOUNTANT Joe Sabatino | joesabatino@ ADVISORY COMMITTEE Gerald Boot CLM, Laura Catalano, Lindsay Drake Nightingale, Jeremy Feenstra, Mark Fisher, Hank Gelderman CHT, Marty Lamers, Bob Tubby CLM, Nick Winkelmolen Landscape Trades is published by Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association 7856 Fifth Line South, Milton, ON L9T 2X8 comments@landscapetrades.comwww.landscapetrades.com Landscape Trades is published six times a year: February, March, May, August, October and December. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One year – $46.90 Two years – $84.74 Three years – $118.64 HST included. U.S. and international please add $20.00 per year for postage and handling. Subscribe at www.landscapetrades.com Copyright 2022. All rights are reserved. Material may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Landscape Trades assumes no responsibility for, and does not endorse the contents of, any advertisements herein. All representations or warranties made are those of the advertiser and not the publication. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the association or its members, but are those of the writer concerned. ISSN 0225-6398 PUBLICATIONS MAIL SALES AGREEMENT 40013519 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT LANDSCAPE TRADES MAGAZINE 7856 FIFTH LINE SOUTH, MILTON, ON L9T 2X8 CANADA ISSUEICEANDSNOW COLUMNS 8 GREEN PENCIL It’s time for regular, year-round pay. BY GRANT HARRISON 32 INTERNET OF NATURE Trees can talk, and with sensors, we can hear them. BY DR. NADINA GALLE 36 LEGAL MATTERS Supply chain risks are plaguing the construction industries. BY ROB KENNALEY DEPARTMENTS 40 NEWSSCAPE 52 CANADIAN NURSERY LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION (CNLA) NEWS 55 NEW PRODUCTS 61 ADVERTISERS/EVENTS 62 MENTOR MOMENT - CHRISTOPHER THACKER AUGUST 2022 VOL. 44, NO. 4 LANDSCAPETRADES.COM 8 LANDSCAPE TRADES THIS MAGAZINE IS DELIVERED IN A BIODEGRADABLE AND RECYCLABLE POLYBAG. THE MAGAZINE IS ALSO RECYCLABLE.

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Most contractors I know are more than willing to share their advice, solutions, successes and failures with others. You just need to reach out to them.

Answer: Snow contractors!

QUESTION: Who willingly deals with erratic hours, high expectations from clients, unpredictable forecasts, horrible driving conditions, and missed family events?

In recent years, we have seen more and more money invested in snow management businesses, whether that be through private equity money or from larger players buying up smaller companies. Less than 10 years ago, snow and ice maintenance businesses were not considered especially valuable. But now, investors are looking for industries with recurring revenue, which works out great for the snow industry.Asone of my mentors once said, “Regardless of the economic climate, there will always be grass to cut and snow to plow.” That is attractive to investors and potential buyers. So how can you capitalize on this and make your company even more attractive to potential buyers? Apart from the obvious things like making sure your business is profitable and well organized, another element that makes your business valuable is a great company culture. Unfortunately, creating a place where people want to work is a real challenge

8 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

Grant Harrison operates Nextra Consulting with his wife Marla in Ingersoll, Ont. He has previously held management positions with Clintar, and Gelderman Landscape Services, and owned and operated Escapes Outdoor Living.

BY GRANT HARRISON

It’s time for year-roundregular,pay in snow removal, due to the difficulty of the work and the irregular hours. To create a great culture, my first piece of advice to contractors is to ensure your staff get regular pay. Your winter staff team is basically on call 24 hours a day, seven days-a-week for five months of the year. They deserve to be compensated well for that. Many contractors have started to offer stand-by pay or a paid premium. Some take advantage of the government Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (SUB) program. However, the issue with these programs is that it does not address the main concern of your staff: they want regular pay throughout the season. It’s been my experience that people will even accept a lower wage if it’s guaranteed to be consistent throughout the season. I encourage you to talk to your team to find out what pay structure they would find most beneficial. There are lots of options available, but talking to your staff and addressing their concerns is a great way to create a strong company culture.Weare so fortunate in the snow removal industry to have organizations willing to offer assistance. Organizations like the Snow and Ice Management Association (SIMA) and Landscape Ontario have all sorts of resources available.

GREENPENCIL

Do you sometimes wonder why we do this to ourselves? If you’re like me, you do it because you love it. I believe it is a great time to own a snow business. Yes, there are major challenges, including labour and equipment shortages, as well as rising insurance and operating costs. However, there are some really positive shifts happening in our profession.

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10 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

GERALD BOOT, owner of Richmond Hill, Ont. based Boots Landscape and Maintenance was looking for a new insurance provider for his winter maintenance operation.

“I’ve been in the industry for more than 30 years and over that time, I’ve seen hard and soft insurance markets,” Monk said.

JIM MONK , co-owner and president of Markham, Ont.based MPS Property Services had a similar experience.

AUGUST 2022 | 11

“I did a pretty thorough investigation in terms of getting quotes and I got some pretty ridiculous numbers,” Boot said. “Some insurance companies were just simply getting out of the winter maintenance business altogether.”

“I think what’s been happening with our industry is there have been fewer and fewer companies willing to underwrite, period. The consequences of that are twofold: One is premiums going through the roof, and the other is deductibles getting up to really high levels with numbers like $25-50,000 becoming pretty common. I’ve heard of $100,000 deductibles. It becomes something that a lot of companies can’t afford.” continued > Ridiculous numbers. Quotes with six figure deductibles. Go away prices. THROUGH

JON AGG , owner of Ajax, Ont.-based Pristine Property Maintenance, faced the same situation. PPM has a large winter maintenance portfolio, with over 450 residential and commercial properties across the Greater Toronto Area and the Kawartha Lakes region. Agg says insurance for their winter maintenance operations was getting to the point where it wouldn’t make financial sense to stay in the business.“Everyone is insurable if you want to spend a million dollars a month,” Agg said. “But the problem is eventually the math stops making sense. What’s the point of working all of those hours, with constant stress and all that risk if you’re not making a profit?”

In the profession since 1981, Boot had seen ups and downs in the insurance market before. But his renewal in 2019 was different.

ONTARIO SNOW CONTRACTORS WORK TOGETHER

SELF-INSURED RETENTION

BY SCOTT BARBER

Mark Jackson, president of The Insurance Market, an insurance brokerage based in Pickering, Ont., said a similar pattern — rising numbers of personal injury lawsuits spurred on by hasty insurance company settlement payments — had also been a problem for the elevator contractor industry.

RETENTIONSELF-INSURED(SIR)

With SIR a company or group of companies will pay into a pool to cover claims up to a set amount, and also to defend or settle those claims as they see fit. This process allows the members to be more active and involved in the way claims are being managed. It also typically involves traditional insurance to cover claims over the set amount.

12 | LANDSCAPE TRADES HARD MARKET

continued

“personal injury lawsuits have increased dramatically in recent years, especially in Ontario, where personal injury law firms have been working on a contingency basis, which means that lawyers agree to only receive payment if they win a settlement. This has resulted in more people taking their chances with personal injury claims, such as pursuing compensation after a slip or fall at an icy or snowy location, and it has given personal injury lawyers more incentive to be aggressive and potentially seek higher damages.”

One of the big factors at play was a string of catastrophic natural disasters, including Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in the southern United States. The global pool of insurance capital was depleted, which led to higher rates and for some insurance companies to exit riskier business areas, including snow and ice management. By 2019 it was clear the global insurance market was hardening. And for insurance companies, snow and ice management was riskier than ever.

According to Insurance Business Canada,

To address the issue, Jackson began offering a number of elevator contractors SelfInsured Retention (SIR). The International Risk Management Institute defines SIR as: “A dollar amount specified in a liability insurance policy that must be paid by the insured before the insurance policy will respond to a loss. Thus, under a policy written with a SIR provision, the insured (rather than the insurer) would pay defence and/or indemnity costs associated with a claim until the SIR limit was reached. After that point, the insurer would make any additional payments for defence and indemnity that were covered by the policy. In contrast, under a policy written with a deductible provision, the insurer would pay the defence and indemnity costs associated with a claim on the insured’s behalf and then seek reimbursement of the deductible payment from the insured.”

“The problems the snow industry has been going through are very similar to what elevator contractors were dealing with about 15 years ago,” Jackson said. “They were being targeted by personal injury lawyers, getting dragged into all kinds of lawsuits and insurance companies were really not equipped to fix the underlying problem, and to invest the time into coming up with an appropriate solution for the industry.” He added, “I think insurance companies did try their best to defend claims, but in many cases, business decisions were made to settle claims and close out files to reduce legal costs. Unfortunately, that really hurts the industry in the long run because the more claims that are paid out and the higher the amount that is paid, that just attracts more claimants and personal injury lawyers into it.” >

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In 2019, Jackson began meeting with Boot, Monk, Agg and a number of other snow and ice management business owners based in Ontario to discuss forming an SIR group.

14 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

“Of course there are the obvious things you look for, like whether there is any pre-existing damage or things that might get blamed on snow removal operations through the winter. But really it’s more than that, and in a perfect world it’s a visit with a property manager to look for potential hazards. It could be things like bad asphalt, it could be awnings or downspouts, even where the snow piles are getting placed. When you fast forward to March and go through the freeze-thaw cycles, you know, where is that water going to melt and run too? So the idea behind it is that we are looking at what things we can encourage the property owner to do and what things we can do to ensure the site is safe throughout the winter months.”

WORKING TOGETHER

SITEPRE-SEASONINSPECTIONS

Pre-season site inspections are mandatory for members of the Ontario-based snow and ice management SIR group. Jeff Wooldridge, general manager of TCG Oshawa, a member company of the group, said pre-season site inspections are “inspections you do on all of your snow sites prior to the season beginning for any hazards or potential hazards that could be a detriment to you doing your Wooldridgejob.”said some things they look for are “gutters on sites that are leaking onto walkways where there is going to be high traffic. We look for gutters coming down onto storefronts or parking lots that are far away from drains that are going to cause potential freeze-thaw hazards. We are looking for cracking and uneven asphalt and concrete. Really anywhere where someone may trip when snow covers the surface.”

“With traditional insurance you have no control, none whatsoever,” Boot said. “For a lot of people, that has been a point of contention. The problem is claims are expensive for insurance companies, even for cases that would likely win in court. By the time they pay all the legal costs just to get to the discovery phase, they’ve already spent thousands of dollars. Often it makes more sense for them to try to settle long before the case gets to trial.”

They saw the creation of an SIR group with like minded snow and ice management contractors as an opportunity to cut their insurance costs in the long term, and also to take control over the claims process.“Ilook at SIR as a middle ground,” Monk said. “You have the typical insurance model where you hire an insurance company and pay them a premium and if there is a claim, you trust that the insurance will pay it. The farside of that is an insurance captive, where a number of contractors form and fund their own insurance company. And the third type is SIR, which is not owned by the contractors but it’s funded by the contractors in a pooled manner. So we each pay into the pool to self insure our own claims up to a certain point. Then there is an umbrella on top of that we pay for a policy that will kick in, in case we exhaust the pool; basically it is catastrophic coverage. However, what makes SIR powerful is not so much the way it is organized, but rather the interaction of the members in the group. We all must commit to working at the highest standards when it comes to training, maintenance

Jim Monk, co-owner and president of MPS Property Services agreed that pre-season site inspections are critical.

