Green for Life September/October 2016 by Landscape Alberta

A Landscape Alberta Nursery Trades Association member publication

Selling Cool A Look Back... The First 30 Years

September/October 2016 Vol. 4, No. 5

REBATES!

INTRODUCING

THE NEW G-SERIES SKID STEERS & COMPACT TRACK LOADERS

Brandt is celebrating $1billion in annual revenue and we’re thanking our customers by offering special rebates throughout the year. Visit thanksabillion.ca for details.

BETTER WHEN THINGS GET TIGHT. The new Deere G-Series Skid Steers and Compact Track Loaders deliver class-leading agility, visibility, and productivity, all wrapped up in a smaller machine that’s easier to transport, and the new available radial boom design works harder in tight spaces. Best of all, Brandt backs every Deere with new finance and warranty offers, and the best 24/7 customer support in the business. Nobody works harder to help you succeed. That’s Powerful Value. Delivered.

2000 HOUR WARRANTY

A SECOND YEAR, UP TO 2000 HOURS ON POWERTRAIN AND HYDRAULICS.

EXPIRES OCTOBER 31, 2016. SEE DEALER FOR DETAILS. SOME RESTRICTIONS APPLY.

brandt.ca 1-888-227-2638

LIMITED TIME

FOR 48 MOS.

FINANCING

OR UP TO $4650 SAVINGS ON NEW DEERE GSERIES COMPACT LOADERS

CALENDAR Advancing the professional landscape industry. MANAGING EDITOR | Joel Beatson PRODUCTION & EDITING | Kyla Hardon ADVERTISING | Erynn Watson

Landscape Alberta Green for Life is a professional publication for the landscape 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

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.

September 28-29, 2016 Canwest Hort Show Tradex, Abbotsford, BC www.canwesthortshow.com

October 5-6, 2016 Canadian Greenhouse Conference Scotiabank Convention Centre, Niagara Fall, ON www.canadiangreenhouseconference.com

October 27-29, 2016 Communities in Bloom 2016 National Symposium Regina, SK www.communitiesinbloom.ca November 17-18, 2016 Green Industry Show & Conference Edmonton Expo Centre, Edmonton, AB www.greenindustryshow.com November 21-23, 2016 HortEast Conference & Trade Show www.horteast.com

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

Landscape Alberta Board of Directors Brian Gibson, Green Drop Lawns Ltd., Chair

Chris Brown, CLM, JLG, CSO, CRS Brown Landscape Services Ltd., Vice Chair

Steve Wheatcroft, B. Comm, ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc.

Cody Brown, Tree to Tree Nurseries Ltd.

Jeff Oudyk, CSLA, AALA, JLG, Land Tec Landscape Contractors Ltd. Jordan Voogd, JLG, Sunstar Nurseries Ltd.

John van Roessel, CLM, CLT, JVR Landscape (2006) Inc., Treasurer

Keith Plowman, K Plowman Contracting Ltd. Landscape Alberta Staff Joel Beatson, CAE, CLM, Executive Director joel.beatson@landscape-alberta.com Marnie Main, Member Services Director member.services@landscape-alberta.com

On the Cover 2015 Landscape Award of Merit Barb Scott Park Alpha Better Landscaping Inc.

Erynn Watson, Member Services Assistant erynn.watson@landscape-alberta.com Valerie Stobbe, Trade Show Coordinator valerie.stobbe@landscape-alberta.com

Kyla Hardon, Communications Coordinator kyla.hardon@landscape-alberta.com

Cheryl Teo, Bookkeeper accounting@landscape-alberta.com

Industry and Association News...

Canada's 150th Birthday Celebration Garden Celebrate Canada's 150th birthday in 2017. Community groups, such as public gardens, municipalities, schools, service organizations, horticultural societies, garden clubs, etc. are invited to apply for a spectacular 150th Celebration Garden, to be planted in the fall of 2016 and bloom in the spring of 2017 in time to say "Happy Birthday Canada."

Each garden consists of 1000 red and white tulip bulbs the international symbol of friendship and an enduring symbol of our national ethos of kindness and hospitality. More details can be found at: http://www.canadasgardenroute.ca/cg/index.php/anniversary/program_details

Minimum Wage Increase The Government of Alberta announced on June 30, 2016 that the provincial minimum wage would be increasing by $1.00 to $12.20 per hour beginning October 1, 2016. This is part of their campaign promise to move to $15.00 per hour by 2018. As part of the announcement, Minister Gray also conﬁrmed that the minimum wage would be rising again on October 1, 2017 by an additional $1.40, followed by the same increase again in 2018. The announcement also heralded the end to the variation for liquor servers.

