The Best Landscaping Tools for Your Business

18 May 2023April 17, 2023Kyla Hardon

The Best Landscaping Tools for Your Business

There are a variety of landscaping tools available to help your landscaping company meet the needs of your clients. But which do you choose? The fact is that you don’t need every piece of equipment to get the job done. Here’s a rundown of the types of landscaping tools on the market and how to select equipment that will help you achieve your goals.

Digging tools

Landscaping tools for digging include:

• Compact track loaders

• Skid steer loaders

• Backhoe loaders

• Excavators

• Wheel loaders

Choose your tool based on how much dirt you need to move and the size of the hole you need to dig. The bigger the machine, the deeper you’re able to dig in a shorter time frame.

Loading tools

If you need to load material to be moved to another location, you’ll want to explore these pieces of equipment:

• Backhoe loaders

• Skid steer loaders

• Wheel loaders

• Compact track loaders

Again, the size of the equipment determines how much you can lift in a load. A larger machine will allow you to get larger jobs done more quickly.

Grading tools

You can attach different sizes of blades and grading tools to your landscaping equipment to grade land. Grading blades can be used with:

• Compact track loaders

• Skid steer loaders

• Small track-type tractors

The size of the job will dictate which machine is right for your business.

Carrying equipment

Attaching buckets to your landscaping equipment can make it easier to move materials around your job site. Use lightweight machines and buckets for moving materials like soil and wood chips, and choose sturdier options for wet sand or rocks.

The following landscaping tools can handle buckets:

• Backhoes

• Small and compact wheel loaders

• Compact track loaders

• Skid steer loaders

To read the full article, click here.

Finning Blog

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO START A SUCCESSFUL LANDSCAPING BUSINESS

4 May 2023May 4, 2023Kyla Hardon

What’s inside?

Starting your own landscaping business can be tough. That’s why we’ve put together a start-up guide to help you get going and become successful. We share strategies that will help guide your business plan and shape your operational decisions during the vital first months and years of your new venture.

Download this guide to uncover:

Key statistics about landscaping opportunities
Strategies for scoping your services
Extensive equipment advice to help you grow
Insight from a successful Canadian start-up

Get your guidebook!

Finning is North America’s largest seller and servicer of Caterpillar equipment. With locations across Western Canada, we’re at arms reach to support your start-up aspirations. Our dealer services have helped small business owners select the right equipment to achieve category growth across many sectors.

Finning Blog

5 Tips To Prepare Your Equipment For Spring

20 April 2023April 17, 2023Kyla Hardon

Spring is here, and that means it's time to dust off your heavy equipment and prepare for the busy season ahead!

After sitting idle during the winter months, your machines may need a bit of TLC to ensure they're in top shape for another season of hard work. By following these five essential tips for readying your heavy equipment for renewed projects in spring, you'll be able to eliminate downtime, protect your investments, repair any damage, and improve job site safety.

01. Perform Maintenance Tasks

The first step in preparing your equipment is to perform thorough maintenance tasks before putting your machine back to work. This includes:

Changing filters.
Clogged or dirty filters can reduce efficiency and increase contaminants in your equipment’s system. Be sure to change or clean your filters as needed.
Replacing hydraulic and engine oils.
To ensure clean and efficient system operation, replace both hydraulic and engine oils in the spring. Check with your manual to ensure you're using the right type.
Checking the coolant.
Run the engine and inspect the appearance of your machine’s coolant to ensure it is free of impurities and reflects its as-new colour. Make sure you get the appropriate grade of coolant for the weather in your area.
Lubricating machine components.
After a season in storage, your machine’s moving parts may be a little stiff. Apply lubricant to any major components to ensure that every part of your engine and equipment is capable of performing its full range of motion.

Always update your maintenance logs as you go so that you have a record of which tasks were performed and when.