We also received feedback that in claim situations, contractors would provide the insurance company with everything they asked for in terms of records and documentation, and they would be told they were in great shape and have done everything right. There would then be little to no further communication regarding the claim until the following year’s insurance renewal. The contractor would be presented with their claims experience report from their insurer which would show a significant payout for that claim which they apparently were in great shape with. Of course this had a direct impact on their renewal rates. When the contractors asked the question ‘what could we have done differently to change the outcome,’ they would be looked at with blankThestares.”lackof transparency with how and why claims were settled, and the apparent unwillingness to fight lawsuits — even when the contractor had ample records to prove they had fulfilled their contractual obligations — was a major source of frustration for Boot, Agg and Monk.

“We started the process with just asking a whole bunch of questions and trying to really dig deep and understand how to reverse engineer a solution,” Jackson said. “We called a meeting and invited a whole bunch of contractors into our office for a brainstorming session. We asked a bunch of questions about how claims were being defended and what insurance companies were doing. One of the questions we asked was around expert witnesses. Who are insurance companies hiring to show that you met your standard of care in a claim situation? Every contractor in the room told us that this was not a practice they had ever experienced with their insurance company.

HIGH STANDARDS

The goal is to make sure everyone in the group is doing everything they can to prevent slips and falls on their sites. And if a lawsuit arises, they have the documentation to prove they were not at fault.“Wehire a third party, independent auditor to audit every company that is in our program,” Boot said. “They aren’t hired to audit the numbers, they audit the process. They want to see the training records, they want to see the preseason inspections, they want to see the calibration of the equipment. They want to see timesheets, journals, everything. And we had a lawyer draft our own contracts.”

16 | LANDSCAPE TRADES records, documentation, signing on to fair contracts. All of those elements ensure we are doing everything we can to prevent claims, or at the very least having a strong defence if they do arise.”

This side of the market cycle is characterized by low rates, high limits, flexible contracts, and high availability of coverage.

INSURANCE MARKETSVS.HARD101:SOFT

A hard market is the upswing in a market cycle, when premiums increase and capacity for most types of insurance decreases. This can be caused by a number of factors, including falling investment returns for insurers, increases in frequency or severity of losses, and regulatory intervention deemed to be against the interests of insurers.

HARD MARKET

“One of the key differences in a traditional insurance program is that you pay your premiums and if you don’t have a claim then your premiums are gone,” Jackson said. “In our program we are financially accountable. Our job and our claims team’s job is to use the least amount of those funds as possible. If half the pooled funds are used, then the other half goes back to the members. So the better we get at preventing or successfully defending claims, the more money gets returned to each company. Our elevator contractors SIR group is getting money returned to them every year. That is certainly our goal for the snow and landscape Industry as well.”

Agg added, “We need to show that we’re doing our calibrations, and logs, and weather journals properly. All of our trucks need to have GPS tracking. Our employees have to be trained. All of these things make it so that we are untouchable for frivolous lawsuits.”

“Each step of the way we are looking at everything from a defendability standpoint,” Jackson said. “An SIR program is also really about accountability. We are running a mini insurance company where each member is really a shareholder of that insurance company. So we take it very seriously. To be accepted into the group you are audited and members vote. If you say you are going to follow these guidelines and operating procedures then you are expected to, because if you don’t and there is a claim, you’re putting all the members’ capital at risk. We find it to be very self-regulating from that perspective.”

Boot says with the SIR program he is, “paying a little bit more than what I used to pay, but it’s a whole lot less than those quotes” he received back in 2019. And being able to get money back in successful years is a real bonus.

*Definitions provided by the International Risk Management and Insurance society (IRMI).

Now, the Ontario-based SIR program managed through The Insurance Market includes around 35 companies, including Boots Landscaping and Maintenance, Pristine Property Services, and MPS Property Services. To join the group, companies need to demonstrate best practice for staff training, record keeping and documentation, pre-season site inspections, and that they don’t take on undue risk with the contracts they sign. And there are audits to insure each company is maintaining those standards.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Jackson added, “This program is not for everybody. There is a lot of involvement expected of each member. The contractors that are typically excited about the SIR program are the ones who really want to make a difference and want to change the industry and the way they are being targeted by claimants. They want to have more control of the outcome of claims and create much needed insurance stability for an industry that hasn’t experienced that for many years.”

SOFT MARKET

PREMIUMSGETTING BACK Unlike traditional insurance the contractors of The Insurance Markets SIR program have the ability to earn back their contributions to the Self Insured pool which currently sits at $1.5 million. The more successful they are at reducing claims costs, expenses and settlements, the more of those funds that is returned to the members, including any interest earned.

AUGUST 2022 | 17 1-800-BESTWAY (237-8929) www. bestwaystone .com

BEST PRACTICES DELIVER BIG RESULTS

BY PAMELA STRONG

AUGUST 2022 | 19

aintaining commercial properties in winter has become an incredibly challenging exercise in recent years. While the main concern of contractors is clearing parking lots and walkways of snow and ice to ensure the safety of patrons, they are also working to ensure, to the extent possible, that their treatment of the site reduces their exposure to slip and fall claims. Insurance premiums have skyrocketed over the past few years, and there are many stories of a single claim increasing premiums enough to put a small company out of business.

Available training, such as that offered through the Smart About Salt Council, teaches contractors about best practices, including how much salt should be applied and in which conditions. However, it can be hard to put this knowledge into practice when you’re faced with real world conditions and pressure from property owners and the public. Given these concerns, contractors have good reason to be hesitant about making changes to their practices. To explore these issues, the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (the “Conservation Authority”) conducted a study at a large (14.2 hectare) commercial site to see if the best practices taught in training courses can be effective for both maintaining safety and limiting the amount of salt that’s applied. Two different contractors have been responsible for winter maintenance over the course of the study; the first was there from the start of the STEP winter maintenance case study

SALT USE ON THE STUDY SITE

FACTORS AFFECTING SALT APPLICATION

(t)APPLIED/EVENTSALTOFMASSAVERAGE

(mm)PERCIPITATIONTOTALSEASONWINTER050100150200250300350400450# APPLICATIONS WINTER

20 | LANDSCAPE TRADES study in fall 2014 to spring 2018, and the second has been there since fall 2018. Both contractors focused on maintaining site safety while using different management practices, with the second contractor (2018 to present) utilizing recommended best practices and reducing saltIt’suse.also important to note that neither contractor has had a slip and fall claim or complaint against them throughout the course of the study. The following sections will show that the use of best practices can provide numerous benefits to contractors, not the least of which is maintaining site safety. The failure to implement these practices, however, can potentially result in additional hazards, such as blowing snow, the freezing of melt water in drive areas, loose salt piles which can reduce traction, and reduced visibility; these can all increase a contractor’s exposure to liability.

Of course, there are also environmental costs associated with using more salt to treat a site: high levels of chloride from winter salt have impacts on water resources and aquatic life. Careful thought about how to properly treat a site and close monitoring of on-site weather conditions can help contractors enhance the effectiveness of their practices and reduce or eliminate these issues.

As noted above, the two contractors took different approaches to maintaining the site. These differences bear out in the data collected by the Conservation Authority over the years of the study. Figure 1 displays the average amount of salt applied in each event over each season (these numbers were calculated by the Conservation Authority through water quality measurements taken at the site’s single drainage outlet), with the first contractor shown in yellow, and the second shown in black. The first contractor applied an average of 12 tonnes (t) per event across all seasons, with an application rate of 81 g/m2, while the second applied an average of 10 t per event at a slightly lower rate of 70 g/m2. The first contractor noted that they used the same application rate regardless of the site conditions and expected weather, while the second tailored their application rates to the actual conditions of the site. This included noting the expected duration of the event and the forecasted amount and type of precipitation, which enabled them to apply less salt in most circumstances.

There were some extenuating factors that affected the amount of salt applied and number of applications; the first, and most obvious of Figure 1: Average mass of salt applied per event (t) with the 2014-2018 Contractor depicted in yellow and the 2018-2022 Contractor depicted in black. Figure 2: Number of applications undertaken during each winter season (2014-2018 Contractor = yellow, 2018-2022 Contractor = black). Total winter precipitation for each season, from November 15 to April 15 (mm) is shown on the secondary axis. SEASON 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 PERCIPITATION (mm)

100120806040200 WINTER

The most notable difference in how the two contractors treated the site can be seen in the number of events they responded to in each season (Figure 2). The first contractor responded to more events in every season than the second contractor. The first contractor had an average of 68 event responses each season, while the second had significantly fewer, with an average of 42. As shown in Figure 2, seasonal precipitation was not notably lower for the period that the second contractor was managing the site and does not appear to be the reason they were able to respond to fewer events. They were able to undertake fewer applications at a time when municipalities in the area were increasing the number of applications each season. They attribute being able to respond to fewer events to keeping a close eye on the weather and conditions on the ground at the site, as widely available weather forecasts may not be accurate at a smaller scale.

# these is the weather. For example, 2015/2016 was a mild winter with fewer precipitation events and less precipitation overall. Because of this, the first contractor had slightly fewer applications, and it appears that the drivers elected to apply less salt given the conditions didn’t warrant heavy applications. The other major factor was the salt shortage of the 2017/2018 season. This was a North America-wide shortage that affected road authorities and contractors alike. Due to the shortage, the first contractor couldn’t purchase as much salt as they normally would for the season, forcing them to reduce their application rates, and eventually switch to the use of sand near the end of the season. These factors reduced the amount of salt used by the first contractor. If it weren’t for the mild winter and the salt shortage, the difference between the two contractors would likely have been even more pronounced than what was observed. SEASON 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22

(t)APPLIED/EVENTSALTOFMASSAVERAGE

continued > 101214161886420 WINTER

salt) CONTRACTOR # EVENTS TREATED/ SEASON MASS/EVENT (T) MASS/SEASON (T) COST/SEASON ($) 2014-2018 66 12 792 79,200 2018-2022 42 10 420 42,000 COST DIFFERENCE 37,200

This case study highlights the effectiveness of best practices and training programs in ensuring site safety and reducing the amount of salt applied on the site to achieve safe conditions. The potential benefits to the property owner and contractors who follow best practices include cost savings and records demonstrating that reasonable steps were taken to protect patrons from winter hazards. While there were no slip and fall claims for either contractor for the duration of the study, the second contractor was able to manage the parking lot using approximately 45 per cent of the salt used by the first contractor. The difference between the two is due mainly to fewer applications, as well as lower application rates.

