August/September Green for Life 2013

A Landscape Alberta Nursery Trades Association member publication

August/September 2013 Vol. 1, No. 4

The Demographic Cliff

Training Tips and Tricks

Green for Life August/September 2013 I

2 I Green for Life August/September 2013

Calendar of Events

MANAGING EDITOR Nigel Bowles LAYOUT & PRODUCTION Kyla McKechnie EDITOR Marnie Main ADVERTISING Erynn Watson

Landscape Alberta Green for Life is a professional publication for the landscape horticultural trade in Alberta.

Editorial and Advertising Landscape Alberta 200, 10331 ‐ 178 Street NW Edmonton, AB T5S 1R5 P: 780‐489‐1991 F: 780‐444‐2152 admin@landscape‐alberta.com www.landscape‐alberta.com

Landscape Alberta does not assume 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 herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Landscape Alberta or its members.

Material may not be reprinted from this magazine without the consent of Landscape Alberta.

ISSN No: 1929‐7114 (print) ISSN N0: 1929‐7122 (online)

Landscape Alberta Executive Committee

President ‐ Vacant

1st Vice President ‐ Chris Brown CRS Brown Landscape Services Ltd.

2nd Vice President ‐ Dave Montgomery Green Oasis Services Inc.

Treasurer ‐ Arnold van de Ligt Manderley Turf Products Inc.

Past President ‐ Gerard Fournier For Trees Company Ltd.

September 11, 2013 Landscape Alberta Golf Tournament Springbank Links Golf Course, Calgary, AB To register, call 1‐800‐378‐3198

September 16 – 18, 2013 CanWest 2013 Vancouver Convention Centre www.canwesthortshow.com

October 7 – 9, 2013 ISA Prairie Chapter Conference Ramada Conference Centre 11834 Kingsway Ave, Edmonton, AB office@isaprairie.com

October 18, 2013 Landscape Alberta/Landscape Saskatchewan Landscape Awards Entry Deadline For information email admin@landscape‐alberta.com

October 23 – 24, 2013 Landscape Ontario’s Garden & Floral Expo Toronto Congress Centre, Toronto, ON www.loexpo.ca

November 14 – 15, 2013 Green Industry Conference Edmonton EXPO Centre at Northlands www.greenindustryshow.com

November 14 – 15, 2013 Green Industry Show Edmonton EXPO Centre at Northlands www.greenindustryshow.com

November 18 – 20, 2013 Hort East 2013 Moncton Coliseum Complex, Moncton, NB www.horteast.ns.ca

Landscape Alberta Staff

Nigel Bowles, Executive Director nigel.bowles@landscape‐alberta.com

Marnie Main, Member Services Director member.services@landscape‐alberta.com

On the Cover: 2012 Landscape Award of Merit Winner Residential Landscape Construction Year‐Round Landscaping Inc. Calderbank Residence

Erynn Watson, Member Services Assistant erynn.watson@landscape‐alberta.com

Valerie Stobbe, Trade Show Coordinator valerie.stobbe@landscape‐alberta.com

Kyla McKechnie, Administrative Assistant admin@landscape‐alberta.com

Follow us on Twitter @landscapeab

Cheryl Teo, Bookkeeper accounting@landscape‐alberta.com Green for Life August/September 2013 I

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Industry and Association News …

Landscape Alberta President Stepping Down growth of a devastated area. Projects are already We regret to inform our members that, for personal underway, with many more to come ‐ please visit reasons, Dean Falkenberg has resigned from the replantcommunities.com.