A clean Cat 242D3 Skidsteer parked in front on a greenspace

02. Clean Your Equipment

After bringing your equipment out of storage, make sure to give it a thorough wash, inside and out, so that you remove any dust, dirt, and grime that has gathered over the winter. Dirt and grime buildup can also contaminate fluids and damage parts, making it essential to clean the equipment. A simple wash creates a safer, more comfortable environment for machine operators and goes a long way to ensuring your machine performs the way it should.

Cleaning your equipment's interior and exterior will also make your fleet look professional and reassure clients that you have quality machinery to execute the job.

03. Review Your Paperwork

It’s good practice to review your machine’s paperwork during the spring season. Your owner’s manual will have information specific to the make and model of your equipment, including seasonal maintenance recommendations and the types of products you should use.

If you haven’t done so already, make sure to keep the owner’s manual somewhere that you can easily locate. You should also consider making a binder for all owner manuals or downloading digital copies to a folder on your computer. You can even use your owner’s manual as the place where you keep notes on the maintenance performed and repairs done on each piece of equipment you own.

Check your machine’s warranty requirements and complete all the necessary tasks before use to secure warranty coverage. It's also a good idea to check your insurance policy to make sure it covers the machine's scope of work and accessories.

To read the full article, click here.

Finning Blog

2022 Landscape Award Winners Announced

17 April 2023April 17, 2023Kyla Hardon

On March 30, we celebrated the winners of the 2022 Landscape Alberta Landscape Awards in Banff. Each year, we see beautiful, well-designed landscapes that truly showcase the best this industry has to offer. This year, stemming from 26 entries, there were 15 winners in the Merit category and 6 winners in the Excellence category.

We congratulate 2022 winners: Alpha Better Landscaping Inc., Delta Valley Landscaping Services Ltd., Jenron Creative Landscapes, JVR Landscape (2006) Inc., MaisonScapes, OnGrowing Works Ltd., Planta Landscape Inc., Salisbury Landscaping, Seasonal Impact Contracting Ltd., Terra Landscaping Ltd.

We would like to thank this year’s volunteer judges for taking their assignment seriously and giving so generously of their time and expertise: Andrew MacDonald, Lucas Steeves, Jeff Wilson, Chris Chetcuti, Bill Hardy, Christian Houle, Nathan Gill, Andrew Heighton, Mark Janzen and Wade McArthur.

National Award of Landscape Excellence Nominees
The National Awards of Landscape Excellence (NALE) recognize Canadian companies that have actively participated in significantly raising the level of professionalism in the landscape industry. Each province nominates members from the provincial awards of excellence competition that are then entered into the national awards.

This years nominees are:

Terra Landscaping Inc. - Schiffner Residence
Alpha Better Landscaping Inc. – 4^th avenue Flyover Park & Livingston Hub
Delta Valley Landscaping Services Ltd. - Devon Paragon Ballpark
Planta Landscape Inc. – Britannia Ridge Residence

Good luck to this year's nominees! See the award winning projects by clicking here.

The 2023 Awards Package is now available for download. New this year; all active members of Landscape Alberta get their first entry for free! If you have any questions on the awards program, contact Kyla at kyla.hardon@landscape-alberta.com.

EI Changes – Effective Sept 24

27 September 2022September 27, 2022Kyla Hardon

This is a reminder that the temporary measures to make Employment Insurance (EI) more accessible during the COVID-19 pandemic will end on September 24^th. After September 24^th, EI regular and special benefits (like maternity, parental, compassionate leave, and sickness) will continue to be available to workers, just as they were before the pandemic, as will other supports such as the Canada Workers Benefit.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada has been there to support workers who experienced job loss or temporary job stoppage because of the pandemic. When the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) ended, the government transitioned eligible Canadians to Employment Insurance benefits or the Canada Recovery Benefits. A set of temporary measures were put in place on September 27, 2020 to support this transition and facilitate access to the EI program for a one-year period. The Government also froze EI insurance premium rates for two years so Canadian workers and businesses would not face increases to payroll deductions when unemployment was at a historic highs.