There can be considerable financial benefits for contractors who change their practices and apply less salt. In addition to fuel savings from sending plows and salters out less often, less wear and tear on vehicles, and less employee time spent treating the site, further benefits can be seen through cost savings on materials. Table 1 shows that, given the average number of applications and volume applied, the result is an annual savings in materials costs of over $37,000. As noted by the second contractor, training, an understanding of how to properly use salt in different conditions, and the implementation of best practices is vital when working to improve your methods. This highlights the importance of training for contractors and their staff. Understanding how the materials and the best practices work will help contractors ensure they are applying the right material, in the right amount, at the right time. Training courses are available for contractors in Ontario (such as Smart About Salt), and certification can also be obtained through these programs.

The Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program (STEP) is a conservation authority-led initiative that fosters broader implementation of technologies that protect water resources and reduce our carbon footprint. The STEP Salt Working Group includes members from Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority; Toronto and Region Conservation Authority; Credit Valley Conservation; Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks; Region of Waterloo; Region of Peel; Toronto Metropolitan University; and the Smart About Salt Council. This case study has received funding and support from the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks. Such support does not indicate endorsement by the Government of Ontario of the contents of this article. by the 2018-2022 contractor a cost of $100/tonne for

(assuming

22 | LANDSCAPE TRADES LESSONS LEARNED

CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the importance of training, understanding the site conditions, and monitoring the local weather conditions. Implementing these practices results in savings in materials costs, including salt and fuel, as well as human resource and equipment costs. It can also help to prevent the contamination of our water resources. These benefits can be realized with relatively little effort on the part of the contractor, and without sacrificing the safety of parking lot users or increasing exposure to liability. For all these reasons, training and the use of best practices should be encouraged among all snow and ice management contractors.

Another important factor in ensuring salt is only applied when necessary is a thorough understanding of the current and forecasted weather conditions, as well as the on-site conditions. This can be achieved in part through subscriptions to detailed weather forecasts. The second contractor noted that they have a staff person check the site on days with weather or expected weather to determine the conditions and what actions may need to be taken; this person also decides whether further treatment is required after the initial treatment. While this may not be practical for all contractors, it is helpful in reducing person-hours and material costs incurred through treating a site unnecessarily. On-site camera technology has evolved to a point that it can be used to perform the same function. In addition, technologies such as pavement temperature and friction sensors mounted to plows, and automated salt delivery systems that control application rates by vehicle ground speed are also important tools that can ensure the right amount of material is being applied when it’s needed.

LT TABLE 1 Material cost savings achieved

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LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES

HUGS

24 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

The organizations combined their efforts to create something meaningful for the community. “The industry shows its love for what they do by giving it to others,” Beatson said, adding that the groups overcame numerous challenges caused by the pandemic.

“It’s pretty universal across Canada, but the pandemic has been a boom for landscaping,” Beatson said. “Trying to get materials wasBeatsonproblematic.”estimates the landscaping community donated over $200,000 worth of services and materials. “Most sponsors gave

April 6, 2018 is a tragic date forever etched in Canadian history. Over four years later, Canadians from coast to coast remember the shocking news of a junior hockey team bus crash. The accident claimed the lives of 16 people and injured 13 others. The Humboldt Broncos had been on their way to a semifinals game, hoping to bring a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League Championship back to the small farm town located about 230 kilometres north of Regina. The tight knit community of Humboldt was devastated by the loss; nationwide, Canadians rallied to support the victims and theirOnefamilies.project designed to support the community and commemorate the lives lost is the Humboldt Urban Garden Sanctuary, also known as HUGS. The garden, which officially opened at the Humboldt District Health Complex on June 22, 2022, was a collaboration between Landscape Alberta, Landscape Saskatchewan, Communities in Bloom, Green Cities Foundation, and Scotts Canada.

A place of peace and reflection BY KARINA SINCLAIR

Everything ground to a halt in the spring of 2020, just as the HUGS project was gaining momentum. Suddenly, no one knew if they’d be able to work at all that year, or how available volunteers might be duringEvenlockdowns.assuming people could work outside safely, getting those people to Humboldt was another challenge. The town’s population is roughly 6,000 and there weren’t enough local landscapers to take on the whole project. It was at least an hour-and-a-half drive to bring helpers in from member companies in other communities. The result was to write off 2020, but Beatson added “as we got into 2021, we said we have to get going on this.” That’s where project manager and past-president of Landscape Saskatchewan Leslie Cornell came in to help marshall resources and volunteers. Even with Cornell’s experienced hand at the helm, the project faced another pandemic-induced issue plaguing the broader landscape trade: supply chain shortages.

Joel Beatson is the executive director of both provincial associations. He said the Humboldt tragedy was felt by everyone, so although the healing garden is in Saskatchewan, Landscape Alberta offered administrative help to support the smaller Saskatchewan membership. The Landscape Alberta board met within a week of the fatal accident. Three of the eight board members had played junior hockey, and like the Humboldt team, had memories of travelling across western Canada by bus to play in tournaments. “It was three grown men almost in tears at the meeting,” Beatson recalled. “That’s when we decided to reach out to the city and say, ‘hey, we’d like to do something.’ And unbeknownst to us, our friends at Communities in Bloom had also reached out to the city at the same time.”

Despite the many challenges and delays, organizers and volunteers seemingly willed the HUGS dream into reality. “It definitely stemmed from a very caring starting point, of just seeing a community torn apart and really hurt by this,” Beatson said, explaining the group wanted to build a space not only for memoriam, but also something flexible enough that people could use it however they saw fit. By placing the healing garden on the hospital site, they knew it would become a space for caregivers, recovering patients, and for the community at large to find solace in nature. The project has been deeply meaningful for everyone involved, Beatson said. “When we’ve had opportunities to deal with the families involved directly, the gratitude they show really drives home why you’re doing it because you’re building something that will last forever.”

VOLUNTEER SUPPORT

The sunset patio faces west, and features 16 plants to represent the lives taken in the tragedy. A pair of angel wing-shaped garden beds wrap around those sitting in the space.

At the grand opening ceremony, local dignitaries, volunteers, and families connected with the Broncos celebrated the thoughtful addition to their community.

A PLACE FOR CONNECTION

“The project helped bring green industry professionals and community members together to help green their city and create a space of relaxation and healing in Humboldt,” Leslie Cornell said. Four years in the making, HUGS is ready to be enjoyed. The serene new gardens show what is possible when dedicated volunteers come together to support a great cause.

Beatson expressed his gratitude to the many organizations and individuals who contributed, including: members of Landscape Saskatchewan and Landscape Alberta, the Green Cities Foundation, Communities and Bloom, Scotts Canada, the Humboldt and District Health Complex, the city of Humboldt, Olds College horticulture program, and a host of agencies, designers, suppliers, and volunteers.“Allourmembers just love, you know,” Beatson said, reflecting on the generosity of the landscaping community. “They love what they do, and they love to share it with people.”

26 | LANDSCAPE TRADES materials at cost, but it’s a big, big project to make,” Beatson said. “Without the donations, we would be nowhere. The industry, as always, comes to the table.”

Landscape designer Christyn Palazzo said her intent was to create connection with walking paths and meaningful sitting areas.

Beatson says the community support was amazing. “We had volunteers from the local community, including families impacted by the tragedy. Our friends at Farm Credit Canada (FCC) have a staff mandate of volunteer time every year so they came from multiple offices for Beatsonplanting.”saidagroup from FCC came for two days and planted over 300 trees and shrubs. That was a major accomplishment, but to complete grading and other foundational elements, the project needed professional landscapers. “Laying pavers, for example, you need somebody who knows what they’re doing,” Beatson said. “We had great equipment partners too. But even that was a struggle because there were supply chain issues with equipment.” Anyone who had equipment to lend was now committed to their paying customers who were “banging down the door to get it.”

GRAND OPENING

LT Volunteers celebrated the grand opening of HUGS on June 22, 2022.

Palazzo Landscape Design Spring 2022 saw a push to plant more annuals and install a gazebo, benches, and landscape lighting. A commissioned art piece by local metal artist Murray Cook serves as a symbol of grace and transformation. The 14-foot sculpture features steel flowers and butterflies that cast coloured shadows that shift with the sun throughout the day.

The perimeter of the sunrise patio is planted with 13 shrubs and grasses to represent the survivors of the Bronco crash. Palazzo says the early morning view “reminds you that the sun will rise every day, and you will continue to move forward into your journey.”

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Contractors are frustrated and snow and ice contractors are referred to as “the bad snow guys,” since it’s the snow guys that cause premiums to increase. Contractors are left scratching their head as to what the insurance company is doing with their claim and why they are not proactively fighting claims. Often enough they do not find out how much money the claim was settled for. So are things getting better? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? In Ontario there is now a 60-day statute of limitations for submitting a slip and fall claim. Hopefully other provinces will follow suit with similar legislation.

28 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

I have been in this industry for over 40 years and the number one problem 40 years ago is still the number one problem today. Slip and fall claims continue to occur with the same result: insurance companies pay out based on their high costs of challenging a claim. If a claim goes to discovery, that is about as far as it goes. Contractors rarely find out what happens after the discovery, let alone the status of their claim, even if it doesn’t get to discovery.

The snow industry in Canada…is it moving forward? As we reflect on the snow and ice sector in Canada and how it has progressed in the past 40 years, we need to ask ourselves, is it better? How do we continue to improve?

Many thanks to our national association, Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA), who funded the study, which included a consultation process involving key informant interviews. Four key issues were identified:

3. Environmental impacts: The lack of understanding about the science of salt is creating significant BY GERALD BOOT

Work continues on a national standard

2. Training and competency: There is no formalized requirement for contractors to meet a minimum level of training or competency. There are many “fly-bynight” operators who don’t provide a consistent and professional level of service.

Contractors knowing their claims status by the first of June at the latest is a huge improvement for when an insurance policy comes up for renewal. The best policy renewal dates are between the first of June and the first of September. At that point, you should have knowledge of the previous season’s claims. In the fall of 2020, stakeholders in the Canadian snow and ice management industry approached the CSA Group — a not-for-profit standards development organization — with a request to consider the development of a national standard on snow and ice management. Stakeholders identified three key reasons to support the request: (a) ensuring public and worker safety, (b) rising liability and insurance costs, and (c) managing risk from snow and ice management practices to nearby ecosystems. CSA Group agreed the proposal had merit for further investigation, noting that National Standards of Canada (NSC) are not developed to specifically address stakeholder liability and insurance costs, but are one tool that might assist in mitigating these considerations for stakeholders.

1. Liability: Snow and ice contractors are required to bear all the liability for slip and falls.

MOVING THE SNOW AND ICE INDUSTRY

AUGUST 2022 | 29 environmental impacts as salt is overused.

Gerald Boot CLHM (Certified Landscape Horticulturist Manager) is President, CEO and Founder of Boot’s Landscaping and Maintenance in Richmond Hill, Ont. Gerald is a Past-President of Landscape Ontario and a current member of the Landscape Trades Advisory Committee.