Landscape Alberta Executive Committee and the position of President. We extend our profound thanks to Dean for Their initial project was the Plant & Color Relief Effort ‐ the his dedication and support during his many years of plan was to simply provide some color to the lives of flood‐ volunteer service to Landscape Alberta, fellow members, weary residents in Calgary, and in just a few days, over and association staff. $25,000 worth of beautiful hanging baskets and planters

were donated, transported, and distributed to flood‐ We will miss Dean’s enthusiasm and generosity, and we affected residents. Thank you to all the volunteers who hope that when you next see or talk with Dean that you’ll contributed their time, hard work, plant material, trucks, also thank him for his commitment to the industry over so fuel and so much more. Special thanks to Michiel Verheul of High Q Greenhouses (Morinville) and Lori Bradley of many years.

Dentoom’s Greenhouses (Red Deer) for launching and

Thank you, Dean ‐ we wish you well as you move ahead co‐ordinating this generous undertaking.

with your new endeavors.

Skills Canada Competition – Olds College Team Wins Gold

The Skills Canada National Competition took place June 6 Landscape Alberta Flood Recovery Efforts Association members in the Calgary area have introduced & 7, 2013 at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver, the idea of working together on a volunteer landscape BC. Canada's best and brightest skilled trade and recovery project in their community, and we have already technology students competed in this Olympic‐style, multi garnered support for this generous effort. The City of ‐trade and technology event of its kind for young students Calgary has been approached and will help to identify and apprentices in the country. Over forty different public landscape spaces that are most in need of recovery – assigned projects were showcased in major skilled trade they are appreciative of the idea and a project will be set‐ and technology categories. The competitors were tled on soon. If your company would like to participate by evaluated by independent judges from the respective contributing labour, equipment, material or support to this industry sectors, who based their decisions on industry effort, please contact our office. If members in other standards and established work practices. affected communities have similar projects, we will happily assist by providing a central hub for information and co‐operation.

The Board of Directors of Landscape Alberta has approved a $1000.00 donation to the Red Cross to assist those affected by the devastating floods in Alberta communities.

We thank all our members who are supporting recovery efforts across the province – if you would like to share information about your own community, please email or call us with details.

Replantcommunities.com Born out of the June 2013 Alberta flood tragedy, Replant Communities is a movement for the re‐beautification of communities affected by natural disaster. Working in partnership with donors and greenhouses across Canada, the organization seeks to help residents rebuild local green Over 200 medals were awarded to the top champions in six spaces. Lori Bradley, owner of Dentoom's Greenhouses in skilled trade and technology categories. We would like to Red Deer, founded the project with a desire to bring congratulate Nicholas Arnoldussen and David Grisnich of horticultural industries together to provide aid and hope in Olds College on their gold‐medal win in the Landscape Gardener trade. Nicholas and David qualified for nationals the midst of disaster.

after placing first in the Skills Canada – Alberta By adopting a plant, or donating towards the efforts of competition held in May at the Edmonton Expo Centre at Replant Communities, you can help the recovery and Northlands. Congratulations!

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Industry Job Board The Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA) has created a national Industry Job Board that is available to members of Landscape Alberta and each provincial association across Canada, as well as select educational institutions and municipalities. Members can post their job vacancies for a fee of $100 + HST. CNLA's website is regularly visited by thousands of industry professionals, educators, students, and individuals interested in the green industry.

Please send your job posting including all of your contact information to: Anne Bowering Communications Coordinator, CNLA Email: anne@cnla‐acpp.ca Tel: 1‐888‐446‐3499 ext.8690

Serving Canada with Prairie Hardy Trees

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Implementation of the United States new Not Colorado Blue & Green Spruce, White & Black Hills Spruce Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis (NAPPRA) Rule Ash Aspen Birch CVI Shubert & Crabapple Hawthorn The United States Department of Agriculture has Maple Poplar Lodgepole, Ponderosa & Scotch Pine published its Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis (NAPPRA) rule, which was implemented on May 20, 2013.