Landscape Alberta was involved in consultations on this and like many small business groups advocated for a more ﬂexible timeline and for the option of a youth or training wage. Members of our sector that compete directly with other provinces and states, especially on nursery production, are most likely to be impacted by the competitive pressure faced by lower cost imports. Landscape Alberta also raised concerns that such a swift increase would push wages above $15 an hour even higher.

4 I Green for Life September/October 2016

AgCoalition Producer Leadership Completes Provincewide Consultations to Build on Work to Foster a Culture of Farm Safety The AgCoalition recently completed a province-wide consultation process that reaﬃrmed the agriculture community's commitment to lead the ongoing work to foster a culture of farm safety in Alberta.

The meetings used a series of workshops to gain speciﬁc insights into what will and will not work on a farm or ranch in relation to the ﬁve topics being discussed during the Government of Alberta's Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Worker (Bill 6) consultation sessions. Participants also took time to identify current leading safety practices and discussed implementing a measurement approach to demonstrate improvement in agriculture safety over time. Throughout the workshops, participants expressed that farm and ranch safety should be industry-led and that the AgCoalition is poised to carry out this function. Meeting insights are currently being compiled to inform key policy perspectives. In-turn, producer representatives who are part of the Government consultation process will bring forward these perspectives to ensure broader agriculture community representation. It is the expectation of the agricultural community that these perspectives be honoured and respectfully considered during the consultation process. (Landscape Alberta is a member of the AgCoalition and active participants in the process).

Deﬁne “Training Culture” The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF-FCA) understands how industry makes a fundamental contribution to apprenticeship. Employers, in collaboration with provincial/ territorial, labour and educator partners, train apprentices,

provide input into standards and curriculum, serve on apprenticeship committees and maintain Red Seal standards. CAF-FCA strives on an ongoing basis to gather examples of programs that not only encourage employers to hire and train apprentices, but support quality training. Please take a few minutes to complete the following survey to help deﬁne a "training culture" from the Canadian perspective and draw attention to programs and initiatives that work to foster one. Take the survey here: http://bit.ly/2aLKBjA.

National Tree Day Everyone's favourite day to celebrate trees is just around the corner! National Tree Day is taking place September 21. You can either post your events or see what's happening near you on the National Tree Day website. In the past, members have held local planting demonstrations, donated trees or even held sales to mark the occasion. www.nationaltreeday.ca

CleanFARMS 2016 CleanFARMS will be running obsolete pesticide & livestock medication collections in October of 2016 in Northern Alberta (Red Deer to AB Peace). The program is free and ag-retail collection locations/dates will be released in early summer. The program is delivered by CleanFARMS and its members in each province/region of the country every three years. Visit www.cleanfarms.ca for more information.

Postal Strike With the current labour disruption at Canada Post many businesses may struggle with normal operations. Our friends at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) have written a very good primer on how to cope. Read it here: http://www.cﬁb-fcei.ca/english/article/8446-another-canadapost-strike-looming.html

For Landscape Alberta, we will happily accept credit cards as we always do. We are also using this inconvenience as an opportunity to expand payment options for our members and customers wanting to pay their membership or other invoice.

Interac e-Transfer: Using your own existing online banking, please send the email transfer to: accounting@landscape-alberta.com & use the password LANTA.

In the comments/notes ﬁeld please provide a reference or invoice number, a brief description of what the payment is for, as well as a company name, contact person and phone number should we need to contact you regarding the e-Transfer.

