Are you planning to hire a student this summer?

Hundreds of Alberta employers have already applied to the Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP) and are creating summer jobs for student hires. Students will gain valuable workplace experience and eligible employers will be reimbursed $7/hour in a wage subsidy.

STEP will support over 2,500 summer jobs across Alberta this year. Don’t miss the opportunity to boost your workforce while contributing to the future success of a student. Application deadline is February 24, 2017.

APPLY FOR STEP NOW

Landscape Alberta Advertising and Sponsorship Packages

Landscape Alberta has put together some new ways to reach potential clients and customers, including online and social media advertising. This is on top of the many advertising and sponsorship opportunities already available throughout the year.
Take a look over the flyer and if you are interested in learning more or having a package put together for your company, let me know! There are limited opportunities available, and requests will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Canadian Landscape Standard recognized by federal government

CNLA met Minister Judy Foote (Ministry of Public Services and Procurement Canada) and presented the Canadian Landscape Standard (CLS). It was recommend that the Federal Government be consistent in addressing climate change mitigation, and that green infrastructure initiatives be implemented following industry standards like the CLS.

CNLA just heard that the Public Services and Procurement Ministry reviewed the CLS and they have determined the Canadian Landscape Standard reflects what they have long aspired to do in the conceptualization and realization of landscape projects across Canada. They are conducting a further review of their policy and CNLA is working with the Deputy General who is the Department’s Technical Services Lead to further the discussion related to living green infrastructure and the CLS.

The Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA) (which is a voluntary partnership between federal, provincial and territorial governments) had Red Seal Occupational Standards (RSOS) workshops in Ottawa this January. They too incorporated the Canadian Landscape Standards into the Red Seal Occupational Standards.

Order you copy of the Canadian Landscape Standard today! http://www.csla-aapc.ca/standard

DED prevention measures that can be enforced by inspectors

Under the Alberta Agricultural Pests Act (APA) “Pest and Nuisance Control Regulation (PNCR)” the Dutch elm disease (DED) pathogens, smaller European elm bark beetle (SEEBB), and the native elm bark beetle (NEBB) are named declared pests.

All municipalities, counties and MD’s in the province of Alberta have the responsibility and authority to prevent and control DED under the APA.

The APA provides a means for enforcement. Several sections of the APA and the Regulation can be applied. It is an offence not to take “active measures” and not to follow an inspector’s notice.

If a municipality does not have a local bylaw or policy on a specific pest in place, the municipal pest inspector, bylaw enforcement officer or Agricultural Fieldman could use a notice under the APA to enforce the DED Prevention/Control Measures to the land owner.

If a third party has contravened the APA, the Minister may issue a Stop Order.

Click here for “Dutch Elm Prevention/Control Measures” outlines the measures that can be enforced.

These measures can be found at http://www.stopded.org.

Best Management Practices for Bee Health in the Horticulture Industry

HRI Releases Industry BMPs for Bee Health

The Horticultural Research Institute, the research foundation of AmericanHort, is pleased to announce the release of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Bee Health in the Horticultural Industry.

BMPs are intended to inform horticultural professionals about the green industry’s impact on bee health. Through the use of BMP guidelines, horticulture can continue to play an important role in pollinator health.

In 2015, the Horticultural Research Institute recognized the need for sound research to develop best production and management practices, educate, and empower the green industry. HRI, in collaboration with AmericanHort, continues to directly fund and leverage research to refine science-based guidance on horticultural practices and protecting bee and pollinator health. As part of the broad-based Horticulture Industry Bee & Pollinator Stewardship Initiative that includes industry and consumer outreach and the establishment of industry best practices, HRI has directly funded four important research projects, launched the Grow Wise, Bee Smart website, and joined the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge campaign.

Pollinators as a whole encompass a diverse population of thousands of different species, such as managed honey bees, wild bees, butterflies, birds, and bats. Protection of pollinators in general, especially bees, continues to be a major concern among the general public and within the green industry. Several culprits have been identified as factors contributing to managed honey bee losses, including Varroa mites, other pests/diseases of bees, loss of habitat and nutrition, and off-target effects of pesticides. Alternatively, wild, unmanaged bee populations are most greatly affected by landscape changes and habitat degradation.

HRI developed the BMPs, which cover greenhouse and nursery production, woody ornamentals, and managed landscapes, with the assistance of researchers and apiarists throughout North America. Updates to these recommendations will be made as additional research results regarding bee and pollinator health are released.

For the full Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Bee Health in the Horticultural Industry, visit the GrowWise, Bee Smart website. To learn more about the Horticultural Research Institute and its efforts in developing science-based recommendations for the industry, visit the HRI website or contact Jennifer Gray, HRI Administrator by email or (614) 884-1155.

Learn More about the Horticultural Research Institute!

Post your job listings in Green for Life magazine

For only $30 per position posted, Landscape Alberta will place your Job Listing in the March/April issue of  Green for Life magazine.

