Landscape Trades - May 2021

May 2021

VOL. 43, NO. 3

landscapetrades.com

The history of pavers in Canada Permeable paving tech rises to meet the stormwater challenge Seamus O’Regan on the two billion tree pledge

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CONTENTS MAY 2021 VOL. 43, NO. 3

PUBLISHER Scott Barber | sbarber@landscapeontario.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Robert Ellidge | rob@landscapeontario.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mike Wasilewski | mikew@landscapeontario.com ACCOUNTANT Joe Sabatino | joesabatino@landscapeontario.com ACCOUNT MANAGER Greg Sumsion | gsumsion@landscapeontario.com COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Angela Lindsay | alindsay@landscapeontario.com DIGITAL MARKETING SPECIALIST Adele Bedard | abedard@landscapeontario.com 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 Phone: (905) 875-1805 Email: comments@landscapetrades.com Fax: (905) 875-0183 Web site: www.landscapetrades.com LANDSCAPE ONTARIO STAFF Darryl Bond, Amy Buchanan, Joan D’Souza, Kaneisha De Leon, Tony DiGiovanni CHT, Cassandra Garrard, Meghan Greaves, Lori Harding, Sally Harvey CLT CLM, Chantal Jorgensen, Amanda Laszcz, Keri MacIvor, Heather MacRae, Kathy McLean, Shalini Mehta, Sarah Rafols, Joe Salemi, Christy Sebastian, Ian Service, Jessica Tucker, David Turnbull, Lissa Schoot Uiterkamp, Tom Somerville,

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 2021. 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.

The evolution of hardscaping in Canada from the early 1970s to today.

FEATURES 6

History of pavers

The evolution of hardscaping in Canada.

BY JORDAN WHITEHOUSE

12 Bracing for the (1)00 year storm

Permeable paving tech rises to the storm water challenge.

BY MARK DOUGLAS WESSEL

16 2 billion trees in 10 years

Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan on the fed’s tree planting promise.

20 Hope is growing

A new campaign to get Canadians gardening.

24 Congress Connect education

The LIVE Series goes digital.

26 Photographer spotlight - Jeff McNeill

Stunning images from one of Canada best landscape/garden photographers.

32 Soil health and sunstainability

NVK Nurseries sees success with cover crops

BY GILLES LAPOINTE

COLUMNS

34 Road to success

Garden centres have come along way over the past 50 years.

BY ROD MCDONALD

36 Management solutions

The hiring debate: Skillset vs. Cultural Fit.

BY MARK BRADLEY

40 Legal matters

Legislative solutions to slip and fall liability.

BY ROD MCDONALD

54 Mentor moment

DEPARTMENTS 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

4 GREEN PENCIL 44 NEWSSCAPE 48 CNLA NEWS 51 NEW PRODUCTS 53 EVENTS/ADVERTISERS

MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

3

GREENPENCIL

The next chapter LANDSCAPE TRADES PUBLISHER Lee Ann Knudsen

It takes guts to start a business.

Business owners take on risk to create retired in January, after over 20 years jobs and generate the economic with the magazine. Lee Ann and her activity that is the backbone of husband Kerry, originally from the Canada’s economy.

United States, moved to a stone Of course, Lee Ann hired me cottage in the Allegheny Mountains of following that interview in 2015, and Pennsylvania, where they plan to spend over the last five and half years, she plenty of time enjoying the outdoors. became a wonderful mentor and Lee Ann’s passion for landscape friend. On page 54 of this issue, you horticulture professionals was can read my Q&A with Lee Ann in this clear from the first day I met her. I’ll issue’s Mentor Moment. never forget the way she described I have now moved into the Landscape Trades readers when we Landscape Trades publisher role, SCOTT BARBER first met. She called the small business and feel incredibly privileged. I feel a owners in the landscape horticulture profession “heroes,” great deal of responsibility too. Landscape Trades has been and she absolutely meant it. serving the landscape horticulture profession in Canada for That was the fall of 2015, and I was working as a reporter 40 years. My hope is that it will continue on for another 40 for a community newspaper, the Woolwich Observer, based years. in Elmira, Ont. I met Lee Ann for a job interview for the The media landscape today is drastically different from open assistant editor position. when Landscape Trades launched back in 1979.

From my perspective, the role was a perfect fit. I Going forward, our team is committed to telling stories was a journalist by training, but I also had a passion for and sharing news across both the printed page and landscaping. electronic screens in ways that readers find compelling and My first experience in landscaping was a summer job in engaging. This year, you will see enhancements to both the high school, on the maintenance crew at Highland Gate magazine and LandscapeTrades.com. We look forward to Golf Course in Aurora, Ont. Unfortunately, that course has sharing more details soon. been shuttered for a housing development in the (many) Of course, it won’t just be me undertaking this process. years since, but that’s a story for another day.

Landscape Trades is produced by a passionate team I loved that job, spending days on a mower or with a line of media professionals: Mike Wasilewski, our creative trimmer in my hands. The 5:30 a.m. start times weren’t director, leads the design and layout. Robert Ellidge, our always easy, but the free golf after work certainly made up assistant editor, works on stories and copy editing; Angela for it!

Lindsay, our communications coordinator, serves as our Then, in the summers during my undergrad degree administrative backbone; Adele Bedard is our digital and for the first few years after graduating, I worked for marketing specialist who oversees our social media; and several landscape maintenance and landscape design build Greg Sumsion, our account manager, provides print and companies in the Greater Toronto Area. I have nothing but digital advertising solutions to our valued clients. fond memories of those years.

And none of it is possible without you, our loyal It was deeply gratifying to build and care for outdoor readers. Thank you for continuing to trust and value spaces that enhance people’s lives.

Landscape Trades. LT But what really sticks with me the most is the passion and Scott Barber is the publisher of Landscape Trades. He has been dedication my employers showed. “Heroes” Lee Ann had with the magazine since 2015. referred to them during that first interview, and now that I’m a bit older, I get it.

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ISTORY OF PAVERS

Looking back on the evolution of hardscaping in Canada

BY JORDAN WHITEHOUSE

IN THE EARLY 1970S, a young man named Ed Bryant was building a ski chalet in Horseshoe Val-

ley, Ont., when he hired a Swiss stonemason to construct a fireplace. At one point, the stonemason showed Bryant a brochure from his father’s company in Zurich which sold paving stones. Bryant was impressed, having never really seen anything like them in North America. “This is a heck of a system,” said Bryant.

“How much would it cost to put this in my driveway?”

“It doesn’t matter,” the stonemason replied. “You can’t buy it here. I came over here to install paving stones, but nobody in North America makes them.”

Bryant smelled an opportunity, and soon he travelled to Zurich to meet the stonemason’s father. Long story short, Bryant convinced the patent holder to grant him a licence to produce UNI-Stone in Ontario and he bought a machine that could produce 14 stones at a time. By 1972, Bryant had set up a company in Barrie, Ont., that would eventually be called Unilock. The first permanent concrete paver manufacturing factory in North America was born.

“I pictured us paving all of Ontario with paving stones,” remembered Bryant years later.

It was a bold dream, but it wasn’t without precedent. After the Second World War, Holland began a massive reconstruction effort that replaced many streets with concrete paving stones. By the 1960s, German manufacturers developed efficient paving stone machines and were selling an estimated 10 square feet of paving stone per capita. And today, while Ontario might not be entirely covered in paving stones, pavers have certainly become ubiquitous across the province, not to mention the country and the world. Some estimates suggest 1,000 pavers are now made every second on the planet. In 2020, the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) reported there were over 100 manufacturing companies in Canada and the U.S. Bryant passed away on Jan. 28, 2021, at the age of 85 at his home in Horseshoe Valley. But as Landscape Ontario Executive Director Tony DiGiovanni put it recently, Bryant’s legacy lives on. “How many thousands of people have been positively affected by the gardens and landscapes that were built with elements that Ed first brought to North America,” DiGiovanni asked. “How many businesses and careers were propelled forward? How many other companies were elevated? How many people were inspired by his dreams, attitudes, energy, and actions?”

6 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

Unilock founder Ed Bryant with the UniStone in 1972.

Unilock’s Classico Paver and Garden Wall from 1983.

Unilock’s EcoStone at Lake Wilcox in Richmond Hill, Ont. in 1999.

THE EARLY YEARS

experience,” Koudys said. “As a result, it built some confidence in the North Bay engineering department, and eventually they said, ‘Yes, let’s go.’” Recently, Koudys and a partnering engineering firm won the bid to replace North Bay’s downtown once again.

Around the time Gosnell Paving got started, a recession hit, and that put the brakes on most of the commercial work for those first paving stone companies. In response, they started targeting homeowners and began marketing pavers as the ideal solution for outdoor patios. Unilock invested heavily in TV advertisements, and it paid off.

“That really helped save the company,” says current sales manager Derek DeCooman. “And I imagine what attracted those first customers was the point load system and the fact that you’d be replacing a heavy-duty asphalt application a lot sooner than you would an original segmental concrete paver.”

