In the chronicles of Landscape Ontario's history, the year 1994 marks a pivotal moment: when the association’s Provincial Board of Directors made the visionary decision to acquire our property at 7856 Fifth Line South in Milton. The decision by a not-for-profit trade association to procure 50 acres of land, complete with a building and greenhouse, on the site of a former nursery, was nothing short of groundbreaking. The board's vision was clear from the outset: to cultivate the property into a beacon of industry best practices, and the epicentre of excellence for landscape horticulture training and development in Ontario.

Fast forward to today — Landscape Ontario is in the fourth year of receiving funding through the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) via the Skills Development Fund. Through this fund, our mission extends to attracting dedicated individuals to the landscape horticulture trades, offering them an intensive four-week training program. Upon successful completion, these graduates are integrated into our membership community of employers. This initiative serves the dual purpose of upskilling existing industry employees and empowering employers with the necessary tools to recruit and retain top talent. All these initiatives are meticulously orchestrated under the umbrella of our GROW Program (growtraining.ca).

Recently, MLITSD unveiled the Capital Stream of the Skills Development Fund — a watershed moment for LO. This Capital Stream earmarks funds, covering up to 49 per cent of expenses for renovations and construction of new training facilities within the skilled trades. In light of this wonderful opportunity, we have embarked on a whirlwind journey to secure funds, collaborating with esteemed construction partners and meticulously addressing the intricacies of the grant application process. Courtney McCann, Landscape Ontario director of workforce development, has led the process, dedicating countless hours over the past month to our submission. A small industry working group has been guiding the process and we can’t thank them enough for all of the volunteer hours they have dedicated to this project. Special thanks to Karl Stensson, Haig Seferian, Jon Agg and Lindsay Drake Nightingale for the many hours they have contributed to the development of our application.

We’re thinking very big, with highly ambitious goals. We’re looking at dismantling our existing 17,700 square-foot greenhouse to make space for a world-class landscape horticulture training facility. Envision a net-zero building with a lush, green roof. The grant application mandates a Class B budget (allowing for all design components including all major systems and subsystems needed to make the project a success). This crucial component has been provided by our trusted construction partners. The projected cost of the entire project as submitted would be about $15 million.

This new facility would seamlessly integrate with our existing infrastructure, ensuring architectural cohesion. The design includes office areas, open training rooms — adaptable through the use of temporary partitions — integrated audio-visual facilities ready for presentation-based learning and seminars, and a dedicated space for immersive hands-on practical training. Our training delivery plan extends across all sector groups within our industry, offering employers the opportunity to enroll their employees in full-time training during the off-season. Additionally, we are committed to fostering engagement with Indigenous and marginalized communities, providing newfound avenues for employment and bolstering the GROW Program's reach, among a host of other initiatives.

A noteworthy facet of our application is the inclusion of the first phase of our landscape work at our facility. This addition is particularly significant given its role as an integral training space. Landscape Ontario is uniquely positioned for both indoor and outdoor training facilities, which we hope helps our application stand out.

As we reflect upon the initial vision conceived by our board in 1994 — a vision of a world-class training facility — we are thrilled to be on the brink of making it a reality, nearly three decades later. The journey has been arduous, but the prospect of achieving our goals is more tangible than ever, reaffirming the timeless adage that with unwavering dedication and vision, dreams can indeed become a reality.

Now wish us luck as we finalize this grant application and hit the submit button.