Gerald Boot Chair, Landscape Ontario’s Snow and Ice Sector Group

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4. Regulatory framework(s): No statutory framework was identified that specifically regulates what the industry must do to protect the environment and keep the public safe. A virtual workshop was held where invited stakeholders validated the findings of the key informant interviews. A range of documents that could serve as resources for a potential seed document for a national snow and ice standard were identified. A high-level table of contents for a potential standard was also received. In May of 2022 the CSA Group produced a Workshop Agreement on Assessing the Need for a Snow and Ice Management Standard of Canada. This document can be found at standard.need-for-a-snow-and-ice-management-csagroup.org/article/theIt is clear there is a need for a National Snow and Ice Standard. To that end, the CSA was approached to facilitate the process. They indicated earlier this year that due to their current work schedule they could not consider it at that time. We will approach them again at the end of the summer (2022) to find out if they will be able to take the lead in producing a Snow and Ice Standard for Canada. Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Absolutely. I believe the ball is rolling. Will it take another 40 years? Not if I can help it.

OF THE Nueva®

T he Snow & anniversarycelebratedAssociationManagementIce(SIMA)the25thofitsSnow and Ice Symposium June 21-24, 2022. The Symposium took place in the association’s hometown of Milwaukee, Ohio, and featured over 25 education sessions, two facility tours, 140+ trade show exhibitors and a myriad of networking receptions. More than 2,200 people attended the four-day event. The last traditional Symposium was hosted in 2019. SIMA navigated the COVID-19 pandemic with a virtual event in 2020 and four smaller “roadshow” events in 2021. “It was great to be back together in our traditional symposium format for 2022,” SIMA CEO Martin Tirado said. “We missed seeing so many of our Canadian members over the past few years and were happy to have them back at the Best Show in Snow.”

Strategic planning sessions: The show’s “out of this world” theme took shape at strategic planning sessions that encouraged people to define their “moonshots” and to work with their peers to create plans to make them happen.

Education sessions: Workshops and education sessions were presented by industry experts and snow and ice peers on a variety of topics, including: leadership, sales, automation, liquids, recruiting and retention, operational efficiencies and more.

SIMA celebrates

Trade show: The industry’s largest trade show for snow management pros featured nearly 150 exhibitors showcasing the latest products and services.

Show

Networking: The symposium is an ideal space to make new connections and build relationships. This year’s event included two snack and chats, four role-focused roundtable events, three SIMA After Hours parties and an anniversary celebration. The week wrapped up with an outing to Summerfest, the World’s Largest Music Festival, on the shores of Lake Michigan.

BY CHERYL HIGLEY

Facility tours: A sold-out crowd weathered temperatures over 37 degrees Celsius for tours of two premier Milwaukee facilities: Winter Services, a snow-only service provider; and the manufacturing and distribution facilities of Western Snowplows.

30 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

Off-balance opening keynote: The event officially opened with a rousing keynote address from Dan Thurmon, who encouraged attendees to shift their mindset from fear of change to seeing it as an opportunity to lead, grow, and transform.

SIMA, Director of Education and Content

The 2023 Snow and Ice Symposium is scheduled for July 13-16 in Hartford, CT. Learn more about SIMA at www.sima.org. highlights

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The

Snow and Ice All-Stars recognize team members who work behind the scenes and in the field to ensure their company’s success.

Setting the ambition, however, isn’t hard. By 2030, Milan plans to plant three million trees, Houston pledged 4.6 million, Sydney five million, and Shanghai, two million, representing each of the city’s kids. In Canada, although not an urban goal, the federal government is two years and only 29 million trees into it’s promise to plant two billion trees by 2030. While these announcements generate fanfare, the results often fall short. Where data-driven decision making and robust monitoring plans lack, disappointing results follow, and saplings rarely mature to form healthy, successful urban forests. When saplings are neglected, maintenance efforts quickly fall on residents, further exacerbating tensions between city officials and citizens around ownership and responsibility for trees. In short, we need a better strategy than I had at 10: sticking sticks in the ground and hoping for the best. What if we didn’t focus on planting trees, but on growing them instead? That would likely mean a lot fewer stems in the ground, but a lot more canopy cover in decades time. And that, according to the research, is where the good stuff is. A recent largescale study by KU Leuven concluded one large tree with a robust crown has more impact on human health and wellbeing than 10 young trees. Another study from the University of Hamburg shows the older a tree is, the better it absorbs carbon. In fact, the study demonstrates almost 70 per cent of all the carbon stored in trees is accumulated in the last half of theirHowlives.can we ensure the success of fewer centenarian trees, rather than an army of youngsters? The key to success lies underneath our feet. By building better tree beds, reserving below ground space at an early stage, and ensuring soil health rich with microorganisms, trees can thrive, even when faced with car exhaust, urinating pets, and increasingly unpredictable weather events.

Trees can talk — Are we listening?

Nadina is a new columnist for Landscape Trades.

32 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

BY DR. NADINA GALLE I GREW UP IN WATERLOO, ONT. Like many suburbs, what we might’ve lacked in sidewalks, public transit, and culture, we made up for with an abundance of space — both above and below ground. When I was 10, on Maple Leaf Day (or Arbor Day, to the rest of the world), my school organised a tree-planting campaign. Parents had complained of sweltering hot conditions in the school “yard,” which was largely made up of asphalt and concrete. I can remember huddling in the shade of the school building rather than playing. The campaign was a resounding success. A small forest was planted, with 1,600 trees and shrubs in total. I hadn’t thought about it until a recent visit home when I saw a boy playing hide-and-seek behind a tree I had planted when I was hisToage.this day, I remember how easy that planting day was. Pick a spot, dig a hole, lug the sapling in, cover it with soil, and water it, not too much, but just enough. “Why didn’t we do this sooner?” I remember thinking. Although I didn’t know it then, that day was one of many that inspired my career in ecological engineering. Two decades later, and after having lived in big cities like Toronto, Boston, Singapore, and Amsterdam (home to some of the world’s most ambitious urban forests), I’ve learned that planting urban trees is anything but easy. With stiff competition for space, compacted and polluted soil, and lessthan-favourable attitudes toward trees, my 10-year-old self wouldn’t have gotten very far. Focus on growing, not planting trees

INTERNETOFNATURE

continued

The “wood wide web” Scientists have long known that where cities haven’t disrupted them, nearly all plant species have a mutually beneficial relationship with soil fungi called mycorrhizae. Some call it the “wood wide web” because it functions as a communication network. The fungi absorb nutrients from the soil, like nitrogen and phosphorus, which plants struggle to extract on their own. They exchange them for carbon, which fungi need to survive. I call it the world’s longest-standing trade agreement.Sensorsoffer a way to plug into this “wood wide web,” and have become one of the mainstays of my practice “Internet of Nature” (IoN), which seeks to uncover how emerging technologies can help officials, practitioners, and citizens manage — and connect to — urban ecology. By offering a direct line of communication, sensors can help translate trees’ needs to human intervention. For the past five years, I’ve been advising municipalities, contractors, private estates, and even theme parks like Disney World, on how sensors can play an important role in their overall tree maintenance operations.

In the Netherlands, where I am now based, it has become the rule rather than the exception that 15-20 per cent of all trees planted die within their first year. The primary cause? Too little or too much water.That was the case in the City of Maastricht, in the south of the Netherlands, where 1,000 linden trees were planted on top of a newly-built tunnel in a two-metre deep metal “box.” These trees — as is becoming increasingly commonplace in dense urban cores wanting to reforest — have no chance of ever reaching groundwater and thus, must be carefully monitored. >

But even if the soil conditions are ideal for planting, tree care managers and citizens require more information to ensure conditions stay ideal for growing. Rather than hoping for the best, we can realise the best, by gaining insight from below ground.

AUGUST 2022 | 33

Luckily, these sensors can also measure electrical conductivity, which is helping to alert caretakers to remove excess road salt in tree pits, before it kills street trees. Or oxygen, which is helping researchers at Ontario-based Vineland Research and Innovation Centre to understand the risks of over-watering, an often silent killer of trees. Or pH, which provides an early warning sign of heavy metal accumulation.

The technology to hear trees is here, but the question remains: will practitioners learn to trust it, so we can all listen? LT

there for generations, not seasons. Moisture is an important piece of the soil health puzzle, but it’s not everything.

In collaboration with the municipality and soil sensor company SoilMania, we installed three soil moisture sensors. Wildly skeptical, the contractor ran a small experiment. On top of the tunnel, he only watered when and where the sensors told him to. On a similar site with the same soil, trees, and conditions, the contractor watered like he always had, armed with a nursery schedule and good old-fashioned intuition. In an era of changing seasonal patterns, the results showed intuition alone was no longer enough. After three years and two heat waves, the no-sensor site had lost a fifth of its trees, while the sensor site hadn’t lost a single one. The contractor was thrilled, having no trees to replace. The municipality was ecstatic, investing in another 40 sensors to install across the city. The residents breathed easy, knowing the trees would be PM

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The moral of the story here is not to put a sensor by every tree. In fact, to take care of those 1,000 lindens only three sensors were used. Each site is different and at each site we ask ourselves: what is the minimum amount of sensors for the greatest impact? It’s something I ask myself about all IoN technologies: what is the minimum amount of technology I can use to achieve the biggest impact?

34 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

DR. NADINA GALLE

In this new regular column, Nadina will makingand(IoN)InternetspotlightofNaturetechnologiespractitionersadifference in how we can optimize soil health, manage urban forests, create liveable cities, and everything in between. To learn more about the IoN and to catch weekly episodes of the Internet of Nature Podcast, visit: nadinagalle.com.

The real moral is learning from the insights gleaned, so tree care managers and citizens may even one day render the sensors obsolete. Artificial intelligence gets us one step further. By developing a prediction algorithm, we are now beginning to understand not only that a certain zone of trees needs water today, but that it will likely need 150 litres of water in 48 hours. Or organic matter in three days. Or humic acid in five days. When we do that, we can transform tree care from a reactive to a proactive practice.

AUGUST 2022 | 35

36 | LANDSCAPE TRADES LEGALMATTERS

BY ROB KENNALEY SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES are currently plaguing the construction and services industries on a worldwide basis. The starting point for how the parties allocated the risk of this problem is the contract between the parties: in virtually every circumstance the written or implied terms of the contract will govern. As regards supply chain issues, it is particularly important that “surrounding circumstances” can be taken into consideration.Theleading Canadian case on contract interpretation is the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Sattva Capital Corp. v. Creston Moly Corp., 2014 SCC 53, where the court held that a practical, common-sense approach is to be taken, with a view to determining the intent of the parties on “a reading of the contract as a whole, giving the words used their ordinary and grammatical meaning, consistent with the surrounding circumstances known to the parties at the time of formation of the contract” (emphasis added). The court held that surrounding circumstances are what was, or reasonably ought to have been, within the knowledge of both parties at the time of contracting. They can include “anything which would have affected the way in which the language of the document would have been understood by a reasonable man.”

The court went on to confirm that the role of surrounding circumstances will vary from case to case and cannot be used to change or overrule the plain meaning of the contract. Also, the subjective intention of the parties does not matter: only

o Arborists should still be careful as they prune, as even bare fall branches can become dense enough to obscure an overhead line.

PARTNER CONTENT

Patrick Falzon, powerline safety specialist at ESA, recommends that arborists and landscapers be proactive by following best practices and proper safety protocols:•Carefully prune trees to be a minimum distance of three meters away from all powerlines.