At the same time, the OPEC oil crisis was raging, which drastically drove up the price of asphalt. All of a sudden,

concrete paving stones became a lot more financially competitive.

The colours and styles of those first stones were quite limited. Initially, they came in one colour: natural, and one shape: rectangular. But soon colours like red, charcoal, and terra cotta were introduced.

More blended colours were introduced in the 1980s, and by the end of the decade, tumbled stone came into play, which gave the paver a more rough, natural look.

Ron Koudys might have been the first to suggest tumbled stone in Canada. “I remember a sales rep from Adair Marble visiting me who saw the popularity of interlocking paving stones. They wanted to cut marble for paving, but I said it looks too slippery and precise, and that they should rough it up in a cement mixer or something and tumble it around and knock the corners off of it. So that’s what they did and I used it. The interlocking paving guys saw what they were doing and they said, ‘Oh, we can do that too.’ So, I’d like to lay claim to inventing that,” Koudys laughed. “Who knows, though.” continued >

While Unilock may have been the first, there were soon a handful of other paver manufacturers and contractors in Ontario. Many of the early projects were for the commercial and industrial sectors. A project at the Toronto Metro Zoo was one of Unilock’s first, followed by the driveway of the iconic Toronto Fire Station 312 between Bay and Yonge Streets (Unilock replaced the original installation there about four years ago).

One of the early contractors was Gosnell Paving, in London, Ont., which was started in 1979 by landscape architect Ron Koudys and a few others. In 1982, Gosnell was selected to design North Bay, Ontario’s downtown, and they proposed to do it with paving stones. It would be the first downtown in North America surfaced entirely with paving stones, but as Koudys remembers, there was a lot of skepticism.

“So, we did an interlocking paving stone seminar in Toronto and we brought some of the top people from South Africa, Australia, and Europe to talk about their

MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

7

Contemporary landscapes featuring Oaks Landscape Products. From left to right: Champagne Nueva slab; Wicker Monterey slab; Marble Grey and Onyx Presidio pavers.

1990 TO TODAY

Whoever invented it, the tumbled paver became extremely popular by the 1990s.

“It was like when Dodge came out with the minivan; you couldn’t keep it in stock,” says DeCooman.

The industry also began growing exponentially at this time, particularly in southwestern Ontario, where a significant amount of high-quality aggregate is found. Soon, companies used that success to expand south of the border. Unilock, for instance, opened production facilities in Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Boston, and Cleveland.

8 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

There were challenges, however. Some paving stones got a bad reputation because of weeds growing between them or ants building sandhills in the joints, or ruts developing on driveways. This was due to a number of factors, including poor materials, installation or maintenance.

The production of tumbled stone was also a challenge for workers, says Brampton Brick General Manager Marcus Poirier. “It was a very manual and labour-intensive process where people were double-handling the product — first with curing it, then with tumbling and sorting it. Often people would be hurting their backs.”

By the early 2000s, as new technologies and methods were developed in North America or imported from Europe, many of these challenges became things of the past. Polymeric sand improved, preventing ant and weed issues, and paver manufacturers began implementing face-mix technology, which not only made the paver structurally stronger, but also made the colour and finish last longer. And manufacturing techniques were developed to reduce the toll on workers while still giving pavers that distressed, natural look.

Today, those natural designs are still popular, but since about 2014, the biggest

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Contemporary landscapes featuring Unilock products. From top to bottom: French Grey Umbriano paver and Coastal Slate Rivercrest wall ; Granite Fusion Beacon Hill Smooth paver with U-Cara firepit and wall; Bavarian Beacon Hill Flagstone with Coastal Slate Bella fireplace.

trend has been smooth, large slabs that work with recent home design styles that are clean, contemporary, and minimal, says Poirier. “And people want deep, dark blacks; they want really light white colours.

And rather than having blends of different tones as they would have in the past, they want each individual paver to be more monotone.”

DeCooman has seen the same, but he also says smaller sets are making a bit of a comeback. “We’re doing some unique things with banding and fanning, and while everyone likes the large, clean, contemporary look, there are still some who 10 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

want to capture that robust, historic cobble or reclaimed brick look.”

Plus, says Koudys, the environmental movement has made city dwellers, in particular, think harder about permeable products. “The problem was that [cities] built their whole subdivision drainage patterns around storm ponds, and now they’ve realized that storm ponds aren’t the solution and cities are looking instead at ground infiltration closer to source. We’ve had a heck of a time trying to convince city engineers and conservation authorities to use permeable paving, but now all of a sudden they’ve taken a 180 and are finally

asking for it.”

Where will the paving stone industry be 50 years from now? No one has a crystal ball. But we do know it will be fascinating to watch new trends and styles emerge.

And even more importantly, to see the way technological and engineering innovations continue to shape the industry.

And to think it all started by “happenchance,” as Bryant used to put it. “It happened to happen,” he said in a video before his passing. “I happened to see that brochure. I happened to see that product.

And I happened to think, ‘That’s a damned good product.’” LT

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Bracing for the (1)00 year storm Permeable paving technology rises to meet the storm water challenge

BY MARK DOUGLAS WESSEL

ONE SURFACE CAN ABSORB a year’s worth of rainfall within an hour. Another serves as a repository for indigenous plants that can stand up to pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Yet another won the prestigious Red Dot Award, combining artistic flair with a surface that’s 30 per cent porous.

The timing for these innovations couldn’t be better considering cities across Canada are struggling with higher incidence of flooding, loss of biodiversity and the heat sink phenomena. These are challenges landscape professionals are uniquely positioned to address.

THE (1)00 YEAR STORM?

The municipal mindset with respect to water management used to be that hard surfaces were a good thing, because they helped to expedite the movement of rainfall into the storm drain system. Now, with climate change, what were once considered “100 year storms” are happening every few years. These severe weather events cause major problems in cities, including: sewage overflow into nearby lakes and streams, water pollution in the form of oils and chemicals originating from residential driveways, and downstream erosion caused by the sheer volume of runoff.

ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL

Responding to these challenges, Vancouver, B.C., has developed a comprehensive “Rain City Strategy” that includes an arsenal of solutions designed to keep water onsite in both public and private settings, including bioretention rain gardens, green roofs and

PurePave used in the entraceway of a home in Toronto’s High Park neighbourhood

12 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

permeable pavement.

A few years back, the City of Kitchener, Ont., conducted an in-depth permeable pavement study and it is now in the midst of launching a program designed to ramp-up residential interest in keeping water on the home front. Plans are underway for financial incentives for residents to switch from hard to permeable paving surfaces and additional measures, such as rain barrel usage, are part of the mix as well.

Ottawa, Ont., is even further along the process with its “Rain Ready Ottawa” program, that includes a subsidy of up to $5,000 per household to help cover the cost of various residential rainwater retention measures — including — you guessed it, permeable paving.

“The city has already received dozens of requests from residents ahead of the launch… with many expressing interest in permeable paving,” says program coordinator Simon Greenland-Smith, adding this demand came “before any outreach or promotional efforts have been made.”

Fortunately, permeable paving technology is keeping pace with the increased demand.

ABSORBING 4,000 LITRES IN ONE HOUR

PurePave, for example, can absorb a year’s worth of rainfall within an hour — a feat made possible by combining natural granite aggregate with a proprietary polymer binding agent. PurePave Technologies, based in Ottawa, Ont., says the surface of PurePave is 23 per cent porous and can absorb over 4,000 litres of water per square foot per hour.

Before and after the installation of permeable pavers by the City of Vancouver on Richards Street.

Based on studies conducted by the University of Ottawa in 2019, it was determined to have a flexural strength of 6.1 MPa that was maintained even after a 40-cycle freeze thaw test (going from -40 to +40 C). In layman’s terms, approximately six times the strength of asphalt, which goes from 2.8 MPa to less than 1 after the same type of testing.

With that type of porosity, one might question how long it takes for the surface openings to become clogged. However, PurePave CEO Taylor Davis says based on their decade of development and five year history of manufacturing surfaces for contractors, they’ve “found that walkways basically never get clogged. And for driveways, we just recommend a power wash in the spring at the bottom of the curb where the vehicles are entering and exiting.”

Davis says the relatively low maintenance approach is due to the fact the entire PurePave surface infiltrates water, in contrast to just the cracks in between permeable paving stones or concrete blocks.

Apart from resin bonded aggregate surfaces such as PurePave’s, there are of course other more permeable surfaces, such as the Aqua Storm paver from Tech Bloc, favoured by Jonas Spring, owner of Toronto-based landscape and gardening company Ecoman. Spring likes the product because its large open spaces allow for ample plant material.

HARDSCAPE PLANT PALETTE

Spring is in the process of developing what he calls a “hardscape plants palette” that is “designed to push the boundaries of what is possible in paving design.” His goal is to utilize a variety of plant species — one grouping is a “high traffic mix” for accents, borders, banding and driveways, and another “low traffic mix” to be used for design and decorative purposes.