3240 MT Hwy 35 1-888-349-1422 fax: 1-888-349-1455

Kalispell, Montana 59901 www.fourseasonsnurserymt.com The purpose of the NAPPRA rule is to mitigate pest risk. As a result, the U.S. has implemented a new list of We coordinate freight to your site. Approximately prohibited plant taxa from specified origins that are not 320 miles to Calgary, 500 miles to Edmonton authorized for importation into the U.S. without the completion of a Pest Risk Analysis (PRA). There are cases where genera from a certain origin are approved for entry into Canada, but cannot be re‐exported to the U.S. from Canada. According to the U.S., in these cases, plants entering Canada after the May 20, 2013 implementation date will not be able to be considered as Canadian origin regardless of how long they have been grown in Canada. This determination also applies to all progeny.

Exporters are required to declare the origin of their product when applying for a phytosanitary certificate, and may be asked to provide documentation to verify the origin of material that is destined for the U.S. If origin cannot be verified to the satisfaction of the inspector, a phytosanitary certificate cannot be issued. Exporters who obtain material from a domestic source, and who may want to export the product to the U.S., should ask for origin information/documentation when purchasing the product in order to support the phytosanitary certification process when they wish to export.

1000+ varieties and sizes of PRAIRE HARDY Trees, Shrubs & Perennials

You can view the NAPPRA Final Notice at: http://1.usa.gov/17W0RZs If you have any questions, or for more information, please email horticulture@inspection.gc.ca.

24309 Twp Rd 510, Beaumont, AB Phone: 780‐929‐8102 Fax: 780‐929‐8107 info@cheyennetree.ca www.cheyennetree.ca Green for Life August/September 2013 I

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Strike Will Affect Foreign Worker Program Work Permits year. An entry requires the submission of a completed The Professional Association of Foreign Service Workers project description form and 5 digital photographs ‐ the (PAFSO) union is taking strike action. PAFSO union entry is evaluated on a defined set of criteria including members responsible for processing visa applications have Community Spirit, Innovative Ideas, Environmental Sustainability and Community Impact. The project that been walking out of offices across Canada and overseas. receives the national “Green for Life Community Award”

will receive a trip for two to attend CNLA’s National Posted processing times for both temporary and permanent resident visa/work permit applications do not Awards of Landscape Excellence ceremony held annually. take into account work stoppages, so delays are expected and applications should be submitted as far in advance as Reasons to participate in the “Green for Life Community possible. Contingency plans are in place to ensure all Award” Program: offices remain open and provide at least a minimum level  Acknowledgement of the respective community/parks/ of service. school groups and their special projects

 Stimulating community energy and interest New “Green for Life Community Award” Launched  Promoting excellence in environmental initiatives A new awards program will be launched at this year’s  Recognizing the dedication of valuable volunteers Canada Blooms event, a “Green for Life Community  Provincial and National exposure of project entries Award” program coordinated by the Canadian Nursery through promotional materials, media releases and Landscape Association (CNLA) and our ten provincial websites associations.

For more information, contact the Landscape Alberta office.

This new award will recognize projects or geographic segments within a community, region, or municipality that 2013 GISC Advertising and Sponsorship Opportunities have specific benefit to the public through the There are many advertising and sponsorship opportunities development and/or maintenance of green spaces. available for the 2013 Green Industry Show & Conference.

For more information, please contact Erynn at the Projects are entered through your provincial association Landscape Alberta office at 1‐800‐378‐3198. and only one project per association can be entered per

(May 15 - July 15, 2013)

Burnco Rock Products Ltd. Morgan Martel 200, 155 Glendeer Circle SE, Box 1480, Station T Calgary, AB T2H 2P9 Phone: 403‐255‐2600 Fax: 403‐255‐0323 communications@burnco.com www.burnco.com

Burnco Rock Products Ltd. Ryan Dunne 262111 Range Road 10 Balzac, AB T0M 0E0 Phone: 403‐252‐1131 Fax: 403‐274‐2724 ryan.dunne@burnco.com www.burncolandscape.com

Burnco Rock Products Ltd. Dustin Reid 6924 13 Street SE Calgary, AB T2H 2P9 Phone: 403‐252‐1131 Fax: 403‐252‐1104 dustin.reid@burnco.com www.burncolandscape.com