Green for Life September/October 2016 I 5

A Look Back... The First 30 Years

February 2017 marks 60 years of Landscape Alberta. To commemorate that, we will be Air Force in 1940. After the war, looking back at our history, how we got our start, the members who were and are the seeing no good reason to leave Airdrie, he became the propridriving forces behind the association that got us to where we are today. etor of a small hardware store. In 1957, the proprietor of a small nursery became concerned that the image of the A sideline of the business was a Alberta nursery trade was being tarnished. Consequently, the seed of an idea greenhouse in which he grew germinated that would grow to benefit both the horticultural industry and the plants. gardening public. In 1948, he bought four acres of land, which The initial impetuous came from a man named Ted Lord, the owner of a nursery in is now part of the University of Calgary’s Airdrie, Alberta, and the problem came in the form of what was considered unethical grounds. The plant aspect of his business grew and he began planting and selling trees competition from British Columbia. to fill a much-needed local demand. A farm boy from Watrous, Saskatchewan, Ted, was posted in Airdrie with the Canadian By 1956, his new venture, Banff Trail Nurseries, located in Airdrie, was well established. Ted advised customers on the most suitable trees and shrubs for the area, and offered to ensure successful results. He was understandably troubled, therefore, in 1956, when a company from British Columbia set up a sales booth on the Calgary Exhibition Grounds, selling plants with little regard for their survival or suitability to the Alberta climate. Ted reasoned the best way to combat this unprofessional competition was to organize a number of fellow nurserymen and challenge the problem as a group. He contacted four other nursery operators in the area: John McDonald of Lacombe Nurseries; Fred West of Alberta Nurseries; Frank Haddock of Haddock’s Nursery; and, Bill Page of Marlo Gardens.

John McDonald was the only one to show up the ﬁrst meeting, which was held at Ted’s nursery in December 1956, but the two men agreed to persevere. After writing to all of his original contacts again, Ted was happy to see them all turn out at a second meeting in February. The ﬁve agreed to form an association with Ted Lord as President and Fred West as Secretary. The association was named the Alberta Nurserymen’s Association (ANA). The year was 1957.

6 I Green for Life September/October 2016

The ﬁrst project for the group was to lobby the City of Calgary council to raise the $200.00 rent on the exhibition grounds to discourage the unprofessional plant sales outlets that were popping up. After some delay and disappointment, the council agreed to raise the rent an additional $1000.00, which produced the desired results. At the same time, the association started placing

newspaper advertisements to explain the disadvantages of buying trees and shrubs brought in from milder climates, and advising Albertans to obtain hardy stock from local growers.

As a result of their eﬀorts, other local growers soon joined the original ﬁve and in the early 1960s, other industry-related trade companies, such as garden centres and landscapers, also joined the association. In the 1960s, John McDonald approached several businesses in the Edmonton area and enlisted the support of Harry Wigelsworth of the Seed Centre Ltd. and Tom Lastiwka of Tom’s Landscape Service.

It was in 1960 that the group voted to join the Canadian Association of Nurserymen with annual dues of $5.00 per year. ANA membership dues were raised to $25.00 per year, however when membership numbers started to decline, a motion to dissolve the association was defeated and annual fees were reduced to $10.00. The association continued to face many challenges including issues with Alberta Agriculture giving away trees for free and on-going sales of non-hardy plants by out-of-province salesmen.

In April 1970, the association was officially incorporated as the Alberta Nursery Trades Association (ANTA). In 1974, then President Steve Lastiwka reorganized the association into two regions - those being the Northern and Southern Chapters. Henry Heuver of Foothills Landscaping Ltd. was the Southern Chapter’s first Chair, and Klaus Weiher of Gem Sod Farms was the Northern Chapter’s first Chair.

The association grew rapidly in the 1970s as the Alberta economy beneﬁted from expansion. As membership grew, so did the need to form organized commodity speciﬁc groups.

The ﬁrst of these groups were the nursery and sod growers. The landscape awards were started in 1977 and were called the Environmental Beautiﬁcation Awards. Entry into the program required members to submit a set of 8x10 colour photographs of their projects for judging by a volunteer panel. The program has changed a lot over the years, but it has been in continuous operation since this time.

The Northern Chapter members were very involved in the local community and this lead to the promotion of a national program called Green Survival. This program raised the awareness as to the value of trees in the urban environment. In 1975, Edmonton was named as Canada’s first Green Survival city. The first issue of the Association’s bi-monthly publication, Prairie Landscape Magazine (PLM) was published in 1978. It was written in a newsletter format with members contributing articles. The magazine would go on to become the Association’s flagship publication.

Until the late 1970s, all of the association’s workload fell onto the shoulders of volunteer members. In 1979, with the increasing need to hire full-time staff, the position of Executive Director was created and a permanent office was established in Edmonton. The Association’s first Executive Director was Garry Johnson.

This was a time of signiﬁcant change for the Association and in January 1981 the Alberta Nursery Trades Association, to better reﬂect its new and diverse membership, changed its name to Landscape Alberta Nursery Trades Association (LANTA).