Concerned by what he describes as “the cementing of the planet,” which includes shrinking gardens and greenspaces, Spring says “the best defense is a good offense. So what we do is provide EVALUATION PROGRAM tools for integrating plants into hardscape infrastructure, which The tendency of conventional permeable pavers to lose their porosity can have big picture implications.” over time is confirmed by Tim Van Seters, the senior manager of Spring adds, “Plants play an important role in providing a local the Toronto Region Conservation Authority’s (TRCA) sustainable cooling habitat for critters, birds and bees. Oxygen production. technologies evaluation program. His group has been studying inCarbon sequestration. And reducing erosion. So a whole bunch of terlocking pavers, with joints ranging from four to 12 per cent open things.” space. Their research shows a 45 per cent average volume reduction INNOVATIONS FROM ACROSS THE POND over five years.

The desire to re-green traditionally hardscaped urban settings such “Joints clog more and more, and then eventually you will get as driveways and parking lots isn’t confined to Canada. In Eindrunoff from the surface,” Davis explains. “That’s what you want to avoid because the whole point of permeable paving, is it has got to be hoven, Netherlands, Rain Away designer and founder Fien Dekker has developed a new line of permeable paving, including Flood permeable.”

MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

13

Rain Away permeable pavers utilized for a residential driveway.

Bold, a concrete tile which is inspired by the way nature is integrated into Japanese architecture. The unique shape, not unlike Acqua Storm, is designed to accommodate grass and other plant material while being strong enough to be driven over. It was recently feted with the Red Dot Award for Product Design.

“In the Netherlands, 10 per cent of our public space is for parking,” says Dekker. So this is where we really focus our efforts to make cities greener.”

To make that happen, the visual appeal of the Flood Bold product is what gets both landscape architects and end users interested in the product in the first place.

But it’s their systematic approach to ensuring plant material will survive that wins everyone over.

“We’ve created a foundation that’s built up in two layers. The first layer is all about nutrients and having soil that enables grass to grow well,” says Dekker. “And the grass we use is especially suited for surfaces you can drive over. And the aggregate material we use under that is more open.”

Dekker says this multilayered approach (ranging from 30-60 cm depending on the site) enables the grass to grow deeper roots and retain more moisture, helping to make the grass more drought-resistant and more quickly absorb rainwater. Dekker says Flood Bold is capable of buffering up to 400 litres of water per cubic metre, with the ability to connect rainwater drainage systems to the lower layer.

PLANTS IN THE DRIVEWAY

Back in Toronto, Spring is in the process of working with a growing partner to cultivate a variety of plant species that thrive in hardscapes and permeable pavements. Examples include the spiked green carex eburnea and the white petalled wild strawberry fragaria virginiana. Spring hopes to spark a trend where designers and architects will look closer at how they can bring plants into their paved and permeable spaces.

“So for instance, if you’re doing a driveway and you have a footprint for where the tires go, but want to have plants in between

them, then you can just drop (the plants in),” says Spring.

Meanwhile Dekker, in her quest to constantly redesign hardscaped surfaces, continues to develop new products that can be mixed and matched, including what’s called the Flood Permeable tile that boasts a raised pattern over a solid base that temporarily traps the water, before allowing it to percolate through. “It’s not meant for walking on,” Dekker explains. “It’s just meant to show how beautiful rainwater can be, almost like an art piece for rainwater.”

There’s also an interesting synergy occurring on the Fusion Landscape front via-a-vis some of the municipally driven programs underway. For instance “landscape professionals interested in getting involved in Rain Ready Ottawa can enroll in Fusion Landscaping Professional training through Landscape Ontario,” notes Greenland-Smith.

Greeland-Smith says the program focuses on best practices for hardscaping and softscaping that promotes rainwater infiltration and emphasizes beautiful and functional landscapes. Including of course, innovative approaches to the best possible use of permeable paving. LT

This article is the first in a new series on sustainable landscaping from Collingwood, Ont.-based journalist Mark Douglas Wessel.

See more of Mark’s writing at: www.markdouglaswessel.com

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2 billion trees

IN 10 YEARS The Canadian government announced an ambitious tree planting campaign.

Can they pull it off?

Seamus O’Regan

Landscape Trades recently had the opportunity to converse with the Minister of Natural Resources, Seamus O’Regan, about the Government of Canada’s recent pledge to plant two billion trees over the next 10 years.

Landscape Trades: As a Newfoundlander who hails from a province known globally for its abundant natural resources and stunning natural beauty, what is your relationship with nature and trees?

Seamus O’Regan: I grew up in Newfoundland with the sound of waves crashing on the rocks. My family later moved to Labrador, where I could see the Northern Lights from our backyard. Protecting and preserving nature is deeply personal for me. And, the power of nature is incredible. It’s at the heart of our fight against climate change. So, we’ve promised to plant two billion trees over 10 years — and we’re going to get it done. The first trees will be in the ground this spring (2021).

In December 2020, you announced a plan to plant two billion trees at a cost of $3.16 billion over 10 years. How will that benefit Canada, individual Canadians and our biosphere?

The Growing Canada’s Forests (GCF) program will see two billion trees planted over 10 years. Its purpose is to harness nature’s ability to combat climate change and contribute to Canada’s efforts to get to net-zero emissions by 2050. Trees remove carbon from the atmosphere as they grow. By supporting the planting of two billion trees, GCF has the potential to remove up to 12 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year by 2050. Planting trees is a natural climate solution. A natural climate solution is one that enables increased carbon sequestration and storage by natural 16 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

and managed ecosystems, such as forests, grasslands, wetlands, agricultural lands and coastal areas.

These activities can also increase community resilience to the impacts of climate change, such as flooding, thereby reducing the need for greenhouse gas-intensive and costly infrastructure. Moreover, planting trees that are expected to do well in a changing climate can improve the long-term resilience of our forests.

Beyond greenhouse gas mitigation and climate adaptation, natural climate solutions can contribute to other federal objectives, such as Canada’s commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Migratory Birds Convention, advancing the government’s commitment to conserve 25 per cent of Canada’s lands by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030, supporting species-at-risk objectives, improving the sustainability of the forest and agriculture sectors, supporting healthy communities — including through increased green space, improved air and water quality, creating jobs for Canadians and advancing inclusive growth and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

According to extrapolations of a September 2015 research report sponsored by Nature Journal, it is estimated that Canada now has about 339 billion trees, covering almost 39 per cent of its land mass.

With the forest industry, private interests and all levels of government already planting between 500 and 650 million trees per year, how will the new tree-planting initiative be of additional benefit to Canada?

Canada is fortunate to have vast forest ecosystems that support the well-being of Canadians, including through the provision of wood and other renewable bioproducts.

Nature is part of the solution to climate change: there is no path to net-zero emissions that does not involve our forests. Approximately 94 per cent of Canada’s forests

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are publicly owned. Under current laws, areas harvested on public land must be reforested, naturally or through planting/ seeding. This amounts to approximately 500 million trees planted per year for reforestation.

To maximize the impacts of climate change, the commitment to plant two billion trees by 2030 is incremental, meaning the planting must be above and beyond current tree planting efforts that are required by law. The initiative is expected to lead to a 30 to 40 per cent annual increase in the number of trees planted in Canada.

Ultimately, Canada’s plan to plant two billion additional trees over the next 10 years is projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 12 megatonnes annually by 2050, while also delivering biodiversity and human well-being co-benefits such as ecosystem restoration and the creation of up to 4,300 jobs.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science estimata 500 billion trees planted in the appropriate places around the globe would eliminate two-thirds of the carbon emissions created since the beginning of the industrial revolution. With almost 339 billion trees in place today, it would appear that Canada is doing its part to reduce carbon emissions. But, in your view, are we?

Studies differ in their estimates of the potential of forests and trees to sequester greenhouse gases, yet it is clear that sustainable forest and land management offers significant mitigation potential available at relatively low cost. That said, we need to accelerate action to fight climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors of the economy.

This is why our government recently announced Canada’s strengthened climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, which will help achieve our economic and environmental goals.

The proposed plan, supported by an initial $15 billion in

18 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

investments, will make life more affordable for Canadians, make communities more livable and, at every turn, focus on creating jobs and supporting workers in a stronger and cleaner economy. Planting two billion trees over the next ten years will add to the forest’s contribution to carbon sequestration as the trees grow, reaching their peak annual carbon sequestration potential in the coming decades.

How can Canada’s nursery and landscape industry most effectively participate in the tree planting campaign?

An initiative of this scale requires strong participation across Canada to succeed. The Government of Canada is actively engaged with provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous peoples, industry and non-government stakeholders to realize this commitment.

That is why the government recently launched the Future Participants Request for Information. This is an opportunity for organizations to share their vision and capacity to contribute to large-scale, single- or multi-year tree planting projects across Canada. The information received will help facilitate collaboration on future tree-planting projects. Response forms will be accepted until May 27, 2021.

How do you plan to measure the effectiveness of this tree-planting initiative over the next decade? What will success look like?