Burnco Rock Products Ltd. Grant Kleine 7811 44A Street NW Edmonton, AB T6B 3A4 Phone: 780‐466‐5200 Fax: 780‐466‐5236 grant.kleine@burnco.com www.burncolandscape.com

Welcome to our New Members

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Burnco Rock Products Ltd. Mike Rice 825 Memorial Drive Fort McMurray, AB T9K 0K4 Phone: 780‐791‐6699 Fax: 780‐791‐5371 mike.rice@burnco.com www.burncolandscape.com

Burnco Rock Products Ltd. Bill Gerrie 4305 77 Street Red Deer, AB T1J 4N1 Phone: 403‐342‐5678 Fax: 403‐309‐0601 bill.gerrie@burnco.com www.burncolandscape.com

Burnco Rock Products Ltd. Colleen Kwiatkowski 11649 99 Street Edmonton, AB T5S 2L6 Phone: 780‐466‐5200 Fax: 780‐466‐5236 colleen.kwiatkowski@burnco.com www.burncolandscape.com

Burnco Rock Products Ltd. Bill McDonald 2500 West Side Drive West Lethbridge, AB T1J 4N1 Phone: 403‐327‐0808 Fax: 403‐381‐7004 bill.mcdonald@burnco.com www.burncolandscape.com

City Soil Services Perry Terrault 12516 60 Street Edmonton, AB T5W 5J6 Phone: 780‐220‐0473 Fax: 780‐463‐8088 perry@citysoilservices.com www.citysoilservices.com

Clintar Landscape Management Ryan Jones 3450 48 Avenue SE Calgary, AB T2B 3L6 Phone: 403‐474‐4164 Fax: 403‐474‐4165 ryan_jones@clintar.com www.clintar.com

On the Green Turf Pros Inc. Tony Siviglia Box 19, Site 2, RR 2 Carstairs, AB T0M 0N0 Phone: 403‐512‐1012 Fax: 403‐337‐5888 contact@onthegreen.ca www.onthegreen.ca

Training Tips and Tricks

Look for innovative ways to engage your staff in becoming a Journeyman Landscape Gardener or earning Landscape Industry training. Everyone learns differently, so try to Certified designations are great goals to work toward ‐ they encourage offer a blended learning approach and take professionalism and continual learning. It’s never too late to take action and ensure advantage of different options including in‐class your employees have the skills they need to succeed. workshops, self‐paced online learning, one‐on‐ Quick Links: one training, etc.

Alberta Apprenticeship & Industry Training: www.tradesecrets.alberta.ca Landscape Industry Certified: www.landscapeindustrycertified.org Landscape OnSites: http://bit.ly/11FeSWB On‐the‐Job Training: http://bit.ly/1cVoX3b

Focus your training on the important skills that you want your employees to walk away with. The Canadian Nursery Landscape Association’s (CNLA) Landscape OnSites manual is perfect for this. Take 20 minutes each week and focus your training session on all of the technical, safety and operational skills involved in one task. Take advantage of the next On‐The‐Job Training session near you to ensure that the individual running your company’s training program can improve efficiency and learn how to engage employees in the process.

Social media could be another avenue to diversify your training. Let your employees contribute online and ask questions to solve problems. Ask your peers about the innovative training tools that they use.

When you develop a training program, stick to it.

Keep track of sessions your staff attend and have them sign off on the training. Documenting this allows you and your staff to develop goals and track progress. Having this information on hand is also helpful for your Landscape Industry Certified staff to earn and track Continuing Education Units for recertification.