FACING ARBORISTS AND

The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) recommends that all outdoor workers, such as arborists and landscapers, always stay at least three meters away from overhead powerlines.Withwinter storms and icy winds on the horizon,

After an ice storm, powerlines can have approximately two inches of solid ice weighing them down. All it takes is one weak conductor in the powerline for the line to snap and fall to the ground. If you encounter a downed powerline, do not approach it - stay a minimum of ten meters (about the length of one school bus) away. If you are working high up in a tree and a storm starts to blow through, it is recommended you stop work immediately and disengage. During stormy weather or in windy conditions, the conductor can swing up to 1.8 meter per side. Get down as quickly and safely as possible and increase your distance from the overhead powerlines.Landscapers working during the winter should also be cautious as they work ploughing snow and clearing essential areas, as their actions can increase powerline dangers to pedestrians.

• Always assess a job site for potential powerline hazards:oIfyouare pruning a tree in preparation for heavy snow that falls within the three meters limits of approach, a certified utility arborist meeting the 444B requirements must be contacted to perform the work instead. Utility arborists are trained on how to work safely within three meters of a powerline.

While powerlines make up a vital network connecting cities and townships across the province, they still pose a lethal risk to anyone attempting to get close to them. Even without direct contact, electricity can still arc from powerlines to nearby people and tools.

“Every year there is a recurring issue where snow is stockpiled directly underneath overhead powerlines. This means you’ll have kids playing on these snow piles under powerlines that are close enough to touch,” says Patrick.ESArecommends landscapers be mindful of where they’re working, and not to stockpile snow under or beside powerlines, or adjacent to fenced in substations. By piling the snow against these fences, their purpose is defeated, as someone could simply climb the snow pile and enter the substation.

SEASONAL DANGERS THISLANDSCAPERSWINTER

Overhead powerlines pose a threat to all workers, especially during Ontario’s volatile winter weather - however, that danger can be greatly reduced by following ESA’s safety protocols and procedures.

As the summer draws to a close and we enter colder seasons, arborists and landscapers are urged to look up and look out for overhead powerlines – it could mean the difference between life or death.

c) What relief the contract provides for upon a force majeure event. Each contract has to be interpreted on its own to determine if the contractor/supplier gets a schedule extension, additional compensation, or both, or neither. We note, however, that most force majeure clauses, on their face, only provide schedule relief. They do not expressly provide for additional compensation.

a) What the contract has defined as a force majeure event. Commonly specified events include strikes, lockouts, “acts of god,” war, insurrections and circumstances beyond a parties’ control. If an event (such as the pandemic) is not listed, it might be read in, as above. However, if it is dealt with expressly, the express terms will govern;

Where the contract is silent on an issue, the Supreme Court of Canada established in M.J.B. Enterprises Ltd. v. Defence Construction (1951) Ltd., [1999] 1 SCR 619 that terms will be implied where they are necessary to give “business efficacy” to a contract, or where the parties would have considered them to be so obvious that they didn’t need to be stated. The latter can be established, the court held, where the term meets the “officious bystander test”: Where the parties would have unquestionably said, “of course!” had a helpful bystander suggest that they formed part of the deal. The circumstances surrounding worldwide supply chain problems might then be used to assist the parties to interpret a contract or to imply a term into the contract. Whether or not this can occur in any particular case depends on the words of the existing contract and the circumstances of each particular case. If the current (and perhaps heretofore unanticipated) supply chain risks have been expressly allocated (one way or another), those terms will almost certainly be enforced. However, if the contract is silent or in any way unclear on the issue, surrounding circumstances and implied terms might play a role.There are two other legal concepts to be considered: force majeure and frustration. A force majeure clause is the ‘circumstances beyond the parties’ control’ clause. It is a creature of contract, in that force majeure relief is not available on its own unless the contract provides for it. (This is not to say that force majeure terms cannot be read into the contract by surrounding circumstances or implied terms). Important considerations include:

Frustration is a common law concept which applies when it is virtually impossible for a party to perform its obligations under a contract. It occurs, for example, where a contractor has been retained to build a cottage on the edge of a cliff that has slid into an ocean. It is well settled that frustration does not apply where

38 | LANDSCAPE TRADES objective evidence of what both parties knew or ought to have known at the time of contracting can be admissible.

b) Whether or not a force majeure event has actually occurred. Our courts have historically not allowed contractors or suppliers to rely on economic or marketplace changes to claim for force majeure relief. However, it might be argued (in certain circumstances and depending on what the contract says) that COVID-19 related worldwide and systemic transportation and logistics problems differ from the economic and marketplace risks which contractor/supplier agreed to assume; and

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performance is simply more difficult, or more expensive, then the contractor/supplier anticipated. As regards supply chain issues, if it is impossible to get the supply any quicker (from the same or a different source), frustration might apply to provide relief. In the end, as above, whether or not a contractor or supplier might be entitled to relief from supply chain impacts (and what that relief might be) will be a function of how the contract is interpreted.

The exception is where performance is impossible, in which case “frustration” might apply. When read in its entirety, if the contract has unequivocally allocated the risk of the current (and perhaps unique) supply chain issues, it will generally be enforced on its terms. Interpreting the contract, however, can involve an assessment of surrounding circumstances, commercial realities and the parties’ expectations, including what an “officious bystander” might say should be included.

LT ROB KENNALEY is with Barrie.TorontoofficesConstructionKennaleyLaw,aconstructionlawfirmwithinSimcoe,and

FENCESOURCE.CA

There is no doubt that, in some cases, the worldwide supply chain problems we currently face are different from the economic and marketplace risks the parties would have contemplated in negotiating contracts. Accordingly, depending on what the contract is interpreted to say, relief might be available on a contractcontract-by-basis.

this highly-efficient horticultural operation is clearly driven by a need to innovate and improve at every level.”

Gold: Wagagai, Uganda Silver: Jens Meyer Jungpflanzen, Germany

Pablo YOUNGBazzaniPLANTS

YOUNG INTERNATIONAL GROWER OF THE YEAR

Finalist: Matyas Bartha, Silver Vase, USA Finalist: Chris Rocheleau, ForemostCo USA

YOUNG INTERNATIONAL GROWER

Bronze: Brookdale Treeland Nurseries, Canada

Now in its 12th year, the IGOTY Awards recognize best practices in horticulture by the top ornamental production nurseries from around the globe, celebrating the expertise and energy they give to horticulture.Established in 1972 by Tom and Vickie Van Wingerden, Metrolina Greenhouses has grown to employ over 3,000 people. Their two locations in the United States comprise 528 acres of growing space. They grow and deliver live plants to over 1,400 retail outlets on the east coast of the U.S., maintaining a focus on quality, innovation, and sustainability.“It’sagreat testament to our whole team, all 3,000 of our employees, everybody back in America, who made this possible. This Gold Rose is indicative of all the work everybody put in,” said Abe van Wingerden, co-CEO of Metrolina Greenhouses.

METROLINA GREENHOUSES NAMED 2022 GROWER OF THE YEAR

Winner: Pablo Bazzani, Plazoleta Flowers, Colombia

Tim Edwards, chair of the awards jury which comprises six internationally renowned horticulture experts, commented: “The judges were enormously impressed by Metrolina Greenhouses, a company that started 50 years ago and has grown to an impressive size while managing the difficult passage from one generation to the next. While still boasting the credentials of a ‘family business’,

40 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

FINISHED PLANTS AND TREES Gold: Metrolina Greenhouses, USA Silver: Bunnik Group Bv., Netherlands

CUT FLOWERS & BULBS Gold: Matina Flowers S. A. S, Colombia

The coveted ‘Gold Rose’ award was presented to Metrolina Greenhouses by Royal FloraHolland CEO, Steven van Schilfgaarde, at the AIPH IGOTY Awards 2022 on June 14, 2022 at GreenTech Amsterdam. The Huntersville, N.C.-based ornamentals grower also won Gold in the Finished Plants and Trees category.

Other IGOTY 2022 category winners are:

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Silver: Prim’rose (SCA Clementine), Morocco Bronze: Luxaflor Roses, SUSTAINABILITYZimbabwe Gold: Brookdale Treeland Nurseries, Canada Silver: Wagagai, Uganda Bronze: Sitio Kolibri, Brazil

Metrolina Greenhouses has been awarded the title of International Grower of the Year (IGOTY) 2022 by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH).

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• Lunch provided to conference attendees.

The rugged MVP 3™ v-plow gives you all the power, productivity and performance you need for commercial snowplowing. With extreme flared wings, up to 45” on the heavy-duty 10’ 6” model, and double-acting cylinders, the MVP 3 v-plow has earned its reputation as a reliable plow by consistently delivering on what matters most.

• Outdoor demos for conference attendees.

• A chance to hear what Landscape Ontario and the Snow and Ice Management Sector Group’s efforts are with respect to the push for legislative change around slip and fall claims.

• Face-to-face opportunities with leadingedge vendors at the trade show.

• Prize draw at the end of the day. Visit snowposium.ca to learn more.

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•

• Education sessions with topics covering industry trends, slip-and-fall insurance, salt, liquids and more.

A single-day trade show featuring the latest snow and ice equipment, technology and services from exhibitors.

The Snowposium Snow and Ice Management Conference and Expo returns to an in-person format at Landscape Ontario in Milton, Ont. on Sept. 15, 2022. Produced by Landscape Ontario’s Snow and Ice Management Sector Group, the event provides an opportunity for winter maintenance professionals to learn, network, and meet with suppliers. The event is geared towards snow and ice management professionals, municipal winter maintenance managers, commercial and multi-unit residential property managers, and technical staff.

RETURNS TO MILTON SEPT 15

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Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland) has appointed Darby McGrath as vice president, research and development. In her new role, McGrath will guide the direction of Vineland’s innovation portfolio to maximize realworld impact with a team of more than 50 scientists and technicians. McGrath joined Vineland in 2013 as Research Scientist and was named Program Leader in 2018. She also leads Vineland’s Greening the Landscape Research Consortium. McGrath holds a Master’s degree and a PhD in Social and Ecological Sustainability from the University of Waterloo. She is an Adjunct Professor at Brock University and the University of Waterloo.

“For almost a decade Darby’s strong collaborative approach and innovative spirit have helped Vineland become a leader in green infrastructure research through the establishment of successful relationships across the horticultural sector,” Vineland president and CEO Ian Potter said. “I look forward to her bringing that spirit and drive for excellence to this new role.”

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RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Vineland is a uniquely Canadian, results-oriented organization dedicated to horticulture science and innovation. It delivers innovative products, solutions and services through an integrated and collaborative cross-country network to advance Canada’s research and commercialization agenda. Located in Canada’s Niagara Region, Vineland is an independent, not-forprofit organization, funded in part by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership — a five-year federal-provincial-territorial initiative. For more information, visit vinelandresearch.com.

VINELAND NAMES MCGRATH HEAD OF

“Planting trees is an important part of our plan to fight climate change, protect biodiversity and create good jobs across the country,” Wilkinson said. “Our government is actively working with partners to continue to deliver upon our commitment to plant two billion trees across Canada, and Trees for Life projects are actively contributing to this effort.”