Budget 2021 announced a suite of new EI temporary measures to support workers when the labour market was recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and work was scarce or sporadic. This new suite of temporary measures took effect on September 26, 2021 for a period of one year:

· a 420-hour common entrance requirement for EI regular and special benefits, with a corresponding common earnings threshold for fishing benefits and a lower earnings threshold for self-employed workers registered for special benefit coverage

· all insurable hours and earnings counting towards a claimant’s EI regular benefit eligibility and entitlement, as long as their last job separation in their qualifying period was found to be valid. This supported workers, including multiple job holders, as the recovery firmed up

· allowing claimants to start receiving EI benefits sooner by simplifying rules around the treatment of severance, vacation pay, and other monies paid following a job separation

· enhancements to the Work-Sharing Program that were introduced during the pandemic to ensure they remained available to support affected employers and workers

These temporary measures will end on September 24, 2022 and the EI program will return to regular rules.

The Government recognizes that Canada’s EI system needs to be fairer, more flexible, and more responsive to the needs of workers. Work is ongoing to modernize the EI program. This plan must be directly informed by the Canadians who use EI and are invested in its modernization, and that’s why the Government consulted with Unions, employers, workers and other partners. Budget 2021 also provided $5 million over two years to support these consultations. These consultations recently concluded on July 29, 2022. The Government is analyzing the input received from stakeholders and Canadians, along with lessons learned from the pandemic and the temporary measures, to inform a comprehensive plan for a modernized EI that meets the current and future needs of Canadian workers and employers.

More details on the regular rules for the EI program that will be in effect as of September 25, 2022 can be found at the following webpages. We encourage you to share with your networks:

· EI Regular Benefits - What these benefits offer - Canada.ca

· EI sickness benefits: What these benefits offer - Canada.ca

· Caregiving benefits and leave - Canada.ca

· EI Fishing benefits - Overview - Canada.ca

· EI maternity and parental benefits: What these benefits offer - Canada.ca

Find A Pro

6 April 2022April 6, 2022Kyla Hardon

It is that time of year again – spring has sprung, and homeowners are excited to get working on their outdoor projects. Each year, we get many requests from homeowners looking for contractors who can help them with their projects, many who come to us at the advice of garden centres or contractors just like you.

Landscape Alberta is happy to assist homeowners in helping them find a member using the “Find A Pro” feature on our website. We ask that you direct homeowners to the Landscape Alberta website (www.landscape-alberta.com) and click on “Find A Pro” to search our database. Or they can simply scan the QR code on the attached templates and be taken right to the search.

Attached are some marketing templates to share this information to your customers or potential customers that aren't a good fit for your services.

Find A Pro Templates

Update: International Travel Requirements

6 April 2022April 6, 2022Kyla Hardon

The Government of Canada has released an update around travel for Temporary Foreign Workers.

Quarantine Requirements upon arrival:

Unvaccinated workers are required to quarantine for 14 days beginning on the day of entry into Canada. The QIO imposes certain specific requirements when it comes to conditions for the place of quarantine, including that the worker needs to have access to a bedroom at the place of quarantine that is separate from the one used by persons who did not travel and enter Canada with that person and access to the necessities of life without leaving that place (Orders In Council – Search canada.ca Part 3 Section 2: Quarantine Requirements – Conditions).
Employers must provide a suitable place for quarantine for unvaccinated workers.
If, during the 14 days from their entry into Canada, an unvaccinated worker develops signs and symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19 on the molecular test that they are required to undergo in accordance with the Quarantine Order, they must isolate for a 10-day period which begins on the date of symptom onset, or the date the test sample was collected (as validated by the test provider) or the date of the test result (if there is no validation of the test collection date). The confirmed or suspected positive COVID-19 case must be reported to PHAC and the employer needs to provide a suitable place for isolation.
The QIO imposes certain specific requirements when it comes to conditions for the place of isolation, including that the worker needs to have access to a separate bedroom and bathroom as well as access to the necessities of life without leaving that place.

o Requirements for unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travellers, including TFWs: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/2019-novel-coronavirus-information-sheet.html

Vaccinated workers are not required to quarantine for 14 days upon their entry into Canada. However, during the initial 14-day period from their entry into the country, should the worker develop signs and symptoms of COVID-19 or test positive for COVID-19 they must isolate for a period of 10 days beginning on the date of symptom onset, or the date the test sample was collected (as validated by the test provider) or the date of the test result (if there is no validation of the test collection date). The confirmed or suspected positive COVID-19 case need to be reported to PHAC.