Speaking of certification, keep in mind that Green for Life August/September 2013 I

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The Demographic Cliff By Bill Stewart Federal immigration reforms can help the would need almost 160,000 offshore construction workers construction industry cope with a shortage of over the next seven years to meet projected needs.

skilled workers

For years, most of the 250,000 permanent immigrants coming to Canada annually came in under the Federal Despite the best efforts of governments, business associations and contractors to promote apprenticeship Skilled Worker (FSW) sub‐category. Changes in immigration legislation in 2002 established selection programs, improve productivity and reach out to under‐represented communities, forecasts continue to criteria based on the theory that the more education an indicate that there is an imminent and significant shortfall immigrant had, the more likely he or she would be to in domestic human resources. In short, Canada’s labour succeed in resettling.

force is dangling on the edge of a demographic cliff.

Consequently, 46 percent of admissions under the Skilled According to Human Resources and Skills Development Worker program held a master’s degree or PhD whereas Canada (HRSDC), the median age of Canada’s working only three percent of admissions held a formal trade population in 1971 was 26.2 years old. As of 2011, the certificate. The result for construction was that fewer than median age was 39.9 years. Our working‐age population is 700 immigrants with trades training were admitted to expected to decrease by 13 percent over the next few Canada annually while countless numbers of foreign‐ trained doctors, accountants and nuclear physicists were decades. underemployed as janitors, caretakers and taxi drivers. The

More than 20 percent of the current construction industry law at the time also stipulated that all applications be workforce is expected to retire over the next seven years. processed in the order in which they were received, which According to the Construction Sector Council, this will resulted in a backlog of hundreds of thousands of applications. contribute to a nationwide shortage of 300,000

construction workers. Industry will feel the impacts.

With apprenticeship training programs running at

The Construction Owners Association of Alberta (COAA) is unprecedented levels and the industry experiencing full a major group of purchasers of construction services – employment, many contractors were forced to resort to many of which are involved in developing oil sands in short‐term international recruitment through the northern Alberta. The industry estimates current and controversial federal Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) intended investment to be $250 billion, and COAA program. However, this program was fraught with members have a significant interest in construction bureaucratic red tape and delays, too. workforce issues. In 2011, they estimated that industry

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Many of the problems associated with the TFW program are attributed to it being jointly administered by two federal departments. Prior to offering temporary employment to a foreign national, the employer must obtain a Labour Market Opinion (LMO) from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. HRSDC’s role is to certify that the employer made reasonable efforts to recruit within Canada first and that the terms and conditions of employment are not fraudulent and in accordance with prevailing local wage rates and employment standards. Once the employer obtains the LMO, the employer and prospective employee must then satisfy both Citizenship and Immigration Canada and provincial regulatory authorities responsible for accreditation that they are eligible to work temporarily in Canada.

Employers experienced tremendous difficulty with the TFW program. The Auditor General of Canada delivered a scathing critique of how the LMO process was administered. An audit noted, “We found that directives on how to assess whether employers meet some or all of the factors outlined in the regulations are not clear or incomplete; interpretations vary from one regional office to another and even within the same office.”

That Was Then, This is Now In spring 2012, the federal government began retooling its policies and procedures for permanent and temporary workers.

To reduce the backlog of 300,000 applications, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced that all applications received prior to February 28, 2008, under the Federal Skilled Worker program, would be returned to applicants. This paved the way for the Immigration Department to process applications based on labour market needs, instead of their place in the queue.

In April 2012, HRSDC Minister Diane Finley announced the Accelerated Labour Market Opinion (A‐LMO) program to expedite the processing for targeted TFW applications. The Green for Life August/September 2013 I

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program enabled employers with a positive compliance record of two years to have The introduction of this new and distinct category new applications fast‐tracked. Unfortunately, this program has been temporarily coincides with a series of other proposed changes to the Skilled Worker program points system grid suspended. the government implemented in January 2013.