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Trees for Life is a national charity committed to mobilizing, empowering and inspiring tree-planting initiatives across Canada.

“The funding provided by the Government of Canada through the 2 Billion Trees program is so crucial to our ability to continue to grow as an organization and to expand our impact on a national level,” Trees for Life president Mark Cullen said. ”Our donors will continue to be highly motivated to provide support knowing that it is being matched by our federal government. We could not be more thankful for the wonderful opportunities the 2 Billion Trees programLaunchedprovides.”in2021, the 2 Billion Trees program is part of Canada’s Natural Climate Solutions Fund. In the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, the federal government committed up to $3.16 billion over 10 years to deliver on the commitment. In 2021, Trees for Life received $2 million through the program and planted 274,000 trees across Canada. The Canadian government says the program is on track to reach the target of two billion trees over the next decade and is designed to support organizations across Canada in planting an increasing number of trees each year. In its first year, the program signed agreements to support organizations in planting approximately 30 million trees, representing more than 50 species, at more than 500 sites across all provinces. Going forward, the Government of Canada is entering into long-term agreements to secure planting over 10 years. By 2026, the program aims to plant 250-350 million trees annually.

TREES FOR LIFE MILLION FROM 2BT

RECEIVES $2.4

On June 7, 2022, Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, announced over $2.4 million in funding through the 2 Billion Trees program (2BT) to Trees for Life. With this funding, Trees for Life will engage partners and collaborators on 34 different tree-planting projects. The projects will range in size, style and scope and, working in different communities and ecosystems, will plant approximately 600,000 trees in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick this tree-planting season.

AUGUST 2022 | 45 NEWSSCAPE

Karin Walters is a member of a third-generation leadership team at Walters Gardens, which also includes Ryan Hop, chief operations officer, and Christa Steenwyk, vice president of marketing and industry relationships. Since the executive team at Walters Gardens began succession planning in 2019, it has focused on transitioning from being a smaller company at the helm of one leader, to a larger company guided by a cohesive team of leaders in Karin, Ryan and Christa. Under John’s leadership, Walters Gardens has grown from a smaller company mainly serving the Midwest through bare root sales, mail order and packaged perennials to a respected international presence in the industry.

WALTERS GARDENS NAMES LEADERSHIP TEAM

Walters Gardens announced the leadership transition plan from the current CEO, John Walters, to Karin Walters, his daughter and current vice president of product strategy. John will retain his role as CEO until Oct. 1, 2022, when the transition will take place and he will take on his new role as executive chairman of the board.

Walters Gardens’ leadership team: Ryan Hop, Christa Steenwyk, John Walters and Karin Walters.

“It’s been a long process of planning, especially since I love this company and industry so much,” John Walters said. “I’m proud to say that I have a great deal of confidence that not only Karin will do a great job as CEO, but with Ryan Hop and Christa Steenwyk (and myself) rounding out the executive leadership team, Walters Gardens is in a strong position for the future with such a team.”

Karin Walters said: “I am excited to take on this new role in October and continue to build the dream our family has been working on for many years with the help and support of Christa and Ryan.”

“Kubota Canada has cemented itself as one of the country’s premier tractor and compact equipment distributors during our proud 47-year history, and I am thrilled and honored to have been selected to lead this great company into the future,” Montagano said. “It is crucial that we at Kubota Canada continue to honour our commitment to innovation and to our customers and dealers, both of which remain at the heart of our business. I look forward to working with the rest of the executive team as we continue to build on the exceptional growth Kubota Canada has seen under Bob’sHickey’sguidance.”retirement comes after a more than 40-year career with Kubota Canada – having first joined the company in 1981 as controller – where he took on several leadership positions before stepping into the role of president in 2013. The company says Hickey contributed to an unprecedented period of growth for Kubota Canada, leaving the company in an incredibly strong position, with over $1 billion in sales projected for 2022.

This leadership transition comes at a time of substantial investment for Kubota in Canada, including over $80 million for a new state-of-the-art corporate office and 500,000 square foot warehouse space in Pickering, Ontario. The grand opening is planned for October 2022.

PRESIDENTMONTAGANONEWSSCAPENAMEDOFKUBOTACANADA

Kubota Canada announced Yannick Montagano will succeed Bob Hickey in his role as president of the company following his retirement on June 30, 2022.

46 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

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A 25-year veteran of Canada’s industrial sector, Montagano steps into the role from his current position as Kubota Canada’s vice president of sales, marketing, service and engineering – a role he’s held since December 2018.

“I am very proud to have had a lifelong association with such a world class organization,” Hickey said. “Kubota Canada has been such an important factor in my life, and it feels so good to be leaving with the company still at the top of its game. I look forward to watching Yannick and the executive leadership team steer Kubota Canada to continued growth and success.”

The world’s most breathingadvancedmachine

Introducing Trees. This once-in-a-million-year innovation doesn’t just clean the air we breathe, it has powerful Earth-cooling abilities and can improve our mental health. But in so many places, nature’s inventory is quickly running out. You can help turn things around. Donate now and join us in increasing the tree canopy in communities across Canada at TreesForLife.ca Thank you to our sponsors and supporters. machine

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Socio-urban integration in the midst of an ecological reserve: The case of Rodrigo Bueno Buenos Aires, ecosystemAddressingLIVINGParis,OASISSuncheonConservationSunchoenmanArgentinaBayWetlandProjectCity,SouthKoreaSchoolyardProjectFranceGREENFORBIODIVERSITYthelossofspecies,habitats,health,andgeneticdiversity.ReverdecerBogotáBogota,ColombiaActLocal,ContributeGlobaltoWorldBiodiversityConservationVictoriaPark,AustraliaVilledeParis-DEVEParis,France

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Addressing the medical, behavioural, and social determinants of health for residents.

AIPH CITY

THE 2022 AIPH WORLD GREEN CITY AWARDS SHORTLIST: LIVING GREEN FOR CLIMATE CHANGE Peynircioglu Stream Ecological Restoration Project Izmir, Turkey Grey to MexicoandMexicoMelbourne,GreenAustraliaCity’sEnvironmentalClimateChangeProgramCity,Mexico

LIVING GREEN FOR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

ANNOUNCES GREEN

LIVING GREEN FOR SOCIAL COHESION

The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) announced the finalists for the inaugural Green City Awards. “We are thrilled to be showcasing excellence in city greening from cities around the world,” AIPH secretary-general Tim Briercliffe said. “As we reach this very exciting milestone, AIPH is confident that the first ever AIPH World Green City Awards is a resounding success, leaving a legacy that will shine through in future editions. Congratulations to each and every one of the shortlisted cities. We proudly celebrate this amazing achievement with you.”

The Phytotechnology Stations at the Montreal Botanical Garden / Space for Life Montreal, Canada Creating a Green City Logan City Council, Australia uMhlathuze Water Stewardship Partnership uMhlathuze, South Africa

Fostering belonging, trust and intergenerational as well as crosscultural relationships to prevent exclusion, marginalization and violence.

Ensuring that water resources are safeguarded and wisely used, with clean water available to all while also protecting residents from flooding risks.

LIVING GREEN FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND INCLUSIVE GROWTH

Sakata Seed America has been serving the North American produce industry from its headquarters in Morgan Hill, Calif., since 1988. The company recently announced plans for two new locations: Salinas Valley and Woodland, Calif. All of the supplier’s operations and personnel functions are in the process of being relocated to its new 219-acre site in Woodland, with expected completion by late 2024.

“The expansion of our Woodland Innovation Center (WIC) is an exciting and necessary step for the future of Sakata,” company president and CEO Dave Armstrong said. “As we broaden our leadership position in a range of warm crops, it’s imperative that we support our growing business and deepen our roots in one of the world’s most dynamic growing regions: the ‘Silicon Valley of seed.’ Our headquarters relocation to Woodland reflects our commitment to California’s vital agriculture and seed sectors, and the investment enables us to consolidate R&D and multiple other functions on a single, state-of-the-art campus.”

SAKATA EXPANDS CALIFORNIA FACILITIES

Creating systems and solutions that allow all city residents to overcome economic distress andThethrive.2020-2030 Master Plan for the Conservation, Improvement and Development of Parc Jean-Drapeau Montreal, TransformationCanadaof “Beltway to Green Belt” Mashhad, Iran Green Necklace to the State of Telangana Hyderabad, India The shortlist of entries is presented on behalf of the Technical Panel by the six Category Leads to the 2022 Awards Jury who will identify one winner for each category, as well as the overall AIPH World Green City Awards 2022 winner. In addition to selecting the shortlist, the Technical Panel has made non-categoryspecific nominations to be considered by the Jury for Highly Commended Awards. These Highly Commended Awards are given to city entries that did not score high enough to make the shortlist, but which demonstrate a particularly innovative and inspiring approach.

AUGUST 2022 | 49 | Surrey City Hall, Civic Plaza & Civic HotelSurrey, SeminarBCSeries | September 13 to September 15, 2022 Trade Show | September 14 & 15, 2022 Register Now! LT Third Page Magazine Ad.indd 1 2022-07-15 3:01:06 PM NEWSSCAPE

This relocation to the Woodland Innovation Center will follow the second phase of a comprehensive infrastructure expansion project, which kicked off back in 2016. The WIC officially opened in 2018, marking the completion of phase one of the project, which featured 16 acres of operational facilities, including greenhouses, a LEEDcertified office, headhouse, washery, a 25,000-square-foot warehouse, featuring the latest technology in seed processing equipment, and a farm shop.

TFWP EXTENDS ADVERTISING REQUIREMENT SUSPENSION foreign workers in primary agriculture were suspended.Whileemployers are not required to meet TFWP minimum advertising requirements or submit proof with their LMIA application, the federal government stated in a media release that employers are still expected to continue efforts to recruit Canadians and permanent residents for the positions to be filled.

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is extending the suspension of minimum advertising requirements for all positions in the primary agriculture sector by a year, until June 30, 2023. Since January 12, 2022, the minimum advertising requirements for employers applying for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to hire temporary four brothers. As Korea battled famine in the wake of the Second World War, the need for agricultural mechanization fuelled Kim’s determination and creativity. The brothers’ work resulted in machines that increased food production throughout a critical time during Korea’s industrialization. Kioti Tractor, a division of DaedongUSA, has been providing equipment across North America for more than 35 years. The company offers more than 60 tractor models, 12 zero-turn-radius mowers, and five utility vehicle models. They also have plans for an expansion into compact construction in late 2022.