This initiative aims to create permanent additions to forest in Canada, improve existing forest and provide opportunities for securing on-going and long-term climate mitigation benefits. In addition to tracking the number of trees planted and associated greenhouse gas reductions, we will also measure biodiversity benefits and human well-being co-benefits, such as jobs created and the number of communities and Indigenous organizations supported through the initiative. LT

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Pla nting hope from coast to coast ACROSS CANADA AND BEYOND, the goal is to see the land awash with gardens featuring yellow —the international colour of hope. Flowers, fruits, shrubs, vegetables — just plant the seeds! From parks to playgrounds, front yards, back yards, balconies, baskets, boulevards, barrels and planters, wherever there’s an empty space, there is room for a plant. Landscape Trades is a proud supporter of this new campaign from Communities in Blooms.

Garden. Share photos of your gardens on Communities in Bloom’s social media platforms with the hashtag #hopeisgrowing. Once you’ve entered your Hope Garden, you will become eligible for national and global recognition for your efforts. You will also receive a downloadable Hope Garden sign and information about hardy plants and growing tips for success.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

From sea to sea to sea, people took up gardening in record numbers in 2020. This year, the goal is to create a yellow sea of Hope Gardens growing wherever you can plant a seed. Join in and be a beacon leading the way to create HOPE across Canada and around the world!

Most people associate hope with a situation they wish would end and that they could move past. Desmond Tutu once said, “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness. Hope whispers that things will get better.” 2020 was a difficult year, and people are ready for positive, peaceful change and opportunities to bring brightness and light into their lives.

WHEN DOES IT TAKE PLACE?

The spring and summer of 2021. Anyone and everyone, including municipalities, organizations, schools, churches, colleges and universities, clubs, businesses, and individuals can participate by planting a Hope

WHERE IS IT TAKING PLACE?

WHO IS IT BY?

Communities in Bloom and its partners, including the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, Garden Centres Canada, Scotts Canada, the National Capital Commission, the Canadian Garden Council, Come Alive Outside, Mark and Ben Cullen, and Nutrients for Life are working together to summon everyone to create Hope Gardens for 2021. continued >

20 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

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Landscape Trades interviewed Hope is Growing supporters Paul Brydges and Scott Wentworth to learn more about the campaign.

WHY IS THIS CAMPAIGN IMPORTANT TO YOU?

Paul Brydges: We are excited for the Hope is Growing campaign to introduce

the renewed and refreshed Communities in Bloom brand to the public. Communities in Bloom has represented the planting of beautiful gardens across Canada for 25 years, and now, the focus is on the amazing benefits those gardens provide not just aesthetically, but for the environment as well as our physical and mental wellbeing.

Scott Wentworth: An abiding sense of hope is essential to the human spirit. As our communities move through this time of Covid, hope has an even greater social importance. We’ve seen an incredible surge in people reconnecting with nature, the outdoors, and their gardens. The Hope is Growing campaign is an elegantly simple way to focus our individual and

FAVOURITE YELL W PLANTS The colour yellow was selected for the campaign because of its deep connection to hope. Here are some of Scott and Paul’s favourites.

Natives that build biodiversity and support pollinators: • Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) • B utterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) • L arge-flowered bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) • M arsh marigold (Caltha palustris) • Native

sunflower (Helianthus maximillian) • S neezeweed (Helenium autumnale) • T rout lily (Erythronium americanum) Ornamentals that also support pollinators: • Baby sun coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata ‘Baby Sun’) • Gallery yellow lupins (Lupinus ‘Gallery Yellow’) • Gentle shepherd daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Gentle Shepherd’) • J oan senior daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Joan Senior’) • M oonbeam coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’) • R ocket ligularia (Ligularia stenocephala ‘Rocket’) • S un king aralia (Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’) • S unny seduction achillea (Achillea millefolium ‘Sunny Seduction’)

22 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

We encourage Hope Gardens to focus on and feature yellow flowering plants, but you may want to add other colours to the plantings to set them off, rather than just a sea of yellow.

Paul and Scott will be adding some blue and purple flowering perennials, such as: • Caradonna salvia (Salvia nemerosa

‘Caradonna’) • Marcus salvia (Salvia nemerosa ‘Marcus’) • Purple pagan delphinium (Delphinium ‘Pagan Purple’) • S parkling sapphires baptisia (Baptisia australis ‘Sparkling Sapphires’) • Gallery blue lupins (Lupinus ‘Gallery Blue’) • Purrsian blue catmint (Nepeta faassenii ‘Purrsian Blue’) • W aterperry blue veronica (Veronica ‘Waterperry Blue’) • W ood’s light blue aster (Aster dumosus ‘Wood’s Light Blue’)

Hopeisgrowing.ca is tracking all the hope gardens and supporting garden centres from coast to coast. Register yours for free to show your support!

Paul Brydges

collective expressions of hope.

It’s also an opportunity for the landscape profession to fulfill its stewardship position of leading our clients, communities and teams to understand the many ways we are fulfilled by our gardens and the natural world. We’ve been given a gift through this campaign to educate our communities about our profession and the meaningful work we do. A significant aspect to this educational opportunity should be how we can positively impact environmental restoration through landscapes that build biodiversity and support pollinators. This campaign offers an amazing legacy!

HOW WILL YOU AND YOUR TEAM SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN?

PB: At our studio in Guelph, Ont., we are fortunate to have gardens that are seen by many people in our community. From walkers to cycling groups to the school across the street, we are really excited to have the Hope is Growing sign up and to have yellow throughout our gardens, to spread the word about the campaign throughout the year.

Additionally, we’re going to be letting our clients know about the campaign throughout the year, and we’ll look to incorporate something yellow into each design that we do. We think there’s a great opportunity for contractors to inspire their customers with this campaign, by letting them know that just by simply planting beautiful yellow plants, they can have their own hope garden and be part of a wider movement.

SW: Our company is supporting this campaign to our team, our clients and our community in multiple ways. By promoting the Hope is Growing cam-

Scott Wentworth

paign and designing, building and maintaining Hope Gardens, we’ll be bringing

awareness to all of our areas of influence. We’ve introduced the program to our team at our start-up meetings and team newsletter. We’re also promoting it to our clients through social media, our client newsletter, and in our meetings with them. In presenting the program to the municipalities in which we work, we’ve met with nothing but enthusiastic responses. We’re in the early planning stages for them to develop community awareness and programs, tailored specifically to their needs. LT

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Encourage your staff to visit the platform regularly to sharpen their skills this season.

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Drive Live

Landscape professionals rely on their vehicles and trailers to transport employees and equipment safely to job sites. Led by former law enforcement officers Scott Oldfield and Pat Martin, the Safe Vehicle Refresher takes a hands-on approach to demonstrate how to apply the Daily Vehicle Inspection Rules, pre-trip inspection reports and itemize defects in compliance with Ontario regulations. Learn how to conduct a proper circle inspection, the proper forms to use, the difference between minor and major defects and how safe operation helps avoid hefty tickets and fines.

Hardscape Live

From landscaping business coaches and best-selling authors to marketers, and seven- and eight-figure landscape and hardscape contractors, speakers featured in the 2021 Hardscape Live series have been there, done that, and then some. Host Frank Bourque interviews over 15 industry experts to offer an exclusive behindthe-scenes look at what it takes to build a massively-successful hardscaping business.

Green Live

Green Live focuses on promoting proper tree selection, planting, care and maintenance strategies and services. Produced by the Landscape Ontario Growers Group in partnership with the International Society of Arborists Ontario (ISAO), the series features information sessions and demonstrations from leading industry experts.

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PHOTOGRAPHER SPOT

The Photographer Spotlight is a new series from Landscape Trades where we get to know more about leading garden and landscape photographers.

Design and Build: The Landmark Group Pergola: 26 | MAYSolicanada 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

TLIGHT

Jeff McNeill McNeill Photography TORONTO, ONT.

MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

27

How did you get into landscape/ garden photography?

My photography career started in the early 1990s in San Francisco, where I worked with advertising photographers doing landscape and automotive photography. Starting in the early 2000’s I worked under Dutch photographer Olaf Veltman. who really instilled in me the workflow that I use today.

28 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

What catches your eye when you’re photographing a garden/landscape?

I always try to use the natural light of the property as a guide for each location. Waiting for that moment where the light is just right.

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Do you have any tips or tricks you can share?

It is not always possible, but I would say having patience is key: waiting to photograph a property for either practical reasons because elements are not there or to let the plants mature another season.

What are some of your favourite gardens you have photographed?

Are there any you would like the chance to shoot? My favourite projects

30 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

are the ones where all the boxes are ticked. So great location, design, workmanship, plantings, and furniture.

Fire feature: Paloform Furniture by: Gloster

What is your favourite camera gear for shooting gardens?

There is so much great gear out there now. I’m using Canon bodies with prime lenses. LT

See more photos by Jeff McNeill at www.mcneillphotography.com

Gilles Lapointe

SOIL

HEALTH

SUSTAINABILITY

AND

NVK Nurseries researchers examine the impacts of cover crops

BY GILLES LAPOINTE

OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, the word sustainability seems to be popping up more and more. For some, this new focus brings opportunity: it’s just a matter of adapting. For others though, change is hard.