In July 2012, Minister Kenney announced the extension and expansion to the The changes included: Alberta Pilot Project, whereby employers no longer need HRSDC approval and an  Making language the most important LMO to recruit internationally for skilled workers in seven high‐demand selection factor including introducing occupations. This move significantly helps companies – particularly construction minimum language fluency thresholds and and maintenance companies – to respond more quickly to the needs of the resource increasing the number of points awarded for developers. In most cases, TFWs brought in under this stream are allowed to move linguistic ability between employers in Alberta over a two‐year period – a feature unavailable in other TFW streams. While the pilot project provides much‐welcome relief in

expediting international recruitment, it is for the most part only available to construction companies and not other industries experiencing acute shortages.

Moreover, it is restricted to Alberta operations only. Industry is also critical of provincial regulatory rules that create different credential recognition streams and the process and length of time to recognize trade credentials for optional and compulsory certified trades.

To deal with the bias in the FSW program favouring applicants with university education over those with trades skills and experience, a new dedicated skilled trade class was created in 2012 within the permanent immigrant stream. Rather  Increasing points for younger immigrants on than having to qualify under the “points system”, applicants in this class are now the basis that younger immigrants are more assessed on whether they have a valid long‐term employment offer or appropriate likely to “gain valuable Canadian experience” working credentials and experience in a trade. They must also demonstrate that and will be in the workforce and contributing they have language skills appropriate for their occupation. In December, Minister to Canada’s economy for longer Kenney announced that 3,000 spots were being allocated to applicants under this  Increasing points for Canadian work stream. experience and reducing points awarded for foreign work experience  Simplifying the arranged employment process to prevent fraud and allow employers to quickly fill vacancies  Awarding additional points for spousal language ability and Canadian work experience

While both temporary and permanent immigration are important tools in helping employers meet their human resource needs, immigration is not a stand‐alone “silver bullet” solution to solving the shortage of skilled workers in Canada. The C.D. Howe Institute recently calculated that immigration numbers would need to increase to between 650,000 to one million annually to fully address Canada’s aging workforce and the shortage of workers. While Industry-leading workshops for landscape, turf, tree, other strategies and policies, in terms of greenhouse, nursery and garden centre professionals. apprenticeship, improving productivity and outreach engagement are all key to solving Plus an exceptional 240 booth trade show! human resource problems, 2012 will be seen as a watershed year since the federal government made remarkable progress in reforming our November 14 & 15, 2013 immigration system to making it more responsive Edmonton EXPO Centre at Northlands | Edmonton | Alberta to the needs of Canada’s changing labour force.

Register on-line at Eventbrite.com Reprinted with permission from Open Mind www.greenindustryshow.com 1-800-378-3198 Magazine, Issue 1 Spring 2013.

“More than 20 percent of the current construction industry workforce is expected to retire over the next seven years.”

The Green Industry Show & Conference

Journey to Prosperity

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Building Winning Organizations

By Kevin Kehoe

The best leaders I’ve observed practice and preach five A vision is best created by key staff in work sessions where short and long‐term elements of the company vision are simple principles. determined. To quote one landscape company owner,

“What’s important to me is that everyone sees the same 1. Create value for the customer The customer is not always right. But the customer picture. When a customer asks our staff what our vision is, and they respond in the same way I would, we have understands value. According to Adweek, “Today’s consumers are savvy shoppers, buying on pure benefit succeeded. If we all share the same vision, then the (quality) and price relationships.” Winning companies probability that we will all make the right decisions increases exponentially.” make an effort to:

 Understand customer value, not just satisfaction 4. Measure, measure, measure  monitor and measure customer value consistently What gets measured gets talked about. And what gets  include everyone in maximizing customer value talked about gets done. “How much is your crew’s job cost

The best companies deliver superior value, secure loyal this week, Mike?” “How much have we reduced lost time customers and do it without adding cost. They deliver due to accidents this month, Sue?” These are the kinds of enough value to outrun their competition – like the two questions that leaders should ask in order to help measure hunters running for their lives from an angry bear. One quality, efficiencies and productivity. hunter says to the other, “Do you think we can outrun this bear?” The other responds, “I don’t need to outrun the Measurements help to get people focused on results instead of task completion. Without measurements, bear. I only need to outrun you!” managers end up micro managing when they need to be

coaching.