  • Reach approx. 1000 industry members, affiliates, students and more!
  • Satisfy one of your Advertising Requirements on your LMIA Application for foreign workers or other goverment programs
  • Green for Life will be posted on the Association website and shared to followers on social media

Submit your Job Listing text and payment to admin@landscape-alberta.com by February 3, 2017. No late submissions will be accepted.

Landscape Alberta will layout all listings on behalf of the company. Size of listing will depend on content supplied.
Max size: 2.25”w X 4.25” h. Word Limit: appox 75 – 135 words. One position per listing. No proofs will be provided. Members only.

Click here for information and payment form.

Sample Listings (2016)

Before You Hire

As you begin to prepare for hiring in spring of 2017, we would like to remind you of some valuable resources members can use in their recruitment strategy. First is the relatively new website, https://landscape.jobs/. This is free to members and exclusive to the landscape industry. The more employers that post jobs there, the more valuable it will be to job seekers. We always encourage members to use http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/ when recruiting as it helps gather statistics for the Canadian government, which with their updated system, is shared with users. This includes average wages in your area, job outlook, etc. which is useful when you begin to look at your job postings. Another great resource for our industry is www.wagesurvey.ca. This site collects wage data by position and province – Alberta has some of the best data available.

Carbon Levy Rebate Program Announced for Alberta Greenhouse Growers

Beginning January 1, 2017, the Government of Alberta has implemented the well-publicised carbon levy.  On 31st December, they announced plans to offer a Greenhouse Growers’ Rebate allowing operators to recoup up to 80% of the carbon levy paid for heating growing facilities. This will be a two year program. The announcement can be found here.

 

This is great news as it allows Alberta-based growers to maintain a level playing field with growers in other jurisdictions (including BC, who also have a rebate program for their carbon tax).

The Alberta Greenhouse Growers Association (AGGA) was instrumental in advocating on behalf of the collective horticultural industry. With the services of De Paoli & Associates, AGGA was able to engage the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment & the rural caucus committee to make a strong case for the rebate.

At this time, there are no details available about the administration of the rebate, eligibility, payment frequency, or reporting mechanisms. The government hopes to have these details in place by the end of January.

The AGGA will continue to work with the Government of Alberta on this and will communicate details when available. If you have comments or suggestions on the program implementation, please direct these to your Landscape Alberta office or board members.

As a reminder, here are the announced rates being added to major fuel types.

Source: Alberta Treasury Board and Finance
Type of Fuel January 1, 2017 $20/tonne January 1, 2018 $30/tonne
Marked farm fuels Exempt Exempt
Diesel +5.35 ¢/L +2.68 ¢/L
Gasoline +4.49 ¢/L +2.24 ¢/L
Natural Gas +1.011 $/GJ +0.506 $/GJ
Propane +3.08 ¢/L +1.54 ¢/L

Opportunity to Promote your Organization to Olds College Horticulture Program Students

The Olds College Horticulture Program will be hosting its first employer’s presentation morning on February 2, 2017. The presentation concept was developed from discussions at the Horticulture Industry Advisory Committee meeting on December 1, 2016 evolving into a “speed” presentation format. The format structure provides each employer 10 minutes to promote their organization and 5 minutes for student’s question. Students attending the presentations will be from the first year (Certificate), second year (Diploma) and third year (Bachelor of Applied Science) Horticulture Programs. After the morning presentations, accommodations will be made for employers to have one-on-one sessions with students seeking further information and opportunities to provide resumes.

The Olds College Horticulture Program is seeking to have 12 employers representing a broad range of sectors from the horticulture industry to participate as presenters, which leads to selection of potential presenter organizations not being based on a first come, first serve basis.

For those organizations interested in participating in the event, please respond by January 27, 2016 to Gord Koch, gkoch@oldscollege.ca or 403.556.4751

Changes Announced to Temporary Foreign Workers Program

The Government of Canada recently announced changes that apply to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program’s (TFWP) four-year cumulative duration rule, which will no longer apply to temporary foreign workers in Canada, effective immediately. An exemption is also being made on the cap for seasonal industries seeking temporary foreign workers for up to 180 days during the 2017 calendar year and will be extended until December 31, 2017. More changes for immigration and the TFWP are expected in the new year.
Prior to the change, the cumulative duration rule forced skilled agriculture workers that were trained in Canada to leave after four years. This was creating a skills deficit for Canadian agricultural employers and was acting as a restrictive barrier for the pathway to permanency for farm and food workers.
Statistics Canada evidence shows that recruitment for agricultural employers is ongoing and continuous. Agriculture and agri-food stakeholders have provided feedback that the industry is dealing with unique workforce issues such as: rural location; handling of live plants and animals; strenuous physical work; and a high degree of seasonality.
Fixing the cumulative duration rule has been a long-standing recommendation of the LTF, comprised of industry representatives from the value chain, including the seafood sector, who have developed the Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Workforce Action Plan to address the critical labour shortage.  This proposed Canadian agriculture employment strategy is led by the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) and supported by over 77 agriculture associations (including Landscape Alberta’s national partner, the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association).