Our society demands the creation of goods as cheap and quickly as possible.

Take the home appliance market, as an example. It has become the norm to have to replace appliances every 10 years, whether it’s due to electronic failures or, dare I say, cheap manufacturing to cut costs and maximize profits.

QUALITY IS KEY

In horticulture, this high profit, low quality concept should be frowned upon, since a low quality produced tree means 32 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

it may not survive in the landscape or it may cause damage in the future when it fails. Yes, a tree with an unhealthy root system will die sooner than it should and may well cause damage or personal injury. If you work in the nursery industry, you have probably heard about this during one of professor Glen Lumis’s presentations on soil health.

Research and development is also a term used in many fields of work like biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and more. Now nurseries are using it too. No choice, really, as 2020 showed everyone the value of ingenuity and adaptation.

Nurseries have always tried new products and new techniques, but often the results were not well documented and evaluation was not followed through. And really,

when spring rush hits, do you have time to document each new thing you do to improve your nursery?

In agriculture especially, it has been known for some time that soil health is very important. Now, we need to bring that emphasis on soil health to nursery production. The unfortunate truth is current maintenance and production practices are causing significant damage.

We must do more to protect our soil ecosystems.

In agriculture and horticulture we have, over the years, weakened the health of our soils through the use of chemical products and machinery. We could say that our soils are suffering a general impoverishment. At NVK Nurseries in Dundas, Ont., we are diving into science in order to modify, amend, and improve our production techniques.

We are looking at advancements used in agriculture and from the scientific literature, to adapt our production practices. We also rely on our knowledge acquired in-house over the last 100 years to better our soils and plant health. The results have been incredible.

HOW CAN WE BETTER SUPPORT OUR SOIL?

It all starts at the soil level. No soil, no production. I am not talking about aquaculture. We are not growing trees and shrubs in aquaponics systems... yet!

A few years ago, NVK began a research project into the use of cover crops to see what they could do for its fields.

We started with a simple mix of rye and clover in the spaces we drive between the trees in field production. The results were very positive as we could walk and drive more easily, without sinking into the ground.

Vineland Research and Innovation Centre did some research on one of our plots and found respiration was better when soils were covered with a cover crop when compared to bare ground.

Our research also showed that carbon dioxide was being released from microbial decomposition and plant roots and soil fauna. This means microbes are also living in the soil. We moved this research to the next level and planted

COVER CROPS IN ACTION

The results were fabulous. The cover crops grew three feet tall, weeds were naturally kept in check, worms started to appear in the topsoil, beneficial insects were more present, and the overall health of the trees seemed to be better than on sections of the farm without cover crops.

Another interesting fact was that soil temperatures were 10 C lower than those from the bare ground nearby. So, imagine if you are a root trying to grow in 35 C in bare ground, you may think of going dormant for a while in the heat, but your friend near you within the cover crops will continue to grow and enlarge its caliper since its soil temperature is only 25 C! We also discovered the soil under the cover crops was looser, less compacted, and water was able to infiltrate better than on bare ground. Since the cover crop was shedding dead leaves and renewing roots, this dying material became food for the worms and microbes. The blooms and aerial parts of the plants also provided alternative sources of food and protection for bees and beneficial insects.

The bird cacophony has been incredible to listen to!

Of course, all of this can bring uninvited guests like voles, which can cause significant damage to tree trunks.

However, while studying the impact of the tall dense multi-species crops, we saw not only voles but snakes, toads and birds of prey. So it seems nature is trying to take back its place and help us produce healthy trees.

While working in fields filled with mixed cover crops, I had a feeling of serenity. It was amazing to see the healthy tree leaves and butterflies, to hear the birds singing and to breathe the fresh air coming out of the cover crops. I did not get those feelings while standing in field trees growing on bare grounds;

mostly, I felt the heat of the summer and heard the chirp of crickets.

NOT JUST FOR NURSERY GROWERS

The take home message here is not solely intended for nursery growers, but for landscape professionals and home gardeners too. In my days of creating landscapes, I used to teach clients about nature. For example, when I would stand on a property at the beginning of a project, with mostly turf and maybe a tree, I would talk to the clients about the impact their landscape can make. Why not create a lively party?

Yes, it can indeed become a party with insects, worms, fungus, birds, butterflies and more! Fungus feed on mulch, pollinators feed on flowers, birds feed on insects and children play and laugh.

In creating a landscape I find it is always best to cover the ground with as much live material as possible. It is like using a cover crop.

When clients ask to “see spaces between the plants,” I think the answer should almost always be that a space like that invites weeds. Usually that does the trick. I truly believe it is best to fill those spaces as much as possible, to avoid weeds, to keep moisture in the ground and to create a root network in the soil for worms and microbes to use. It also

Photo credit - Adele Bedard

multiple species of cover crops on several fields. The different mixed cover crops were seeded on what used to be called spray rows (now called driving rows) and on tree rows (the space where double rows of trees grow).

serves to sequester as much carbon as possible, providing a positive impact on the environment. All of those things help us move toward a more sustainable future.

Which brings us back to square one.

In order to push forward for more sustainability, we also need to talk about feeding our soils and plants with organic matter, nutrients and microbes. Compost comes to mind. At NVK Nurseries, we are currently working on various compost recipes and their impacts on soil health and subsequent root growth (field trees and container production).

Along with that, why not produce some compost tea to help prevent various diseases and improve our soil microbe population?

In our next article on nursery research (coming up in the next issue of Landscape Trades), I will delve into this topic. Until then, feel free to reach out to me so we can work together in learning, sharing and maybe even set up some research trials together. LT

Gilles Lapointe is a production advisor, in-house scientist, at NVK Nurseries in Dundas, Ont. Gilles holds a PHD from the University of Guelph in molecular biology and genetics. He can be reached at gilles@nvknurseries.com.

ROADTOSUCCESS

Garden centre evolution

BY ROD McDONALD

TO SOME, a garden centre is a retail operation that has been with us forever and a day. Not true. Greenhouses and nurseries have existed for hundreds of years, but retail garden centres have their origins in the ‘60s and began to appear, in a noticeable fashion, in the late ‘70s.

When I was kid, in the ‘50s and ‘60s, growing up in Regina, Sask., my mother bought her seeds at the local, independent grocer. That was the norm. Others got their seeds from mail order catalogues.

THE BACKYARD “GARDEN CENTRE” When we wanted bedding plants, we went to the local greenhouse, of which there were many choices. In those days there was often a small greenhouse set up in the backyard of a gardening enthusiast in the neighbourhood. Those greenhouses were usually hand-built and jerry rigged to operate with hoses running from the house and

34 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

an old furnace for heat. They grew mainly vegetable transplants and the basic flowers like geraniums, marigolds and dusty miller.

The varieties were predictable. They did not, as a rule, sell trees, shrubs or roses.

If you wanted trees, shrubs or roses, you had to visit a nursery, usually out of town. At the nursery, nothing was potted. Everything, including perennials, was sold bare root. If you did not live close enough to a nursery, you ordered your bare root plant material from a catalogue and waited for it to arrive by mail, train or bus.

Finding hard goods such fertilizers or pots was not easy. The local hardware store would stock a few hard goods, but stock was generally limited to the spring months. Our local 700 sq. ft. hardware store, for example, sold peat moss. In the ‘70s and early ‘80s, that small store could move 800 bales of peat moss. It was an incredible amount.

JUNE 1ST? GONE FISHING! When you visited your local greenhouse, if you asked the owner, he might sell you a sandwich bag filled with the fertilizer he used in his growing operations. Rarely did the greenhouses sell gardening supplies.

They saw it, as their job, to sell plants in the month of May and to be closed by June 1st. It was rare for a greenhouse to be open in the month of June, and if it was, what was left was overgrown and of poor quality.

There were no box stores at the time, only department stores and they were only involved in our trade on the periphery.

The concept of a one-stop retail operation, where you could purchase your bedding plants, trees and shrubs plus associated hard goods and care products, started out slowly. At first, it was often something as simple as a shed or lean-to attached to an existing greenhouse or nursery. Eventually, retail garden centres started opening up as free-standing operations that brought in their bedding plants and nursery stock from others. These stand-alone operations were not looked upon favourably by many of the growers in our trade. Some dismissed it as a terrible idea.

I often tell the story of a conversation I had around 1977. I was visiting an established nursery and I told one of the owners that my dream was to open a retail garden centre.

He scoffed at my idea, explaining the public would never purchase plants from a business that was not a grower. I also said my dream was to have a year-round operation. Again, he dismissed my dream, explaining that “no one, absolutely no one, will buy plants after June 15.”

Earlier this year, I was part of a Zoom meeting of retail garden centre operators from across Canada. We assembled under the auspice of The CNLA Anniversary Project. It was a great experience to be with men and women who have spent 40-50 years in this trade of

ours, or grown up in it. Our topic of discussion: the evolution of the garden centre.