Measurements eliminate complacency, foster 2. Treat people with dignity involvement and promote learning. And fast learning is the Set high standards and expectations for your people.

Provide regular and honest feedback. Listen. It’s a simple surest way to beat the competition and create superior and powerful formula. Leaders who practice this formula value for the customer. know their staff well, spend time on the job and show little 5. Share the fruits of success tolerance for deadwood. Does intolerance for incompetence demonstrate disrespect? I have observed Treat staff as owners. Owners share the risks and rewards. managers griping about low morale and, at the same time, When the company does well, everyone wins. The most employees are mumbling about “some people are getting motivated employees are those who work in a shared risk away with murder.” Clear out the deadwood and within and reward environment. days you hear comments like, “The team works much better now that we got rid of those guys. What took so “I want everyone to think like an owner,” said one manager long?” Treating people with dignity means you should who installed a pay‐for‐performance program. “Owners expect excellence, let people know where they stand and take responsibility for their investment, while renters rely on the landlord. I don’t want to be a landlord with lots of listen to their ideas. renters.”

Pay‐for‐performance programs are the wave of the future for two simple reasons:  Most companies cannot afford to give loyal employees 4% to 5% pay raises every year and hope to remain price competitive, and  Along with other noncash reward systems, pay‐for‐ performance programs are the most powerful performance motivators we know of at this time.

Kevin Kehoe will be a presenter at Landscape Alberta’s 3. Share a clear vision upcoming 2013 Green Industry Conference. His workshop, A strong vision consists of three components: Managing Work Crews for Excellence, will be held on  Mission – reason for being an organizational ideal Thursday, November 14 at the Edmonton Expo Centre at  Objectives – achievable and measurable results Northlands. www.greenindustryshow.com  Tactics – action items and resources necessary to implement the strategies Green for Life August/September 2013 I

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Safety Tips: Slip and Trip Injuries Slips and trips are common in our industry, but they are So can wearing improper footwear or failing to put tools preventable and equipment back where they belong.  Landscape crews, professional lawncare crews, and  Slippery grass clippings, poor lighting conditions, icy other horticultural employees who work outdoors on spots in winter, spills and electrical cords or hoses left wet, muddy and uneven terrain are at high risk of slip out are among the many other contributors to slip and trip injuries. and trip injuries.  These injuries often occur at job sites, but they can How to prevent slip and trip injuries also occur indoors, especially when “good housekeeping” isn’t a high priority.  Pay close attention to conditions. Remember that wet grass can be very slick, and that you need to slow  Slips and trips may result in broken bones, sprains, down on muddy or uneven terrain. concussions, or other painful and costly injuries.

These injuries, however, are preventable.  Wear boots that have good traction.

 Put tools, equipment and materials back where they What causes slip and trip injuries? belong.  Running on the job is a major cause of slip and trip  Be especially careful if you are applying liquids. injuries.  Pay close attention if you are carrying a load that  These injuries can also occur by not being on may block your view. constant lookout for hazards, such as holes in the  Practice good housekeeping. If you spill something, ground, “bumps” (sticks, stones, partially hidden clean it up. If you spot a potential tripping hazard, rocks), or unexpected changes in the terrain. eliminate it if possible or bring it to your crew leader’s  Applying fertilizer or other products in light drizzle, attention. working on slippery slopes or when the morning dew is still on the ground can also result in slips and trips.