50 | LANDSCAPE TRADES WWW.LRSHELTERS.CA 1-866-216-4113 24x36 $ 6308 with 7oz/14 mil cover + fitted back end cover 20x30 $ 4997 with 7oz/14 mil cover + fitted back end cover SALT DOMES : EQUIPMENT SHELTERS GREENHOUSES : GENERAL STORAGE *Due to ongoing supply issues, book now for late fall delivery * Woven Poly Covers also available in 12oz/24 mil 27x50 $ 8845 with 7oz/14 mil cover + fitted back end cover 30x40 $ 8596 with 7oz/14 mil cover + fitted back end cover

GROW WEST COAST SHOW RETURNS TO SURREY show combined with educational seminars and sessions to the horticulture industry. Grow West Coast Horticulture Trade Show is aiming to be Western Canada’s premier horticulture event, attracting qualified buyers from throughout the Pacific Northwest and across North America; representing landscape professionals, architects, municipalities, garden centres, suppliers and wholesale/retail nursery and greenhouse growers. Visit growwestcoast.com to learn more.

Daedong Corporation, the South Koreabased agricultural machinery company and parent company to Kioti Tractor, celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2022.

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DAEDONG CELEBRATES 75TH ANNIVERSARY

“The spirit of innovation that fuelled the company’s founding remains our guiding principle today as we develop quality products that meet the needs of our customers around the world,” J.S. Kim, chairman and CEO of Daedong Corporation, said. “We’re proud of the impact Daedong Corporation has had on the global agriculturalAccordingindustry.”toDaedong, the company was founded in 1947 by Sam-Man Kim and his

The Grow West Coast Horticulture Trade Show will return to the Surrey Civic Plaza in Surrey, B.C. on Sept. 14-15, 2022. We are excited to welcome you back to the show at Surrey City Hall, Civic Plaza & Civic Hotel!”“The B.C. Landscape & Nursery Association is happy to carry on the legacy of the CanWest Hort Expo, under its new name,” the show’s website says. “The event will deliver an exceptional outdoor market-style trade

GET TO KNOW ALL OUR HARDWORKING SHRUBS AND TREES AT BAILEYNURSERIES.COM/ FIRST-EDITIONS/ Introducing Little Hottie ® SORIGHTHOTNOW.

A grower favorite, this new panicle hydrangea introduction is a compact, well-branched shrub with brilliant white blooms. After multiple years of testing, Little Hottie® has proven its genetically compact size, both in production and the landscape, as well as amazing heat tolerance where it doesn’t burn in warm-climate heat.

“We believe it’s in the best strategic interest of the company to make this move, which supports Caterpillar’s strategy for profitable growth as we help our customers build a better, more sustainable world,” chairman and CEO Jim Umpleby said. Caterpillar has had a presence in Texas since the 1960s across several areas of the company. Illinois still has the largest concentration of Caterpillar employees in the world. The company will begin transitioning

NGB ANNOUNCES 2022 SELECTIONS

Caterpillar announced it will move its global headquarters to the company’s existing office in Irving, Texas, from its current location in Deerfield, Illinois.

AUGUST 2022 | 51

HEADQUARTERSCATERPILLARNEWSSCAPEMOVESTOTEXAS its headquarters to Irving in 2022. “With 2021 sales and revenues of $51 billion USD, Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives,” the company stated in a media release. “Caterpillar does business on every continent, principally operating through three primary segments –Construction industries, Resource industries and Energy and Transportation – and providing financing and related services through our Financial Products segment.”

Each year the National Garden Bureau (NGB) selects one annual, one perennial, one bulb crop, one edible, and one shrub as their “Year of the” crops. Plants are chosen because they are popular, easy-to-grow, widely adaptable, genetically diverse, and versatile. For 2022, the selections were: peperomia, gladiolus, lilac, phlox, salad greens and verbena. Learn about each plant at ngb.org.

The Green Cities Foundation (GCF) teamed up with Scotts Canada and the Boys and Girls Club (BGC) of West Scarborough to install raised vegetable gardens on June 3, 2022.About 30 kids from the BGC joined staff from Scotts Canada and Hank Deenen Landscaping to top up four garden beds with soil and plant vegetables provided by Sheridan Nurseries. The kids got a hands-on learning experience as they were taught gardening basics, including how to use different tools, how to properly space PROJECT CONNECTS WITH NATURE different types of plants, and how to gently loosen roots while transferring plants from pots to the raised bed.

Karen Stephenson, Scotts Canada’s director of regulatory affairs and stakeholder relations, said the event is a pilot project that she hopes is the first of many. Stephenson said she looks forward to Scotts Canada teaming up in the future with more BGC locations to do more community planting days across the country. Staff from Hank Deenen Landscaping played a big role in getting everything ready for the event. Scotts shipped the soil, rain barrels and garden beds to Deenen Landscaping’s warehouse, then Deenen staff arrived in West Scarborough the day before to install, level, and arrange all the materials to ensure the kids from the BGC could fully immerse themselves in making the final touches to their four new vegetable gardens.

Partners on the project include: Communities in Bloom, Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, Compost Council of Canada, and Nutrients for Life Foundation of Canada.

KIDS

PILOT

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AUGUST 2022 | 53

BCNLA members donated materials and labour for the NEW COMMUNITY GARDEN OPENS IN BURNABY, B.C. project while Steamworks will provide the ongoing maintenance and stewardship of the greenspace as a commitment to the improvement and beautification of the neighbourhood. A grand opening celebration was held June 29, 2022. Project supporters include: Art’s Nursery Atkinson Landscaping, Bishop Landscaping, Blue Pine Enterprises, Coastal Irrigation, Dick’s Lumber, East Richmond Nursery, Exemplar Horticulture, GardenWorks, Golden Spruce Habitat Systems, Kato’s Nursery, Para Space Landscaping, SteamWorks Brewing, and Terralink Horticulture Total Ground Effects. Learn more a gcfoundation.ca.

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Steamworks Brewing Company, Para Space Landscaping, members of the British Columbia Nursery and Landscape Association (BCNLA) and the Green Cities Foundation partnered in the summer of 2021 to renovate an ignored and underutilized area in Burnaby, B.C. — transforming it into a public greenspace for the benefit and enjoyment of the community. The park features outdoor seating, a wooden pergola, a pollinator garden installed in raised hexagonal wooden planter beds and a “bee hotel” to support a healthy pollinator insect population.

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Increased profitability: Focusing on emerging technologies to address labour challenges, create more value-added products, and increase productivity.

Focusing on greenhouse gas emission reductions and carbon sequestration, as well as other environmental areas including: soil health, water quality, air quality, biodiversity and plastics.

• New plant development for ornamental horticulture.

• Survival of trees/plants after transplant in the landscape.

• Mechanization/automation in nursery/landscape.

Climate change and the environment:

The CNLA Research Committee met recently to discuss and develop a research priority list for the Canadian nursery/landscape/retail sectors. The Canadian Ornamental Horticulture Alliance (COHA) is initiating a call for proposals for the next Ornamental Research Cluster and setting priorities to guide that call is the first step.

Listed below (in order of priority) are the most important research needs of Canada’s nursery sector value chain, as identified by the committee:

SETS RESEARCH PRIORITIES

Since COHA represents floriculture as well, priorities will be combined with those of the nursery sector to ensure the research projects selected to be part of the Ornamental cluster will address challenges in both sectors. Priorities must also align with those identified by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for the 2023-2028 Agri Science Clusters program. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have released their guidelines for the next cluster proposal process and have identified three broad themes where funding will be allocated.

• Understanding the impact of urban trees/plants/forests on climate.

• Improvements in water use management.

Sector resilience: Research aimed at improving sector resilience in response to market and societal pressures, including mental health. Expect more information and inquiries from CNLA in the next few months as it embarks on the arduous journey of preparing a proposal to AAFC for this fourth COHA Research cluster. COHA and its member associations are focused on submitting the proposal by Nov. 1, 2022 with an anticipated start of April 1, 2023 for projects. For more information, contact Leslie Sison CAE, CNLA Industry Human Resources and Government Relations at leslie@cnla-acpp.ca.

CNLA

• Plastics use reduction in nursery/landscape.

• Pest and disease solutions.

This heavy-duty angle plow is designed with reinforced moldboard and angled edges for a straighter cut through snowbanks. A single carbide cutting edge ensures durability and strength.

Fisher announced an all-new line of Storm Boxx pusher plows with patent-pending Trace Edge Technology. This technology features independent, two-foot sections that move vertically, oscillate, and trip to contour to the plowable surface. The pushers also feature a threequarter-inch cutting edge with carbide inserts, making them durable for heavy-duty commercial applications. Fisher fisherplows.com

The SnowEx Drop Pro 250 and Drop Pro 600 spreaders provide up to 36 inches of spread width in a drop pattern to keep salt exactly where your vehicle drives. With three mounting systems, these units can fit on most UTVs, compact tractors, or wheel loaders so you can tackle sidewalks and other hard surfaces truck equipment can’t easily access. SnowEx snowexproducts.com

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AUGUST 2022 | 55 NEWPRODUCTS

56 | LANDSCAPE TRADES NEWPRODUCTS WHEELCOMPACTLOADERS The Cat 906, 907, and 908 wheel loaders boast a re-engineered operator’s station, leveraging exclusive Cat technologies to improve operator experience and provide larger wheel loader model comfort on a smaller platform. Featuring the new Cat C2.8 engine, the upgraded drive and powertrain deliver faster roading speeds and drivetrain performance. Cat cat.com COMPACT SWEEPER The compact sweeper from Metac Metal Technology features caster wheels that make it easier to follow the edge of sidewalks and roads, and the 30 degree hydraulically adjusted angling and oscillation help clean every dip. Metac Metal Technology metac.ca

SnowEx feature a help keep the trace edge in contact with the

3/4-inch cutting edge with carbide insert making them durable for heavy-duty commercial applications, and self-leveling side plates that

has upgraded its line of Power Pusher plows with the new trace edge technology. The pushers also

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plowing surface. SnowEx snowexproducts.com NEWPRODUCTS

The Fisher XV2 V-plow comes equipped with double-acting cylinders and extreme flared wings — up to 45 inches on the heavy-duty 10.5-foot model. The plow also features independent trip-edge protection to get over bumps and hidden obstacles, whether in V, scoop, or straight-blade configuration.

AUGUST 2022 | 57 Take On Winter with the Ultimate Snow Fleet With numerous snow clearing attachments and accessories, Toro and Ventrac offer solutions to satisfy all of your snow and ice management needs. The SSV Sidewalk Snow Vehicle’s industry-first compact 36” width makes it your most efficient way to clean sidewalks and other tight areas this winter. Get in touch to book a free demo: 1-800-561-TURF inquiries@turfcare.ca | turfcare.ca @Gr8estShowOnTRF @TurfCareProdCA PUSHER PLOWS

V-PLOW

Avant Tecno avanttecno.com

PUSHER PLOWS

58 | LANDSCAPE TRADES NEWPRODUCTS

Avant Tecno introduces the 645i and 650i loaders to its 600 series. The machines feature dimensions and lifting power in the same range as previous 600 series models, with a new Kubota 44 horsepower engine.

The TL723 and TL923 telehandlers from Bobcat feature redesigned comfort cabs, turbo-charged tier four engines and easy-to-access service points. These newest models, in addition to the TL619 launched in 2021, round out the R-Series telehandler lineup. Bobcat bobcat.com

The Western Pile Driver lineup of pusher plows come with three heights and a common carrier attachment system making them compatible with skid-steers, wheel loaders, tractors, and backhoe loaders. The patentpending Trace edge system is made up of independent foot sections that oscillate, move vertically, and trip to accommodate contours and obstacles in the plowable surface.