The nursery sector began developing strong ties with the Alberta Horticultural Research Center, located in Brooks later known as Crop Diversiﬁcation Centre South. Over the next 25 years, many nursery related projects were under taken by the nursery specialists employed at the centre: 1980, Dr. Hanna Mathers; 1990, Dr. Mason Robertson; 1995, Dr. Christine Murray. Due to government cutbacks, the nursey program was discontinued in 2007. In 1983, after several years of planning, the Landscape Gardener Apprenticeship Program was established. Olds College was selected as the institution to deliver the program, where it remains today. Since its establishment, hundreds of men and women have participated in the program which has raised the skill and professionalism of the trade - as was envisioned by members such as Ron Oudyk (Land Tec Landscape Contractors Ltd.) who had spearheaded its introduction.

In 1978 the Association’s ﬁrst trade show took place in Edmonton at the Westin Hotel with about 15 exhibitors participating. Although it’s gone through many changes, this event has taken place every year since this time. Green for Life September/October 2016 I 7

In 1983 the Regional Woody Plant Test Project was established to evaluate new woody plant species and cultivars in Alberta. This was a cooperative between Alberta Agriculture and Food Crop Diversiﬁcation Centre South (CDCS) and the Landscape Alberta Nursery Trades Association Growers Group. This project was discontinued in 2009.

In 1984, the idea of exporting large quantities of hardy plant material to the US was explored. Over the next few years, several delegations made trade trips to various US states such as Alaska, Idaho and Montana seeking new markets.

As membership grew, so did the need to organize the association on a more regional basis. In additional to the already established Northern and Southern Chapters, the Peace, Central and Chinook Chapter were formed. The three new chapters were very active for several years, although by the early to mid-1990’s local membership had declined and they were subsequently disbanded.

landscape construction, landscape maintenance and garden centers – arborists and lawn services groups formed in the 1990’s.

Bolstered by a growing economy and landscape industry the annual trade show began to grow and by the end of the 1980’s was attracting over 80 exhibiting companies to the event. At this time the show was called The Best-in-the-West and it changed venues Local chapters were very community orientated in the 80’s and each year, alternating between Edmonton, Calgary and Banff. several projects were undertaken, such as the landscaping of (When in Banff, the show was held at the magnificent Banff Springs Ronald McDonald House in Edmonton (1985). (As of 2016, this Hotel.) property was still maintained by association members during The Association’s first President, Ted Lord, passed away in 1989. In the summer months.) 1983, when Ted considered the extent to which LANTA had grown, he couldn’t help but express amazement that such an organization In addition to the new chapters, member participation was also could have grown out of such small beginnings. “If anyone had told organized around the different industry sectors, know at the me back then that it would develop into something like this, I would time as commodity groups. The nursery and sod groups had have said that they were crazy”, he said. “We’re the second largest been formed in the 1970’s but new ones now emerged – such as provincial nursery association in Canada; we’ve got some really good, hardworking individuals in this association, and this is what we need going forward. We’ve got a good foundation.” By the end of this decade the association had a strong core membership. However, the demands of chapters and commodity sectors were putting a strain on the association’s staff and financial resources. Following the departure of the Executive Director in 1989, the Association’s Board implemented a new strategic plan with which to usher in the 1990’s. To be continued. A special thank you to Nigel Bowles for helping put together this article.

8 I Green for Life September/October 2016

President List 1957 Ted Lord 1958 R. Freeman 1959 John McDonald 1960 Frank Haddock 1961 W. Page 1962 W. Page 1963 Jack Berggren 1964 Kurt Raaz 1965 Harry Wigelsworth 1966 Fred Haddock 1967 Joe F. MacDonald 1968 Ed Berggren 1969 Don Hay 1970 Don Hay 1971 Don Hay 1972 Don Hay

1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

Wade Hartwell Wade Hartwell Steve Lastiwka Steve Lastiwka Steve Lastiwka Henry Heuver Henry Heuver Don Stumborg Don Stumborg Al Barclay Hans Bron Hans Bron Dale Rosene Doug Edgelow Tony Heuver Tony Heuver Bob Andrews