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF One of the themes that emerged from our meeting was the cycle of change. We discussed how our product mix changes, regularly, and how, on occasion, product lines come back in style. In the ‘80s we could not give peonies away and then in the nineties, we could not keep enough peonies in stock.

They were flying out the door. There were years when we could move incredible numbers of evergreens but very few deciduous shrubs and then, that trend, reversed itself.

All of us commented on how large the tropical/house plant market has been the last few years. Getting product from tropical growers has become more difficult as demand has outstripped supply. Karl Stensson of Sheridan Nurseries, based in Georgetown, Ont., reminded us of a similar situation in the ‘70s. I remember it as well.

CURRENT TRENDS One of the major points of discussion the group had was the rise of buying and marketing groups for independents. These buying groups have allowed the independent to compete with the box stores. We now have access to pricing we could not achieve on our own.

Social media has been another major change in the last 10 years. At one time, we relied upon newspapers, radio and television for advertising. Today, even small operations have a social media presence, which in many cases, is even better than those of the national companies. Many independent garden centres have large followings on social media and on their websites.

Times change and the general observation, from those who have thrived over the years, is the importance of staying ahead of the curve. Managing with the curve keeps all of us on the road to success. LT

Rod McDonald owned and operated Lakeview Gardens, a successful garden centre/landscape firm in Regina, Sask., for 28 years. He now works full-time in the world of fine arts, writing, acting and producing in film, television and stage.

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MANAGEMENTSOLUTIONS

The hiring debate: skill set vs. cultural fit

BY MARK BRADLEY

IF YOU’RE IN THE SKILLED TRADES, you know how

hard it is to source enough applicants, let alone find the right people that fit your company and your team’s needs. The early signs of spring often trigger a sense of urgency to hire and meet company productivity goals and the onslaught of customer inquiries. Whether it’s for your maintenance team or your design and build division, the goal is often to find a hardworking and motivated individual who brings a valuable skill set to the company.

CULTURAL FIT Cultural fit is the concept of screening potential candidates

to determine what type of cultural impact they would have on the organization. This is based on the alignment of values, beliefs, and behaviours between the employee and employer.

In landscaping, employers frequently choose heart, motivation, and personality traits over skill set.

SKILL SET Skill set refers to a particular range of an individual’s skills, experiences, and abilities necessary to perform a job. For example, suppose you were looking to hire a new crew leader. In this case, the individual should have some customer service ability, leadership skills and enough experience

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to train and advise team members on equipment, standard operating procedures, and more. It’s pretty common for owners to seek out entrepreneurially minded crew leaders in landscaping. Each crew within each division could be looked at as its own business within the company.

The crew’s success is heavily dependent on the crew leader’s ability to lead the team.

RIGHT FIT At my landscape company, I didn’t necessarily look for the most talented or skilled people. I knew that if a potential hire had a good heart and was motivated and capable, they would likely be a natural fit for the team and everything the company was trying to achieve. I believed the skills would come quickly with the right processes and mentorship.

The way the company executes processes and tasks helps shape team members.

99 per cent of miscommunication, waste in landscaping, and inefficiencies stem from not having the proper processes and procedures.

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When you bring someone new onto the team, you want that person to be a long-lasting, valuable employee within your organization. With the ongoing labor shortage, it’s essential to provide the resources and tools to help employees get better at their jobs, but you can’t teach someone to align with your company’s cultural values. Yet, that’s who you want to join your work family: individuals who value people, understand our customer’s priorities, work well together and look out for others best interests before their own.

The ultimate goal is for these people to grow and be promoted as the company grows and achieves its growth goals. LT

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LEGALMATTERS

Legislative solutions to slip and fall liability Ontario’s Bill 118 marks huge step in the right direction

BY ROBERT KENNALEY

TWENTY YEARS AGO, winter maintenance contractors faced an insurance crisis: the number of insurers providing coverage was decreasing and premiums were escalating rapidly, all in response to an increasing number of slip and fall claims and insurance payouts. In response, Landscape Ontario and the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association took a number of steps, including a leading role in creating and marketing HortProtect and developing a standard form contract for winter maintenance services in the commercial context. They also engaged in efforts to effect change through political and bureaucratic means.

Recently, their government relations efforts helped produce very fruitful results: on January 29, 2021, Bill 118 was proclaimed into law in Ontario, bringing changes to the Ontario Occupiers’ Liability Act. The Act is essentially a codification of the law of occupiers or premises liability that has existed at common law for well over 100 years. Similar legislation has been passed in most Canadian jurisdictions.

Understanding Bill 118 changes requires a basic understanding of occupier’s liability legislation. First, a legal obligation is imposed on an occupier of a premises to take reasonable care to see that persons entering the premises are reasonably safe. Generally, such legislation will provide that any person or entity that has responsibility for, or control over, a premises is an “occupier” and there can be more than one occupier.

An occupier need not keep its premises free of snow and ice.

Rather, the occupier must generally take reasonable steps to keep the premises safe in all of the circumstances. In relation to commercial (as opposed to residential) premises, the occupier is generally expected to have a reasonable system in place to address the risks of snow and ice. The system need not be full-proof, and what is reasonable will vary in the circumstances.

An occupier may also generally contract with a maintenance company to meet some of its responsibilities. The contractor does not, however, become an “occupier” by simply agreeing to assume some of the occupier’s obligations under a maintenance contract.

Ontario’s Occupiers’ Liability Act, for example, allows the occupier to avoid liability for a slip and fall that is caused by the negligence of a contractor if the occupier acted reasonably in entrusting the work to the contractor, if the occupier took reasonable steps to satisfy itself that the contractor was competent and that the work had 40 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

been properly done, and if it was reasonable that the contractor’s work be undertaken.

The recent Bill 118 changes to Ontario’s Occupiers’ Liability Act bars any action for personal injury damages caused by snow or ice conditions against an occupier or independent contractor employed to remove snow or ice from the premises when the injury occurred, unless a written notice of the claim is personally served on or sent by registered mail to such the occupier or independent contractor within 60 days. (Exceptions apply where the injury results in death or where a judge finds the claimant has reasonable excuse for not giving the notice and that the defendant(s) are not prejudiced).

The changes are substantial because (other than in relation to municipally owned lands) claimants were previously faced only with the statutory two year limitation period established under Ontario’s Limitations Act. The changes will unquestionably result in a reduced number of claims and insurance payouts. They will also hopefully, over time, result in reduced premiums for contractors.

There will be adjustments to be made as claims will no doubt be commenced when a claimant is unsure as to what (if any) significant damages have occurred. This may lead to more protracted litigation processes. In addition, contractors will have to ensure they contact counsel promptly if they receive a notice of a claim, as the act places obligations on them in such a circumstance.

Whether or not other Canadian jurisdictions will follow Ontario’s

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LEGALMATTERS lead in creating a short notice period for slip and fall claims remains to be seen. That outcome is, of course, quite possible (if not probable).

Significantly, however, the changes do nothing to limit or alter the scope of a contractor’s liability for a slip and fall claim if the claimant meets the notice period. In that circumstance, all of the uncertainties and costs associated with the slip and fall claim remain. For this reason, Landscape Ontario and other associations remain hopeful that additional solutions will be considered by legislators.

In this regard, Landscape Ontario has supported what has become known as “the New Hampshire Model” of legislative change.

The model’s focus is on limiting the amount of salt that is unnecessarily used to manage the risk of the slip and fall. Towards protecting the environment, it recognizes that contractors will often be encouraged to put down more salt than is necessary, as a way to avoid negligence claims. The legislation:

● Establishes a regime to certify commercial winter maintenance contractors as being qualified in terms of best management practices; ● Deems that certified commercial applicators (and those who retain them) will not be liable for damages caused by snow and ice absent gross negligence or reckless disregard; ● Presumes that certified commercial applicators (and those who retain them) will have maintained premises in accordance with best management practices; ● Provides that the certified commercial applicator need not prove compliance with best practices in the event of a slip and fall claim; but ● Shifts the onus to the slip and fall claimant to prove gross negligence or reckless disregard of the hazard.

The impact of such a program would be huge. From an environmental perspective,

less salt would be used. Owners and property managers would naturally only hire certified contractors to take advantage of the liability shield and insurers would most likely price non-certified contractors out of the marketplace.

Bill 118 and such legislation is, I suggest, is a very good and positive step. Landscape Ontario and the others who pushed for it should be commended. Hopefully, The New Hampshire Model comes next. LT

Rob Kennaley is with Kennaley Construction Law, a construction law firm with offices in Simcoe, Toronto and Barrie, Ont. For more information please visit kennaley. ca. This material is for information purposes and is not intended to provide legal advice in relation to any particular fact situation.

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TECHO-BLOC FACILITY GAINS GOVERNMENT FUNDING Both the Ontario and federal governments announced funding to support Techo-Bloc in opening a production facility in Ayr, Ont. Ontario is providing $1.5 million, while the Trudeau government is adding a repayable contribution of $2.5 million.