Please note that there is also a requirement for TFWs, whether vaccinated or not, to quarantine for 14 days if, during the initial 14 days from their entry into Canada, they have been exposed to a person, that they travelled with to Canada, who shows signs and symptoms of COVID-19 or receives a positive COVID-19 test.

Isolation Requirements in the post arrival period and beyond:
After the initial federally required 14-day quarantine period, the initial 14-day period from entry into Canada or other federally applicable isolation period, any worker with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection is required to isolate according to instructions from provincial/territorial or local public health authorities. Illustrative examples are below:

If a worker develops signs and symptoms of COVID-19, or receives a positive COVID-19 test result during the federally required 14-day quarantine period or the initial 14-day period after their entry, the QIO requires that they isolate for 10 days in a suitable place of isolation or accommodation.
In addition, the period of isolation may be extended for a new 10 day isolation period if the person tests positive for COVID-19 while in isolation and they were initially isolating for a reason other than having received a positive COVID-19 test.
If a worker becomes sick after the initial 14-day quarantine or other federally applicable period, they are required to isolate for the duration stipulated by local or provincial/territorial public health authorities. IRPR require that employers provide a suitable isolation accommodation, including a separate bedroom and bathroom that are solely for the use of the isolating TFW.

For detailed information regarding provincial/territorial or local quarantine and isolation requirements, please consult your provincial/territorial public health authority website.

Employer Accommodation Requirements Regarding Isolation of TFWs

At any time during the initial 14 days in Canada, should a worker show signs and symptoms of COVID-19, have reasonable grounds to suspect they have COVID-19, or receive a positive test result, employers must immediately isolate the confirmed or suspected COVID-19 positive TFW for a period of 10 days, even if the province or territory in which they operate has a shorter isolation period. Workers must, as per Part 5 of the QIO, follow the set of the requirements and conditions for a suitable place of isolation, including a requirement to have a separate bedroom and bathroom while in isolation.

Employers are guided by IRPR (section 209.3(1)(a)(xi)) which outlines accommodations requirements for those who provide accommodations to workers during their entire employment period. Employers must provide suitable accommodations for TFWs who develops any signs or symptoms of Covid-19, including a separate bedroom and bathroom.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a rapidly evolving situation. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program will continue to work with employers in ensuring that you remain informed of any forthcoming changes to public health requirements. Moreover, you are encouraged to visit Travel.gc.ca for regular updates

Year of the Garden 2022

22 March 2022March 24, 2022Kyla Hardon

Celebrating the Year of the Garden

You’re invited to join in the fun and “Live the Garden Life” during the Year of the Garden 2022, a celebration of everything garden and gardening related in Canada.

The Year of the Garden officially starts the first day of spring, and all Canadians – whether you already enjoy gardening, recently discovered the pleasure of spending time in a garden because of the pandemic, or want to learn more about how gardens impact so much of life – are invited to take part. There’s something for everyone to enjoy, celebrate our country’s rich garden heritage, and help grow important legacies for a sustainable future.

Supported by the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, The Canadian Garden Council, through its Year of the Garden 2022 initiative aims to inspire and inform Canadians about the many health and well-being, economic, and environmental benefits gardens and gardening provide, and along the way provide tips and tricks for gardening success and the enjoyment of gardens.

The Year of the Garden 2022 offers many opportunities to “Live the Garden Life” and get involved, enjoy garden experiences, and get inspired in the garden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaqV_xapIYg

Parliament recognized 2022 the Year of the Garden in Canada with a motion of unanimous consent

The house recognize the 2022 Year of the Garden as it marks the centennial of Canada’s ornamental horticulture sector on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association.