Selling Cool By Joel Beatson

At a recent conference for the Nursery & Landscape Association Executives of North America, I saw a speaker, Frank Zaunscherb from ZRB Marketing, talk about the 10 ways to tell if your business is cool. As I took notes, focusing on the key 10 points, I said to myself, wow all of these apply to Landscape Alberta members. So, I’d like to share these with you, partly in my role as advocate for the industry and partly to provide an outsiders view of our own industry. 1

Creativity – This doesn’t need much explanation but our industry has always been one that combines artistic creation with innovative entrepreneurs. The two don’t always meet, but in the landscape sector they often do – and that’s magic. 2 Passion – I’ve never met such a passionate group of people. People who love what they do and love the legacy they create. 3 Local – Environmentalists often use the phrase. Think Global, Act Local. Well in our industry, there is no such thing as not local – we live where we work and make them better places to do both for others. 4 Confidence in value – We’re the only sector in agriculture that has a crop that increases in value over time. We increase property values, lower energy use and control storm water. Pretty cool. 5 Story behind the quality – Every company has a great story. Everyone has a reason for being in this industry. Sharing it with your customers and others always gets a great response. Telling your company story and how you achieve quality is such an excellent and unique selling point. 6 Unique services/markets – There is so much diversity in our industry. Large commercial firms to boutique design/build. Green roofs, residential, commercial, design, irrigation, arboriculture, nursery production and retail. No two companies are the same. 7 Social consciousness – Our industry is at the forefront with this. Landscape Alberta members do so much work that contributes to lessening the impacts of climate change. They help create habitat for wildlife and pollinators, and some are at the forefront of creating the next generation of gardeners in the form of urban agriculture. The original green industry. 8 Style and design – We have a sexy industry as member Phil Paxton often likes to say. It’s true, we make the world a better place and look good doing it. 9 Attract across demographic segments – Gardening is still the number one leisure activity in Canada (I’m sure Netflix is up there too). The baby boomers made it their hobby. The next generations want all the benefits of green spaces but don’t want to contribute the same hours to do-it-yourself. What we sell knows no age limit or culture. A connection to nature exists in all of us. 10 Customer experience – Just look at any customers face when they see their new landscape. They’ve had a cool experience, and many more to come.

We are a cool industry, full of cool companies that do cool work. Great, but what does that have to do with anything? Well, members tell me all the time about the troubles they have in attracting and retaining talent in the industry. What if you could reposition yourself as a cool place to work? The other complaint I often here is the drive towards low bidders. What if your product or services were valued for their true worth? What if people were willing to pay for true quality in their landscape? Improving bottom lines and thus what everyone in the industry earns is also pretty cool.

New Members Welcome to our

AnyQuip Inc. 100, 1410 - 1 Street SW, Calgary, AB T2R 0V8 403-454-6500 Fax: 403-277-5980 jen@anyquip.com www.anyquip.com

Creekside Home and Garden Ltd. 51530 Range Road 260, Spruce Grove, AB T7Y 1A9 780-470-0527 Fax: 780-470-0565 info@cshg.ca www.cshg.ca MichelleS Nursery Box 142, North Star, AB T0H 2T0 780-626-0097 Fax: 780-836-3698 michelles.beddingplants@hotmail.com

It all happens here learn, network, discover. Industry-leading workshops for landscape, turf, tree, greenhouse, nursery and garden centre professionals - plus the largest industry tradeshow on the Prairies!

www.greenindustryshow.com 1-800-378-3198 Green for Life September/October 2016 I 9

PEAK PERFORMANCE MEETS STRENGTH. With itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vertical lift design, there is not much that the CASE TV380 cannot lift or load. This durable machine is designed for the toughest jobs that require high breakout force and high capacity. Rocky Mountain Equipment carries these and many other dependable units to meet your landscape project needs. DEPENDABLE IS WHAT WE DO.

ROCKYMTN.COM 10 I Green for Life September/October 2016

Fighting “The Beast”

On May 1, 2016, a wildfire began southwest of Fort McMurray. Within days, a mandatory evacuation was in place as the fire grew bigger and started moving towards the city. As residents and workers were evacuating the city, there were a number of people stepping up to help fight the fire. This included Landscape Alberta member Wilco Contractors NW Inc. We spoke to Art Maat about Wilco’s involvement in the firefighting efforts.