Techo-Bloc manufactures concrete pavement products for landscaping, including paving stones. It has facilities in Quebec and the U.S. Techo-Bloc says it plans to make the Ayr facility its hub for new products and process development. The new facility will create 50 highly-skilled, full-time, permanent jobs in the areas of manufacturing, engineering and management, according to a media release from the Ontario government.

YEAR OF THE GARDEN 2022 The Canadian Garden Council (CGC) is proud to proclaim 2022 as Canada’s Year of the Garden to celebrate the centennial of

44 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

Canada’s ornamental horticulture sector on the occasion of the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association’s (CNLA) 100-year anniversary.

The Year of the Garden 2022 invites Canadians across the country to commemorate Canada’s garden heritage, celebrate today’s vibrant garden culture and

PLANT HOPE IN 2021!

Across Canada and beyond, our goal is to see the land awash with gardens of yellow.

Communities in Bloom Canada and its partners are working together to summon everyone to create Hope Gardens for 2021. Yellow flowers, fruits, shrubs, vegetables or trees — just plant the seeds. From parks to playgrounds, front yards, back yards, balconies, baskets, boulevards, barrels and planters, wherever there’s an empty space, there is room for a plant!

In the Spring and Summer of 2021 anyone and everyone, including municipalities, organizations, schools, churches, clubs, businesses, and individuals can participate by planting a Hope Garden. Share photos of your gardens on social media with the hashtag #hopeisgrowing.

Visit hopeisgrowing.ca to register your garden, download an official Hope Garden Sign, and learn more about our contest.

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create legacies for a sustainable future. The CGC is calling on Members of Parliament to officially designate 2022 as Canada’s Year of the Garden. A recent Nanos poll found four in five Canadians favour designating 2022 as the Year of the Garden.

LMN ACQUIRES SLICE Landscape Management Network (LMN) is expanding its base with the acquisition of Slice Technologies. The official announcement came in late Feb. 2021, with LMN acquiring Slice’s employees, customers, features, and functionalities. Slice Technologies will officially become LMN on Dec. 31, 2021.

“Current Slice customers will be given white-glove onboarding to LMN Professional and will work directly with LMN to transfer data and learn the features of the software that will help them run their business more efficiently than before,” LMN stated in a media release. “They will also be moving from an on-site server to LMN’s

cloud-based technology.”

Based in Markham, Ont., LMN is a business management software provider to landscapers.

CARGILL SHUTTERS LOUISIANA SALT MINE Cargill announced the permanent end of salt production at its mine in Avery Island, La. The company had originally planned to halt hoisting salt from the mine later in 2021 because the lease, with the landowner Avery Island Incc, expires at year-end. However, plans to shutter the facility were accelerated following a fatal accident in December, 2020, where a roof collapsed, killing two workers.

Rob English, president Chemical Solutions and a contributing editor to Snow Magazine says he does not expect the move to have any discernible impact on the deicing market.

“Cargill operates 22 other facilities producing salt,” English told Snow Magazine.

“While Avery Island is one of three mines dedicated to highway salt, Cargill does not

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expect any disruptions in supply at this time. “ Cargill produces more than 14 million tons of salt annually for food, feed, water softeners, and deicing. The Avery Island mine had been in operation of 150 years.

CSLA-OALA CONGRESS GOES VIRTUAL The CSLA-OALA Congress Planning Committee will be offering the 2021 Congress via an online platform May 27-29, 2021.

“We are excited to plan an accessible online program that will offer education, engagement and networking to landscape architects all across the country,” the organization says. “Save the travel time and accommodation costs, and still gain all the benefits of this exciting annual event.”

The theme of the Congress is NatureBased Solutions: The Green Recovery that Ensures a Great Recovery and will feature keynote speakers Martha Schwartz and Maude Barlow. LT

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PARTNER CONTENT

ELECTRICAL SAFETY TIPS FOR LANDSCAPERS AND ARBORISTS WORKING AROUND POWERLINES By: Patrick Falzon, Powerline Safety Specialist, Electrical Safety Authority

W

hether you’re pruning trees for beautification, tree health, or reducing potential electrical hazards and power interruptions, always look up and look out for overhead powerlines before you start. Take the proper safety precautions and always be aware of your surroundings, whether working above or below ground.

Over the past 10 years, the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) has received 43 reports of landscapers and non-utility arborists causing contact with the overhead powerlines. This happens when tree limbs or trees contact the overhead powerline during pruning or tree removal around overhead powerlines.

The ESA would like to remind landscapers and non-utility arborists to stay well back from overhead powerlines when pruning trees or branches.

Electrical injuries can occur even without direct contact with powerlines. Remember that electricity can jump or “arc” across tools or equipment. This applies to all ladders, including those made of wood and fiberglass.

A recent incident occurred that illustrates the tragic consequences of powerline contact. Two members of a maintenance crew were attempting to trim tall hedges beneath overhead powerlines. The task involved both workers aloft in an articulating boom, when the pole mounted trimmer contacted the overhead powerlines. As a result, one worker was fatally injured and the other worker was seriously injured.

Having safe work practices and following the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OH&SA) can help prevent such events. OH&SA requires all high reach equipment including its load and tools be kept back a minimum of three metres (10 feet) from overhead powerlines operating from 750 Volts to 150,000 Volts. Below 750 Volts, OH&SA does not contain any prescribed distances, however there is a requirement that all workers shall be protected from fire and shock hazards. ESA recommends that all non-competent and non-authorized workers should be a minimum of three metres (10 feet) from all overhead wires regardless of the voltage.

Here are three easy tips for non-utility arborists and landscapers to avoid powerline contact incidents:

TIPS FOR WORKING NEAR OVERHEAD POWERLINES

• Always carry ladders horizontally - Carry all ladders horizontally and keep all tools such as pruning tools away at least three metres (10 feet) away from all overhead powerlines.

• Look up and look out - Identify all powerlines and make sure workers and equipment such as aerial lifts stay at least three metres (10 feet) away.

• Use a Utility Arborist for tree pruning and tree removal Hire a utility arborist (Trade Code 444B) who is trained to prune or remove trees in the vicinity of overhead powerlines.

ABOUT THE ELECTRICAL SAFETY AUTHORITY (ESA)

The ESA’s role is to enhance public electrical safety in Ontario. As an administrative authority acting on behalf of the Government of Ontario, ESA is responsible for administering specific regulations related to the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, the licensing of Electrical Contractors and Master Electricians, electricity distribution system safety, and electrical product safety. ESA works extensively with stakeholders throughout the province on education, training and promotion to foster electrical safety.

For further information on pruning and planting trees safely around powerlines visit www.esasafe.com for the following guidelines; Guidelines for Vegetation Management Around Powerlines and Planting Under or Around Powerlines & Electrical Equipment.

CALL BEFORE YOU DIG When planting trees or shrubs, remember to contact ONTARIO ONE CALL www.on1call.com or 1-800-400-2255 to locate all underground services such as electrical, gas, water, sanitary and communication prior to excavating.

Utilities will identify their underground services in the area where the excavation will occur up to the ownership demarcation point. A private locate is required to locate underground services beyond the ownership demarcation point. Examples of customer owned underground services may include service to a pool, shed or detached garage.

MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

47

BOX TREE MOTH UPDATE Landscape Ontario, CNLA, OMAFRA and CFIA successfully completed another season of surveillance for Box Tree Moth in Ontario in 2020, with a heavy focus on the Toronto region. The moth has spread slowly in all directions but remained inside the perimeter around Toronto that was established in 2019.

The Box Tree Moth Industry Working Group has been very active on this file and continues to meet regularly to monitor this invasive pest and its impact on nurseries.

Three key areas predominate meeting agendas – surveillance and monitoring, communications to the public and to growers, landscape contractors and garden centres, and protecting trade in boxwood with US customers.

NEW MEMBER SAVING PROGRAMS CNLA is proud to announce a new partnership with Equinox Environmental that will provide members with a 10 per cent MSRP discount and a 2.5 per cent

NEW HR COMMITTEE CHAIR

Harold Deenen has led the CNLA HR Committee with class, grace and a strong drive to ensure the best for industry, but after many years in leadership he has Harold Deenen Jeff Foley earned a muchdeserved break. Jeff Foley takes on the chair position, following several years as the chair of the Professional Development Committee. CNLA looks forward to seeing where his vision will lead.

CNLA partnership discount on planters and waste management containers.

CNLA also began a partnership with Parkland Fuels, which delivers gasoline, diesel, propane, lubricants, heating oil and

other petroleum products to motorists, businesses, households and wholesale customers in Canada. Email CNLA@ Parkland.ca for special custom pricing on fuel.

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CNLA PARTNERS WITH ICPI CNLA’s Landscape Horticulture Certification Program (LHCP) is partnering with the Interlocking Concrete Pavement (ICPI) so that ICPI certification will now serve as proof of hands-on competence for candidates taking Hardscape Installation (HI) to earn their Certified Landscape Horticulturist Technician (CLHT) designation.