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Errors and Omissions Insurance for Design Professionals Almost any firm or individual performing services quickly affect your company by inflicting financial hardship on you, your family, and can be the cause of economic losses when things your employees. go wrong. If resulting losses are sustained by clients or other third parties, would your business Has a client ever accused your design services of causing property damage, bodily have the resources to defend a claim—no matter injury, or financial loss? Would you be covered in such an instance? The answer may how baseless it is? The right errors and omissions often rely on whether you completed the installation or if this was handled by a policy may pay for resulting judgements against third party. you, including court and defence costs, even years 1. Designing a Landscape Installation of Various Types for a Third Party: If the after a job has been completed. design installation results in bodily injury or third party property damage, this, along with any resulting financial loss, would be excluded from the Commer‐ cial General Liability policy as a professional service. Even if it was the com‐ pany fulfilling the job that installed the product incorrectly, your company could still be named in the lawsuit and at a minimum you would incur defence costs to be removed from the action.

2. Designing a Landscape Installation of Various Types to Be Completed by You and/or Your Employees: If the installation is done incorrectly and re‐ sults in bodily injury or third party property damage, under the HortProtect Commercial General Liability, this is covered as part of your operations and not excluded as a professional service. If you are not a HortProtect policyholder and provide design services for your company, check with your current insurance broker to see if you are covered for this exposure.

Continued on next page...

In the design field, Landscape Designers, Land Planners, Tree Specialists/Arborists, Irrigation Designers, Landscape Gardeners, Horticultural Consultants, and Water and Land Drainage Consultants are all susceptible to errors and omissions (E&O) claims. To complicate matters, professional services are often excluded from coverage in Commercial General Liability policies.

If you are performing professional services without E&O insurance coverage, you are running a serious risk.

Professional Liability policies are designed to provide coverage for claims or damages and may be triggered simply by a demand for money or services as the result of an alleged negligent act, error, or omission in the performance of professional services.

Errors and omissions insurance protects your company if a client alleges that you were professionally negligent or failed to perform professional duties as outlined in a contract. Even if these accusations are unwarranted, the ever‐ increasing cost of legal and defence fees can Green for Life August/September 2013 I

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Showcase your expertise and creativity…

Enter the 2013 Landscape Awards

Entry forms and guides are available online at www.landscape-alberta.com.

The Landscape Awards program is only open to active members of Landscape Alberta and Landscape Saskatchewan.

For more information, contact Kyla McKechnie at admin@landscape-alberta.com 780-489-1991 or 1-800-378-3198

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Claims Examples

Claim: Water in Basement A contractor cites design as an issue as they built a backyard landscaping project “exactly per the design.” As a result, the natural flow of water from the downspouts comes towards the house as opposed to away from house and floods the basement. Regardless if design is the issue, a statement of claim has been served and a defence must be brought forward. A Commercial General Liability policy would not respond, and a Professional Liability policy would be required for coverage.

“Even the most skilled professionals can make mistakes and even the smallest mistakes can result in serious consequences.”

Claim: Vicarious Liability A tree company is hired by Client A to provide services.

Client A’s neighbour asks for an impromptu opinion on the stability of a tree on his property. The tree company confirms at a glance that tree looks “okay.” The tree falls over within a month and collapses the resident’s roof. The neighbour sues the tree company for damages. A Commercial General Liability policy would not respond, and a Professional Liability policy would be required for coverage.

Even the most skilled professionals can make mistakes and even the smallest mistakes can result in serious consequences. From human error to equipment failure, many circumstances can result in a lawsuit. E&O insurance should be considered essential coverage for any professional service providers.

This article is not intended to be a comprehensive resource on the subject of E&O liability. It is simply a general overview of some of the key issues and considerations facing design professionals today. Marsh Canada recognizes the importance of managing the risk associated with this exposure and has full advisory capabilities on both potential liabilities and appropriate protection. If you are interested in obtaining additional information on the subject of E&O liability, please contact your local Marsh Canada representative.

Marsh offers general liability and vehicle coverage as part of the HortProtect Insurance program, exclusively for association members across Canada through the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA). The Marsh representative for Alberta is Leah Lefebvre and she can be contacted at 1‐877‐484‐1966 or leah.lefebvre@marsh.com.

Green for Life August/September 2013 I

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16 I Green for Life August/September 2013