Clippings for April 6, 2023

On March 27, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, announced the extension of measures that were implemented last year, in April 2022, as part of the TFWP Workforce Solutions Road Map.

As noted in the announcement, effective April 3^rd 2023, the following TFWP measures will be extended until October 30, 2023:

• permitting employers in seven sectors with demonstrated labour shortages to hire up to 30 percent of their workforce through the TFW Program, for low-wage positions;
• maintaining the validity period of Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA) at 18 months; and,
• maintaining the maximum duration of employment for low-wage positions for a period up to two years.

The Road Map measures are intended to help employers address current labour shortages across many sectors and occupations, create greater stability in the economy, and build a stronger Canadian workforce for today and tomorrow.

STOPDED cooperators, along with all the larger cities, place elm bark beetle traps in 119 municipalities throughout the province. Additional traps are also placed at AB/US border crossings, in some provincial/municipal parks and commercial tree nurseries. This provincial bark beetle trapping has been done since 1975, and EBB were first found in 1994 in Calgary and then in 1995 in Edmonton.

The banded elm bark beetles (BEBB) and European elm bark beetles (SEEBB), vectors of Dutch elm disease (DED) have been captured on a number of traps in 71 municipalities throughout the years. In the 2022 survey, there were 3454 Banded elm bark beetles and 2 SEEBB captures on the traps. The majority of the BEBB were captured in SE Alberta.

Alberta has had only 2 isolated cases of DED in the province, one in Wainwright in 1999 and 2 trees in Lethbridge in 2020. All DED diseased trees were properly disposed of as per the Provincial DED Control/Prevention Measures. https://www.alberta.ca/dutch-elm-disease-prevention-what-you-can-do.aspx

As DED continues to move west in Saskatchewan, Alberta has to stay vigilant to remain DED-free.

Linked here is an EXCEL file which includes the capture numbers from 2012 to 2022. If you would like to see the larger file which is from 1994-2022, please request and I will email that to you.

Eagle Lake Professional Landscape Supply is hosting their Contractor's Season Kick Off event on Tuesday, April 11th, at their store location on Frontier Road SE.

Alberta Commercial Vehicle Enforcement will present a talk covering truck, trailer and load securement. Landscape Alberta will also be in attendance.

Additionally, a number of suppliers, including Belgard/Expocrete, Barkman Concrete, Alliance Gator, Thunderstone and Bella Turf will be on hand to answer your questions to help you make the most of your season.

Stop by for great information and food!

CNLA is currently engaged in a study, led by the Canadian Forest Owners (CFO)/ New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners (NBFWO) and in partnership with the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), and the Canadian Ornamental Horticultural Alliance (COHA) to conduct a national scoping study under the 2 Billion Tree Program (2BT) of Natural Resources Canada. We are asking for your help to complete a quick 3-minute-long survey.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Backgrounder on CNLA’s action with the 2 Billion Trees Project: The federal government’s 2 Billion Trees Commitment was initially focused on planting trees in forested areas. The CNLA provided an out-of-the-box suggestion in February 2022 for a percentage of the Commitment to include trees planted in urban forest areas.

Discussions between CNLA and Natural Resources Canada have been productive, providing the ministry with a broader knowledge of our industry value-chain and where our sectors combine in the efficient delivery of trees from nursery to community. Urban planting’s inclusion among the 2 Billion Trees Commitment is a major win for industry. 

Participation in the above study included in this e-mail is an example of the CNLA’s engagement with organizations both to raise the industry’s voice, and to ensure that urban tree planting remains a significant number of the 2 billion trees.

A nation-wide initiative has begun! This is the gathering of all levels of Designers from coast to coast including: Estimators, Garden Designers, Landscape Designers, Landscape Architects.

An opportunity for all designers regardless of formal education or training to have their voice heard as a collective group for the design profession now and into the future. This national group will discuss a variety of topics from professional design designations, designers as influencers, to the possible creation of a laddering system throughout the numerous professional design levels.

To begin this endeavour, we need to reach out to the design community. It is important to gather as many sectors as possible to ensure we are building on the needs of this horticulture sector.

We encourage you to take less then 3 minutes to complete this survey, this will allow us to reach out to you in the future. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JPJ3VDD

Elm sanitation such as removal and proper disposal of dead wood and dead elm is essential to an integrated Dutch Elm Disease (DED) prevention program. The only time it is legal to prune elms in Alberta is between October 1 to March 31. This is when the European elm bark beetles, responsible for spreading the deadly DED fungus, are not active.

Elm bark beetles feed on healthy elms and breed and over winter in dead and dying elm trees. If elm trees are pruned between April 1 and September 30, these vectors of the disease will be drawn to the scent of the fresh pruning cuts, potentially attracting infested beetles and infecting your otherwise healthy elm.

Having your tree pruned properly is important. A professional arborist can determine what type of pruning is necessary to maintain or improve the health, appearance and safety of your trees. Topping or removing an excessive amount of live wood is not recommended, will weaken the tree’s structure and shorten its lifespan. It is essential that all dead elm wood be removed and properly disposed of by burning, burying or chipping by March 31. It is also illegal to store elm firewood.

Alberta is still free of DED, although its borders are being pressed from two sides, Saskatchewan and Montana, both battling the disease. There is no cure once an elm is infected but DED can be prevented. We must stay vigilant to keep our elms healthy.

For more information on how to prevent DED call the STOPDED hotline at 1-877-837-ELMS or check out the web site at www.stopded.org. We must stay vigilant to keep our elms healthy. DED can be prevented.

The CNLA and the HR Committee understand that Labour is an issue for everyone. Now more than ever it seems and as such, we have partnered with the Canadian Agriculture Human Resource Council (CAHRC) to provide a series of one-hour webinars with a focus on labour. These will be free sessions.

Webinar 1: Understanding SAWP & TFWP including an overview of updated NOCs

Webinar 2: Dealing with labour agencies – best practices to ensure a successful outcome.

Webinar 3: HR Toolkit Overview

Watch the replays here: https://youtu.be/kQOoZCXaopQ. 

A great way to offer our retail garden centres educational and professional sharing opportunities. This three day event will start with a fun evening reception a that Burnaby Delta Convention Centre. We have one and half days of tours, and speakers. o Information on the event: https://cnla.ca/events/gcc-summit-2023 o Video for the event: https://youtu.be/y5EvpCIsqp4 o Registration for the event: GCCSummit2023Registration

Be on the European Landscape Contractors Association (ELCA) Excursion 2023. Get in on the fun! Connect with Anne for more details. akadwell@canadanursery.com

Or register at the link: REGISTER NOW

ECHO / Shindaiwa: Members receive a 15% manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP, plus applicable taxes) discount off ECHO or Shindaiwa gas powered units and accessories purchase*. Members also receive a 10% discount off the purchase of any ECHO 58V battery-powered products. Also, members will be offered a 20% discount if you arrange a product demo with an ECHO representative and purchase a minimum of five ECHO and/or Shindaiwa gas-powered units in a single purchase. *$250 minimum purchase required, does not include parts and labour.

LHCP: Members receive discounted rates on training manuals and exam registration for landscape industry certified designations. Visit www.cnlagetcertified.ca for more information. Get Certified. Get Hired.

Reactive Designs: Save up to 30% on social media management packages.

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We offer discounted pricing on vehicles & equipment, industry training,

financial services & much more!

To access the Member Benefits portal, click here. If you don’t have a log-in please reach

out to memberservices@cnla-acpp.ca to request one.