FCO's Winter Event & 53rd AGM Enjoyed a Great Turnout at a New Venue

Flowers Canada (Ontario) Inc. (FCO) held its 53rd Annual General Meeting and Winter Event at the Holiday Inn Conference Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario on December 4th, 2019. The event was a resounding success with over 75 attendees enjoying three top-notch speakers.

“FCO Members and other industry representatives came for the networking opportunities and to hear Brett House,Vice-President and Deputy Chief Economist at Scotiabank share his insight and perspective on the ever-changing economic landscape and what we might expect in 2020. Attendees were pleased to hear that the overall outlook for 2020 looks promising,” commented Andrew Morse, FCO’s Executive Director.

Other presentations enjoyed by growers at FCO’s 2019 Winter Event included a well-received presentation given by Tom Baker, a designated Canadian Human Resources Professional (CHRP) who has worked in the floriculture greenhouse sector for the past 18 years. Tom consults on behalf of FCO for the delivery and support of the team based Organizational Effectiveness Processes (OEP) developed by Tom. FCO has recently started to offer Members an on-farm Human Resources Management Training Program which focuses on such topics as employee empowerment and engagement, leadership and management, team building and performance/change management.

In addition, Andrew Morse provided an update on the Greenhouse Certification Program (GCP) outlining that over the last several years, FCO has collaborated with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on the design of the GCP to ensure that the new program is both functional and manageable for growers. In support of the newly designed program, a standardized training resource has also been developed to help FCO’s Members transition to the new program. For more info, email GCP@fco.ca.

In advance of the day's presenters, growers enjoyed an excellent lunch and participated in the business portion of the afternoon’s proceedings at FCO’s Annual General Meeting. Joining the FCO Board for 2019/2020 is Brian Gatcke of Foliera Greenhouses. “The Board is confident that Brian will bring his positive outlook and high energy to the Board table. The FCO Membership will definitely benefit from Brian’s wealth of industry knowledge,” commented Jan Van Zanten, FCO’s President. Rounding out the FCO Executive Committee are Arielle DeBoer, Rosa Flora, FCO’s Vice-President, Gina Marchionda of Jeffery’s Greenhouses will continue in her role as Treasurer and Angelle van Kleef from Colourful Gardens will continue on as Board Secretary. Other Board members include Past President, Ian Vermeer, Westbrook Floral, Rodney Bierhuizen, Sunrise Greenhouses and Byron Dodd from Dodd’s Greenhouses.

FCO would sincerely like to thank all of the presenters and attendees for making the 2019 Winter Event and AGM such a success. For a copy of Brett House, Vice-President and Deputy Chief Economist at Scotiabank presentation and Andrew Morse update on the Greenhouse Certification Program (GCP) please reference the links below.

Flowers Canada (Ontario) Inc. is the provincial trade and professional association of the Ontario floral industry serving the floriculture sector and its Members, greenhouse floriculture producers, for over 50 years. FCO’s mission is to promote the growth and influence of Ontario flower growers by advocating the consumption of flowers at home and abroad, defending business interests at all levels, and promoting excellence in all areas, including research.

FCO strives to help growers find solutions in trade, plant biosecurity, research and innovation, human resources, environment, marketing and risk management. Please visit flowerscanadagrowers.com for more information.