HI candidates who submit their ICPI certificate are not required to provide further proof of hands-on competence.

They will, however, still be required to successfully complete the written exams to earn their designation. Additionally, CNLA will collaborate with ICPI to facilitate shipment of ICPI manual orders within Canada. If you already have your ICPI certificate, take advantage of this alliance to earn your CLHT designation.

REMINDER TO RECERTIFY Members who were due to submit for recertification for 2019-2020 will have until the end of June 2021 to renew, after which a late fee will be charged.

For more information on recertification or to find out if you are due to recertify, please contact the CNLA Professional Development team at certification@ cnla-acpp.ca or 905-875-1399 ext. 8620.

Black knot can be caused by the fungus Apiosporina morbosa.

NEW PLANT DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE TAKES ON BLACK KNOT Black knot caused by the fungus Apiosporina morbosa is a common disease of plants in the genus Prunus. The most distinguishing symptom of black knot is the characteristic black, tar-like swellings that develop on branches of the infected plant.

Black knot is the major reason why chokecherries are no longer being sold or planted in the landscape. If they could be bred to be more resistant, it’s quite likely chokecherries would make a comeback.

CNLA’s New Plant Development Committee is at the beginning of a

new research project that will lay the groundwork for a breeding program for black knot resistant chokecherries.

Research is first needed to develop reliable and repeatable inoculation methods for black knot. This is where the new research project will start. Dr Bob Bors, a respected ornamentals and small fruits breeder at the University of Saskatchewan will lead the research, with the initial goal of identifying techniques to successfully and repeatedly inoculate trees with black knot and that can be used over much of the growing season or under greenhouse conditions. LT

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Zero-turn mower

Exmark expands its 2021 zero-turn riding mower offering with a new Radius E-Series machine featuring a twin-blade 48-inch UltraCut Series 3 cutting deck.The machine is powered by a Kawasaki FR691V air-cooled twin-cylinder engine, featuring pressurized lubrication and cast-iron cylinder liners.

Exmark www.exmark.com

Earth augers

General Equipment Company introduces the 2350 Bor-Max Series earth augers and auger extension, offering digging performance for small, hand-held type earth auger products. These augers are specially designed to drill through unconsolidated soil classifications, such as loams, sands, soft clays and granular rubbles.

General Equipment Company www.generalequip.com

Irrigation diagnostic tool

Hunter’s new handheld EZ-DT diagnostic tool uses wireless technology to streamline installation and maintenance of EZ Decoder Systems. Contractors can use the EZ-DT to quickly assess system health from within the valve box without having to uninstall the decoders.

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51

Brine solution blender

Hilltip introduces the BrineMixx 135-800 brine solution blenders in three sizes (135, 370 or 800 gallons).

Hilltip www.hilltipna.com

Battery powered impact wrenches

Battery powered telescopic pole pruner

Dewalt adds to its growing line of Xtreme Subcompact Series of 12V Max tools with two new 12V Max Impact Wrenches in 1/2 and 3/8-inch sizes. At only 5.2-inches in length and a weight of two-lbs.

The new Stihl HTA 85 battery powered telescopic pole pruner features an adjustable telescopic shaft that can be extended from 2.70 m to 3.90 m, so you can reach branches up to 16 ft. high.

Dewalt www.dewalt.ca

Stihl www.stihl.ca

Gas powered pole saw

Husqvarna introduces the 525DEPS Madsaw professional pole saw. The Madsaw is the first and only dielectric gas-powered pole saw individually tested to meet the OSHA standard, Husqvarna says.

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EVENTS

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MAY 26-28, CSLA-OALA Congress,

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JUNE 15-16, Grey to Green Conference, virtual event, greytogreenconference.org

FOUR SUMMER EVENTS, SIMA Symposium Roadshow, four locations, sima.org

SEPT. 28-30, 2021, Garden Center Conference & Expo, Orlando, Fla., gardencenterconference.com

JAN. 11-13, 2022, Landscape Ontario Congress, Toronto, Ont. locongress.com

COMPANY

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A.M.A. Horticulture Inc

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Aspire Software

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Atlas Polar Company Ltd

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Beaver Valley Stone Ltd

50

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Best Way Stone Ltd

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Bobcat Company

31

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Brouwer Sod Farms Ltd

18

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Coivic Specimen Trees

42

www.coivic.com

Dutchmaster Nurseries Ltd

46

www.dutchmasternurseries.com

Echo Power Equipment

19

www.echo.ca

Electrical Safety Authority

47

www.esasafe.com

Ford Motor Company of Canada Ltd

11

www.ford.ca

Grand River Natural Stone Ltd

41

www.grandriverstone.com

Greenville Planters

43

www.greenvilledesigns.com

Gro-Bark (Ontario) Ltd

39

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Horst Welding

14, 36

Husqvarna

29

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John Deere Limited

21

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Kubota Canada Ltd

2

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Miller Compost – The Miller Group

44

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Miska Trailers

56

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Munger Lawnscape Distribution

34

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Oaks Landscape Products

38

www.oakspavers.com

Organix Applied

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PRO Landscape by Drafix Software

48

www.prolandscape.com

Rinox Inc

55

www.rinox.ca

Spring Meadow Nursery Inc

9

www.springmeadownursery.com

Stihl Ltd

5

www.stihl.ca

Takeuchi Manufacturing

37

www.takeuchi-us.com

Walters Gardens Inc

17

www.waltersgardens.com

Whites Wearparts Ltd

53

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Windy Ridge Corporation

35

www.stonehook.com

Zander Sod Co Ltd

51

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53

MENTORMOMENT

Signing off, one last time LANDSCAPE TRADES PUBLISHER LEE ANN KNUDSEN retired in January, after

more than 20 years with the magazine. In this installment of Mentor Moment, Lee Ann reflects on her time with the publication, and looks ahead to what’s next.

takes to survive in the tough small business world.

It was my job to promote prosperity by collecting sector-specific information our pros could not easily get otherwise.

What were some of the biggest challenges?

Magazines have an extraordinary level of accountability. The content we publish is permanent, and we My 20 years in publishing for the landscape sector always provide a name, address, and phone number really drove home respect for small business owners.

– no anonymity to hide behind. So, every sign-off to I watched the pros across Canada making payroll, the printer is a very serious matter. I always found it LEE ANN KNUDSEN going after sales, believing in safety, navigatinteresting that the most successful landscape pros ing regulations and supporting their communities on top of it all. operate under the same model. A handshake is real, commitments Landscape and horticulture pros are exceptional citizens – they are are to be honoured. It’s all about accountability. honest, work hard and live their faith. I learned to embrace their busiAnother constant challenge was finding space to cover stories for ness model. several landscape sectors, since Landscape Trades serves contractors for several markets – construction, maintenance, irrigation, lighting, What are you proud to leave behind? snow – plus landscape designers, nursery growers and garden cenDuring my 20 years on the Landscape Trades masthead, I saw its mistres. Even though many readers participate in more than one of the sion as providing information that busy entrepreneurs could not get above, it’s quite the diverse range to cover. otherwise, such as how other business owners are solving problems.

What made your job easier?

The content is how we attract a loyal and energized audience and Every member of the Landscape Trades publishing team is a pro, thus attract advertisers. Reader loyalty was sky-high when I came on including both staff and freelance writers. They make an astonishing board, which we have maintained and even hopefully improved. We number of deadlines each year, but you never see the pressure. The have since implemented some new systems, striven to publish quality atmosphere is always calm, never panicked. They make it look easy. stories, improved our circulation, hired some star staffers and diversiReaders are fortunate to be supported by this team. fied offerings.

What did landscape pros teach you?

Since a magazine is a living thing, what can readers do better from their end?

A discouraging aspect of publishing is that when you do things right, all you hear is silence. But make one mistake and the calls and emails come pouring in! I am proud of the high level of engagement Landscape Trades consistently generates, which is quite rare in the magazine business. But I encourage busy pros to contact your magazine even more frequently, since you can guarantee your input will be heard and respected.

What bugs you about today’s publishing business?

Time and again, especially in trade publishing, I see writers talk down to audiences. That is terrible writing, but it also indicates the writer does not respect his or her audience and does not embrace professional standards. I always regarded Landscape Trades readers as the experts, and sincerely admired their achievements. After all, our Canadian landscape pros are proving every day they have what it 54 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

What did you enjoy most about your career with Landscape Trades?

I really enjoyed the friendliness. This was among our staff, within the association circles and with business owners. There is no fakery in the landscape community. Everybody is open and willing to help.

How will you spend your retirement?

My husband Kerry and I have retired to a stone cottage in the mountains. We had great careers; we worked really, really hard and had lots of fun. We are so grateful for those years, but now we are enjoying a new kind of fun. For example, today we need to decide where to plant a ‘Blue Moon’ wisteria to align with a future deck. It’s a big switch to be living in the present rather than constantly planning for deadlines. LT

If you have a mentor to recommend or a question to suggest, please write to comments@landscapetrades.com.

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56 | MAY 2021 | LANDSCAPE TRADES