1. How was your operation in Ft. McMurray effected by the wild fires? Art Maat (AM): In late April/early May, we were in the midst of our spring start-up, getting all our carryover projects up and running for the season. As per the Alberta economy, we were already down in staff by about 30% due to a complete halt to new housing and land development but were optimistic for some provincial and municipal funded projects that we knew were coming down the pipe. That all changed on May 1 and 2. In the early days of the evacuation, we like everyone up there, were a little confused as to who and when residents were being told to evacuate. On Tuesday afternoon we started a companywide communication to all staff to be prepared to get out of town. By Tuesday night most staff had successfully left town and were crammed up with 14 staff from Purolator Courier in a large Wilco owned house in Anzac. On Wednesday morning we sent a trailer full of pallets of water we had in stock to the Anzac location. That lasted about 1.5 days before we were told to leave as supplies in Anzac became non-existent.

2. Talk about Wilco’s role in the firefighting efforts in Fort McMurray and how you got involved. AM: In early to mid-May there was already a sense of massive fire threats in Alberta as the spring was very dry. In the weeks prior to the fires in Fort Mac, we had been preparing a few

hydro-seeders and the hydro-saurus for possible involvement in firefighting activities anywhere in Alberta. With the economy being as slow as it was, we were looking for alternative revenue sources and using hydro-seeders to fight forest fires made a lot of sense, as we perceived the application would be well worth the effort in firefighting strategies.

3. How many of your staff was involved and how did they get involved? AM: In the first few days of the fire, we had been going through the pre-set channels of SRD (Sustainable Resource Development, the provincial body that handles all firefighting logistics), without much success. They were obviously extremely busy and to them we were just another piece of equipment looking for work. So on Wednesday evening at 10 pm, I tried the more direct route. I gathered up some nasty looking pictures of the hydro-saurus in action, dual cannons, 4000 tank mounted on a 40 ton rock truck, and texted them off to a senior project manager in Fort Mac who I knew was involved in the dramatic events unfolding in real time. I received 2 texts back from senior emergency measures (REOC) staff at 11:45 pm inquiring if I could have the two machines in operation in Fort Mac within a few hours. We later learned that at that moment the part of the fire burning in Stonecreek was attempting to jump Confederation Drive and take over Eagle Ridge. I quickly scrambled, getting staff out of bed and by 1:00 am the first truck was on the road. The hydro-saurus was still being worked on late that night in preparation for the eventual go-ahead and left at 5:00 am that morning. Several Wilco staff who had just arrived in the Edmonton area as evacuees just days prior were back on the road going up to fight the fires within hours of the request coming through. Green for Life September/October 2016 I 11

RMWB area. We needed to cover literally every bit of fire destroyed or damaged houses, garages, apartments and vehicles. All by June 4 to allow for residents to come back into the community. Through the heroic efforts of dozens of Wilco and Erscon staff, equipment brought in from USA locations and a few third party hydro-seeder vendors, we completed an encapsulating layer by June 5 on all areas. We worked with each machine having two crews and support staff to be able to run 24 hours.

Once the machines arrived in Fort Mac they were first cycled through the dispatch point at Mac Island where all firefighting activities and logistics were based out of. Unlimited food, drinks and fuel were supplied and after a quick orientation, crews were dispatched to get into hot spot areas where flare-ups and fire breaks were established. We joined the successful ongoing effort to keep the fire from jumping Confederation Drive into Eagle Ridge. The use of our machines with the large volume tanks and especially the ability for the hydro-saurus to drive the articulated 40 ton rock truck into the actual burning areas was incredibly unique and exhilarating for our staff. For the next week, we were the armament of choice of the fire commanders who were looking for equipment to get into the hard to reach areas. We were utilized in several areas between Timberlea, along the highway all the way to Anzac. Hours of work were long and hard for the staff of 10. Sleep time was precious and was quite good as we managed to get into a few of our Wilco owned houses rather than sleep on floor mattresses at Mac Island. With no water service available, there was even bath of sorts in one of the hot tubs. We were in service with the firefighting team for a total of 2 weeks before being told our services were no longer needed. And since we were there as “volunteers” it made no sense to keep us there in standby mode.