Gardens and gardening contribute to the development of our country, our cities and the lives of people in terms of health, quality of life, reconciliation, inclusion and environmental challenges.

The Year of the Garden will engage gardeners, families, students, and tourists with: our garden culture and history, the importance of public and private gardens and our urban landscapes.

Media Release: Canada is the First Country to Celebrate Year of the Garden

Yearofthegarden.ca

Canadian Gardening Stats:

Nearly eight in ten Canadians show some interest in living in a garden friendly city – supporting our Municipal proclamation and Garden-Friendly City program

For a second year in in a row, 22% of Canadian have spent more time in their garden.

Seven in ten Canadians expect to spend about the same amount of time gardening in 2022 compared to the amount they spent in 2021.

66% of Canadians are likely to visit gardens when they travel.

Nearly all Canadians, 95%, want to live a healthy and environmentally friendly life…supporting our invitation to Canadians to ‘Live the Garden Life’ a healthy and environmentally friendly life.

96 % of Canadians realize that gardening can improve their mental and physical health

84% of Canadians believe that gardening can have positive impact on climate change.

Meeting in the Mountains Cancelled

20 January 2022January 20, 2022Kyla Hardon

With regret we have chosen to cancel Meeting in the Mountains due to the circumstance related to the ongoing pandemic. The ability for our planned speakers to travel was in definite question, along with recent changes to gathering restrictions and the lack of PRC testing for attendees made it difficult to have confidence in a live event at the end of March.

We have worked with the Banff Centre to postpone our event booking until March 2023 when we can best deliver the leadership retreat and awards event possible. We are working on plans for alternate delivery of some of the event content this year and will announce plans as the formalize.

The staff and board of Landscape Alberta are truly disappointed to postpone another live event, but want to make the best decision for all of our stakeholders.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The 2021 Green Industry Conference is Going Virtual!

27 September 2021September 30, 2021Kyla Hardon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 27/09/2021

Joel Beatson
Green Industry Show & Conference
780-489-1991
joel@landscape-alberta.com

THE 2021 GREEN INDUSTRY CONFERENCE IS GOING VIRTUAL!

Edmonton, AB – The Green Industry Show & Conference (GISC) will be proceeding as a virtual event, November 18-19, 2021, to ensure the health and safety of our attendees, exhibitors, and staff. The recent changes to COVID-19 protocols by the Government of Alberta has created a pathway to live events that was unlikely to be effective for our tradeshow and conference.

The Landscape Alberta Board of Directors deliberated over many possible options to make GISC happen live this year. In the end the consensus was to move the conference to virtual in order to best provide value to industry by offering targeted education to the Prairie horticultural industry.

GISC 2021 will features 14 hours of virtual conference sessions, including the inspiring keynote sessions: MARKETING IS ABOUT BELONGING: THE UNSEXY TRUTH THAT WILL GROW YOUR BUSINESS with Alyssa ‘Twist’ Light and EMPOWERING LEADERS TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES with Robert Murray.

There will not be a virtual trade show component to this year’s event and all exhibitors will have their booth fees fully refunded. Our generous sponsors and advertisers will be offered revised opportunities or refunds as appropriate to their needs.

“It became clear that holding a live event this fall would not offer an optimal experience for our exhibitors and attendees – we pride ourselves on decades of success with this annual event and that continues as we plan for a live event next year. The current trends of COVID cases in Alberta and the likelihood of further changes to public health regulations made planning for a live event in November nearly impossible.” says Joel Beatson, CEO of Landscape Alberta, host organization for GISC. “Moving to a virtual conference this year allows us to best serve the industry and we look forward to returning to a live event with GISC 2022” he went on to say.

We have a great line-up of presenters online this year so don’t miss out! The entire conference program and registration portal can be accessed at www.greenindustryshow.com.