Author: Kyla Hardon

The Green Industry Show and Conference (GISC) is back in Calgary for 2017! Our amazing team have put together a conference programme aimed to inform and inspire everyone from designers to arborists, owners to students, growers to contractors. Our conference sessions are timely and responsive to industry issue – with a format that focuses on variety and 32 one-hour sessions over the two days.                                 

Conference Highlights
This year we have three full-day pre-show workshops designed to fill the need of more in-depth technical level professional development: one for greenhouse growers, one for landscape designers and one for those interested in winter container design.

Conference session highlights include landscape pest show and tell sessions with Dr. Ken Fry and landscape design sessions with Joe Salemi. Bob Reeves is speaking on the power of soil, Barbara Crowhurst has two sessions for garden centre professionals which include driving traffic to stores and increasing retail sales, as well as many more informative and engaging sessions on growing your business, managing work-life balance, improving performance and the latest and greatest in horticultural and business technologies. Everyone will find something to stoke their fire and those looking for continuing education credits will also find sessions to fulfill those needs.

Register before October 26 and save on your conference registration fees. Visit www.greenindustryshow.com to register!

Tradeshow Schedule
Landscape Alberta, AGGA, AALA, ISA and ARPA members who pre-register, receive free admission into the tradeshow (onsite tradeshow registration for everyone is $20.00) and preferred pricing on conference registration. In addition to the educational opportunities, all conference attendees have access to the Green Industry Show. With over 240 booths, it is the largest green industry show in Western Canada and is an annual must-see event.

Thursday, November 16 – The trade show doors open at 10:30 am and close at 4:30 pm. Join us in the lobby outside of trade show hall C from 4:30 – 5:30 pm for the Eagle Lake Landscape Supply Happy Hour – snacks and a cash bar. Food, drinks and great company!

Friday, November 17 – The trade show doors open at 10:30 am and close at 3:30 pm

Other Events
The Landscape Alberta Nursery Producers Annual Live & Silent Auction will take place Wednesday, November 15 at the Sheraton Suites Eau Claire (255 Barclay Parade SW, Calgary). Join in the fun at this year’s auction – hot hors d’ouevres and cash bar. Proceeds go toward horticultural research programs and services. Thank you to our refreshment sponsor, Nektar. Doors open at 6:00 pm.

On November 16, members and friends of the AGGA are invited to the AGGA Garden Party. Catch up with colleagues at this relaxed social event and celebrate the recipients of their annual industry awards. Doors open at 5:30 pm. The cost is $15.00 per person. Register at www.greenindustryshow.com.

Enter to Win a Dashcam with the Trade Show Passport
Pick up a trade show passport, visit all participating exhibitors and enter the draw. Passports are available at the trade show registration desk or at Landscape Alberta booth 100.

Let’s Be Social
Do you Tweet, Facebook or Instagram? Use the hashtag #2017gisc when sharing your pictures and social media updates. Follow @landscapeab on Twitter and @landscapealberta on Facebook and Instagram to stay in the know about what is happening at the Green Industry Show and Conference.

Contact
If you have any questions about the 2017 GISC, please contact the Landscape Alberta office at 1-800-378-3198, then press 0. All event information is also available at www.greenindustryshow.com.

Peter Isaacson, CNLA’s IPM and Minor Use Coordinator has provided the following summary of PMRA’s re-examination of glyphosate, based on information provided by the Agency via a recent stakeholder conference call. A summary document is also available for download from the PMRA website.

• Glyphosate is not genotoxic and is unlikely to pose a human cancer risk.
• Dietary (food and drinking water) exposure associated with the use of glyphosate is not expected to pose a risk of concern to human health.
• Occupational and residential risks associated with the use of glyphosate are not of concern, provided that updated label instructions are followed.
• The environmental assessment concluded that spray buffer zones are necessary to mitigate potential risks to non-target species (for example, vegetation near treated areas, aquatic invertebrates and fish) from spray drift.
• When used according to revised label directions, glyphosate products are not expected to pose risks of concern to the environment.
• All registered glyphosate uses have value for weed control in agriculture and non- agricultural land management.

PMRA is granting continued registration of products containing glyphosate with requirements of additional label updates to further protect human health and the environment.  To comply with this decision, the required label changes must be implemented on all product labels sold by registrants no later than 24 months after the publication date of this document.