Little did we know that in 14 days’ time we would be reactivated, with up to 10 hydro-seeders, applying millions of pounds of a mixture of water, hi-tech adhesive products and Portland cement. This was completed in an eﬀort to encapsulate the hazardous waste lying in the urban ﬁre debris destruction zones throughout the 12 I Green for Life September/October 2016

4. Explain the process involved in turning the hydroseeders into the Hydrosaurus. AM: The hydro-saurus was created about six years ago for the sole purpose of working in oﬀ road conditions in reclamation projects in the oil-sands and pipeline industry. We purchased a new Finn Titan 400 4,000 gallon hydroseeder complete with dual cannon functionality, and a Case 340 40 ton 6 wheel drive articulated rock truck. We removed the box from the truck and custom fabricated a steel frame and access deck which was bolted to the hoist framework of the truck. We then mounted the hydro-seeder to

that framework. The conﬁguration gives us driving access to areas typically not accessible to highway truck mounted hydroseeders. With the functionality of raising the hoist, it now also allowed us to go down steep embankments while keeping the hydro-seeder tank level.

5. Any thoughts on the ordeal now, with some time for reflection? AM: The actual fact that the fire itself, The Beast, actually occurred seems a little surreal when you look back at it now. The fact that there was no within-fire fatalities or injuries is in itself a miracle. The hard working efforts of the Fort Mac Fire Department and all the administrative staff involved in the evacuation and coordination efforts can only be upheld as heroic and probably the most stressful events in their lives. The onsite staff involved, the whole shop and logistics support team within Wilco's and Erscon Edmonton facilities were all extremely proud and invigorated to be part of the firefighting and environmental protection teams over the past few months. We know for a fact that if called upon, we would be the first in line at any point in the future should the need arise. Editor's note: The heart and passion shown by the staff and leaders at Wilco NW is truly inspiring. Thank you for sharing your story.

Green for Life September/October 2016 I 13

L-R: Rick Durand and Gerry Hutchinson

Gerard Fournier, Prairie West Hort Show Arbor Day Peace Chapter 1988

L-R: Hans Bron, Irene Wallace, John Wallace

Equipment Days in Calgary at Foothills Nurseries Ltd.

A look back at our association

Tony Heuver, 1996 Nursery Tour

February 1998 Certification Candidates at Olds College

2011 Landscape Alberta Golf Tournament - Finning Team

Southern Chapter BBQ at Greenview Nurseries

14 I Green for Life September/October 2016

1981 Convention L-R: Wade Hartwell, Jan Van Der Kooy, Greg Reynar

The people in these photos have been identified to the best of our ability. If we have made an error or if you are able to identify someone in a photo, please email admin@landscape-alberta.com, so we can update our records.

PART STREET FIGHTER. PART SCULPTOR.

ALL BUSINESS. Put a rugged and reliable CAT Skid Steer to work on your landscaping projects and watch two things transform. The landscape — and your landscaping business. That’s because CAT Skid Steers are everything you’ve come to expect from legendary CAT engineering — and a few things you haven’t. Like lower operating and maintenance costs, and everyday practicality.

ALL BUSINESS LEASE $0 DOWN / $568 mo. / 60 months + NO COST Equipment Protection Plan 1-888-Finning Finning.ca 346-6464

*Offer valid from July 1, 2016 to September 30, 2016 on select new models of machines manufactured by Caterpillar Inc. Building Construction Products Division. Offer available only at participating Cat dealers. Flexible payment terms available. Offer is available to customers in the USA and Canada only and cannot be combined with any other offers. Financing and published rate are subject to credit approval through Cat Financial. Offer subject to machine availability. Machines sold in Canada by authorized dealers are priced in Canadian dollars and the price may take into account the exchange rate of Canadian dollars to U.S. dollars. Models shown here do not necessarily reflect the exact model and configuration to which the promotion applies. Payments are based on a finance lease with 60 monthly payments and $0 down. Payments do not include taxes, freight, set-up, delivery, document fees, inspections, additional options, or attachments. Final machine prices are subject to change. The Equipment Protection Plan (EPP) applies to select models and is provided through Cat Financial for use at participating Cat dealers. Offer may change without prior notice and additional terms and conditions may apply. Contact your Cat dealer for details.

Toll-Free: 1-888-340-TREE (8733) Main Office: 1-403-340-8755 Fax: 1-403-340-8759

www.pnls.ca 2016

Clean Plants

administered in Canada under the

Facility: f

Your Green Connection! OWN R G A T R ALBE ARDY H E I R I A PR OUS, R E F I N O OF C S E R REES C T A Y T L 500 A I PEC S & S U O DECIDU NG FALL I K O O B NOW TREES R E P I L A DIG C

1-888-340-8733