Western westernplows.com TELEHANDLERS

WHEEL LOADERS

AUGUST 2022 | 59 HAND TOOLS

a chalk reel and a

Camp portable/transferable power

Base Camp,

WB700 zero-turn mower is a mid-size walk behind machine with a hydraulic drive that fights operator fatigue and minimizes ground disturbance. Bobcat says the mower’s compact size allows for precision maneuverability for mowing around obstacles and highly landscaped environments and its TufDeck cutting system provides a commercial-grade cut. Bobcat bobcat.com

Bobcat’s

tools to

brushless motor and sonic turbine fan

serrated auger, a direct-drive hydraulic chute rotation and a hydraulic flap to keep the operator warm in the cab. Metac

into compact,

Worx

removable power pack that holds four 20V 5.0Ah Power Share PRO batteries, charges all four batteries with an included cord and can be used to power other Worx 80V tools. Worx worx.com www.easternfarmmachinery.com RR3, 10 Nicholas Beaver Rd., Puslinch ON N0B 2J0 P: 519-763-2400 • F: 519-763-3930 UP SA50%TOLT SAND AND SALT SPREADERS SAMI SPREADERS OFFER OVER 20 MODELS OF SPREADERS IN MOUNTED (LOADER OR 3PT.), TOW AND WALK BEHIND MODELS BOTH BROADCAST OR DROP STYLE ARE AVAILABLE • CAPACITIES FROM 2 CU. FT. TO 3 YARDS • HYDRAULIC, GROUND OR PTO DRIVE NEWPRODUCTS WALK BEHIND ZERO-TURN MOWER

This lightweight, hydraulic snowblower from Metec Metal Technology has a 16-inch Metal Technology metac.ca

tape

hand

improve jobsite efficiency. The

brushless

Dewalt dewalt.ca

Dewalt is expanding its Atomic Compact Series portfolio with new tools. The series introduces several new design features highly portable layout help first lineup of hand tools to join the series include measures, pocket laser measurer.

measuring and

The new Worx Nitro 80V backpack leaf blower feature the new Base system, highefficiency technology. a

BACKPACKBATTERY-POWEREDBLOWER

COMPACT SINGLE AUGER SNOWBLOWER

IRRIGATION CONTROLLERS

Contractors can install the new Rain Bird LXME2 or LXME2 PRO as new controllers or as retrofits to existing LXME and LXMEF models in the field. The controllers can be expanded from 12 to 48 stations using 12-station modules, and both models support Simulstation capability, enabling them to run up to five stations at once for maximum efficiency in tight water windows. Rain Bird rainbird.com

PLUNGE TRACK SAW

RATCHETS

Dynamic introduces a line of industrial quality ratchets, featuring a 108-tooth gear with three and half degree arc swing for superior performance, even in tight spaces. The new ratchets are available in 1/4, 3/8, or 1/2” drive sizes with five-, seven- and 10-inch lengths, respectively. Dynamic dynamictools.ca

NEWPRODUCTS

Milwaukee Tool announced the M18 Fuel 6.5-inch Plunge Track Saw. The new saw provides a cordless, portable solution that leaves finish-quality cuts through the hardest of wood, with over 90 per cent dust collection, Milwaukee Tool says. Milwaukee Tool milwaukeetool.ca

60 | LANDSCAPE TRADES Simplify your daily operations and ease manpower with a Side Discharge Bucket from SpreadHLA.material to the left or right with no hydraulic setup changes, less machine settings means more time to get the job done. www.hlaattachments.com519.291.4162 SAVES TIME AND YOUR BACK.

AUGUST 2022 | 61 ADVERTISERS EVENTS COMPANY WEBSITE PAGE AccusSalt Systems accusaltsystems.com 22 Arctic Equipment Manufacturing Corporation arcticsnowplows.com 25 Atlas Polar Company Ltd atlaspolar.com 34 Avant Tecno USA Inc avanttecnousa.com 31 Bailey Nurseries baileynurseries.com 51 Bauman Manufacturing Ltd baumanmfg.com 56 Beaver Valley Stone Ltd beavervalleystone.com 52 Best Way Stone Ltd bestwaystone.com 17 Bobcat Company bobcat.com 5 Boss Snowplow bossplow.com 13 Coivic Contracting Ltd coivic.com 54 Daniels Plows/Brian’s Automotive danielsplows.com 44 Draglam Salt draglamsalt.com 15 Durham Artificial Grass durhamartificialgrass.ca 54 Eastern Farm Machinery easternfarmmachinery.com 59 Electrical Safety Authority esasafe.com 37 FenceSource fencesource.ca 39 Gro-Bark gro-bark.com 58 Grow West Coast Horticulture Trade Show growwestcoast.com 49 Horst Welding horstwelding.com 46, 60 Husqvarna husqvarna.ca 21 Kubota Canada Ltd kubota.ca 9 L & R Shelters Inc lrshelters.ca 50 Limestone Trail Co Inc limestonetrail.com 46 Miller Compost – The Miller Group millercompost.ca 38 Milwaukee Tool milwaukeetool.ca 23 Miska Trailers miskatrailers.com 64 Muskoka Auto Parts Limited muskokaauto.com 2, 3 Oaks Landscape Products oakspavers.com 29 PRO Landscape by Drafix Software prolandscape.com 53 Platinum Natural Stone platinumnaturalstone.com 27 Spring Meadow Nursery Inc springmeadownursery.com 7 Stihl Ltd stihl.ca 63 The Salt Depot saltdepot.ca 39 Turf Care Products Canada Ltd turfcare.ca 57 White’s Wearparts Ltd whiteswearparts.com 36 Windy Ridge Corporation stonehook.com 33 WPE Landscape Equipment wpeequipment.ca 42, 43 Year of the Garden 2022 yearofthegarden.ca 35 Zander Sod Co Ltd zandersod.com 48 SEPT. 14-15, 2022 GROW WEST COAST HORTICULTURE TRADE SHOW Surrey, B.C. growwestcoast.com SEPT. 15, SNOWPOSIUM20222022 Milton, Ont. snowposium.ca SEPT. 18-21 ELEVATE PRESENTED BY NALP Orlando, Fla. landscapeprofessionals.org/ELEVATE OCT. 18-21, 2022 EQUIP EXPOSITION Louisville, Ky. equipexposition.com JAN. 10-12, 2023 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO CONGRESS 2023 Toronto, Ont. locongress.com Follow us @landscapetrades WELCOME TO THE NEW HOME LandscapeTrades.comOF

62 | LANDSCAPE TRADES MENTORMOMENT

One of the most exciting things we have started using are liquids. We dipped our toes in it over eight years ago, but we did not commit enough and it failed. We tried again two years ago and had a lot more success. This led us to go even bigger last season and convert nearly all of our parking lots over to liquid de-icing. Unfortunately, we have learned that liquids are not a one-sizefits-all solution and that flexibility is needed, especially when dealing with warm to cold and

What do you enjoy most about winter maintenance?

The challenge: it is really hard to run a good snow removal operation. You have to have Plans A, B, C, D, E and even F. The weather is always different and so many curve balls can get thrown at you.

Taking on the storm

Innovation: technological improvements on the winter side of things seem to happen a lot faster. For example, over the past 20 years the industry has moved away from rubber pusher boxes and salt to live edge blades and liquid deicing. Impact: while it is one thing to improve and build upon nature, winter maintenance has an instant impact. In many cases, the work we do as winter service professionals allows other first responders to do their job.

CHRISTOPHER THACKER went from being a 12-year-old kid with a shovel to running one of Toronto’s largest snow removal operations. Clearing nearly 550 commercial properties last season in the downtown core, Thacker’s company, Mr. Mow It All, specializes in urban snow removal. In peak season, the company employs nearly 80 field employees who are supported by 12 office and management staff. Landscape Trades connected with Thacker to learn more about his passion for snow and ice management.

What are the biggest challenges your winter maintenance operation faces?

How has your operation evolved over the years?

Staffing: there just is not enough work available in the wintertime to make every employee a full-time, dedicated snow removal team member. Like many other companies, this means that we have to hire individuals who work part-time. While we are lucky to have found a lot of individuals that this works for, it is not always the easiest sell to new recruits. To overcome some of the staffing/recruiting challenges we hired a full-time HR manager about two years ago. They do all of our recruiting, retention, as well as health and safety. What would you tell someone who is thinking about launching a winter maintenance business? I would recommend they try it out by working in an operation first and doing it for a year or two. I think anyone in this business would tell you it’s not for everyone. There is a lot of job-related stress and fatigue. Simply put, most are not suited for it. Even running a larger operation, you will always be glued to the weather models and constantly planning contingencies should things not go as planned. It’s fairly difficult to turn your mind off snow in the wintertime. To be successful, I think it is important that everyone in business finds a peer group. You’re the average of the people you associate with and the reality is that most of our family and friends have no idea what it takes to run a business. Meeting others who have been down the road before and know the challenges will help you overcome any obstacles you encounter. LT

mixed precipitation events. Liquids have become an important tool in our toolbox and when the conditions permit, we are able to dramatically cut down our salt use. This not only helps lower our salt bill, but it also lowers our environmental impact, and our clients and their pets love the lack of salt.

① Battery and charger sold separately. ② Weight without battery. VOLTAGE 36 V WEIGHT ② 3.4 KG/6.8 LB ƒthatReliabilitySPECIFICATIONScountsKMA135R BATTERY KOMBISYSTEM ADAPTABLE SOLUTIONS FOR PROFESSIONALS. The KMA 135 R battery-powered KombiEngine is a versatile tool that can efficiently loosen soil, blow debris, trim grass and hedges, prune trees, manicure paths and gardens. The use of one powerhead with 14 separate attachments welcomes more storage space and less maintenance of multiple tools. The KMA 135 R is lightweight, emission-free and quiet in operation. The effortless KMA 135 R features a brushless motor and provides the performance that landscapers and groundskeepers require to complete their work in a timely manner. The ergonomic loop handle provides greater comfort and less user fatigue. Built with three power settings to offer the momentum required for a task, while conserving battery energy and longer battery runtimes. Battery Power. Made by STIHL. PRO-FLEET LANDSCAPECOMMERCIALPROGRAM STIHL’s Pro-Fleet Commercial Landscape Program is designed to provide commercial landscapers a volume discount on major purchases of five or more landscaping power tools. Visit your STIHL Dealer today to find out more and take advantage of the savings! Scan code for more www.stihl.caorinformationproductvisit FORA WIN GrandPrize HAR EYDAV SONMOTORCYCLE • JOINTHECLUB • R*EGISTERATwwwSthlclubca

Landscape Trades - August 2022

Articles inside

INTERNET OF NATURE

GREEN PENCIL

MOVING THE SNOW AND ICE INDUSTRY FORWARD

SNOW AND ICE SYMPOSIUM

HUMBOLDT URBAN GARDEN SANCTUARY