The City of Edmonton has released their first Landscaping Inspection Manual.  Found here, the document is intended as a set of guidelines for city inspectors.  Landscape Alberta looks forward to working with the City on future editions.

The Landscape Alberta Nursery Producers summer tour is being held in Alberta this year in conjunction with the CNLA meetings being held at Olds College.  On August 15, the tour will depart from the Pomeroy Inn at Olds College and head south towards a multi-sector tour of Calgary area landscape and nursery focused stops.  The tour includes stops at Blue Grass Nursery and Garden Centre, a new park development along the Elbow River by Alpha Better Landscaping, a tour at Foothills Nursery and finally a barbecue dinner at the Calgary Yacht Club.

For more information and to register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/2017-growers-tour-tickets-35767385212

There are now more ways for Alberta businesses and workers to benefit from the Canada-Alberta Job Grant (CAJG) training subsidy.

1. As always, get up to two-thirds of the cost of training covered for eligible current employees, up to $10,000 per trainee.
2. Up to 100% of training costs reimbursed when hiring and training eligible unemployed Albertans, up to $15,000 per trainee.
3. Sole proprietors can now apply to CAJG to train their employees.
4. Travel assistance will allow more businesses outside Edmonton and Calgary, to train their employees.

The Canada-Alberta Job Grant can help provide your workers with the training they need to support and advance your business, whether they are new to the job or moving up in the organization. Check the applicant guidelines for eligibility criteria and apply for CAJG funding today.

Learn more about the changes to the Canada-Alberta Job Grant at an upcoming webinar. Get answers to your questions during a live Q & A session. Register for the webinar here.

The Consultation Process

Statistics Canada has begun preparations for the 2021 Census of Agriculture. As a first step, Statistics Canada asks data users and other interested parties across Canada to share their views on how they use Census of Agriculture data and the type of information they believe should be collected. The goal of the 2021 consultation process is to confirm information needs, identify data gaps, understand potential emerging agricultural issues, and establish data priorities while balancing respondent burden and cost.

How to get involved

If you wish to be involved in providing information for consideration for the 2021 Census of Agriculture, please contact us by email by August 1^st, 2017 at

statcan.ceag-contentconsultationreag-consultationpourladeterminationducontenu.statcan@canada.ca

You will then receive further information on the consultation process and be provided with a discussion questionnaire containing several proposed changes for 2021 and a submission form for your comments to complete by mid-October 2017.

Consultation workshops will be conducted across Canada beginning the week of September 11^th, 2017. During the week of September 18^th, 2017, Statistics Canada will also be hosting Webinar sessions that you can join by teleconference or WebEx.

While participation in the consultation process is voluntary, the information you provide will help Statistics Canada to meet data needs and take into consideration emerging social and economic issues related to the agriculture sector. Your input will be carefully reviewed and will assist in determining content for the 2021 Census of Agriculture.

Statistics Canada is committed to respecting the privacy of consultation participants. All personal information created, held or collected by the Agency is protected by the Privacy Act. For more information on Statistics Canada’s privacy policies, please consult the Privacy notice.

Anonymized comments collected during the consultation process may be published in the 2021 Census of Agriculture Content Consultation Report available on the Statistics Canada website in fall 2019.

Data users who have participated in the past by attending a workshop or submitting a written proposal include:

Please note also that Statistics Canada will be presenting an overview of the 2021 consultation process during a half-hour Webinar (WebEx presentation) Tuesday July 11^th, 2017 (1:00PM EST in English, 2:00PM EST in French). You are encouraged to join us by teleconference and WebEx.

To connect to this presentation:

Login to WebEx –

https://gts-ee.webex.com/gts-ee/j.php?MTID=m38c86c77392cc26f5202e9df12bba8e0

1. If requested, enter your name and email address.
2. If a password is required, enter the meeting password: Agriculture
3. Click “Join”.

Teleconference –
Toll-free Dial-in number: 1-877-413-4788
Local Dial-in number:  1-613-960-7513
Conference ID: 993 380 2

Statistics Canada would appreciate your help in forwarding this invitation to the appropriate persons in your organization who may wish to participate in the process of identifying data requirements and provide content suggestions. We invite you and members of your organization to participate to the 2021 consultation process and look forward to hearing from you.

Allison Nelson,
on behalf of the 2021 Census of Agriculture Content Determination Team.