OHA 103rd Convention - Peterborough, July 2009

Remember Yesterday, Protect Tomorrow

The theme for the 103rd Convention was Remember Yesterday - Protect Tomorrow and while this event is over, the societies of District 4 challenge each member of the OHA to continue to use this as a springboard for your future endeavours.

Thank you to the delegates who came to Peterborough. We hope you will come back again. Lots of activities occupied our days and nights: speakers, adult and youth competitions, bus trips and boat tours entertained and informed. The barbecue and banquet were also highlights of the weekend. The business of the OHA was also conducted at the AGM. This year an added bonus was having the Youth Camp located nearby. This meant that we were able to see some of their activities throughout the weekend.

Trent University was an impressive setting for the event and the conference staff bent over backwards to make sure that everyone was taken care of. Staying at the student residence may have given us all new insight and some new skills, like remembering to unlock the connecting bathroom door.

Even the weather cooperated - most of the time we were dry and the temperature was certainly comfortable. This was especially important as we walked around the campus.

The many volunteers who worked during the actual convention came from societies across the district and were highly visible in their green vests. Smiling faces and offers of help were always appreciated. They met challenges head on and I hope each one of them had the opportunity to chat with some of the interesting people who attended. For those who had never attended an OHA Convention, it was a wonderful opportunity to see what actually takes place.

In addition there was a legion of volunteers who worked off-site or in other locations, setting up or taking down. Dealing with the logistics of using two areas of the campus during the weekend was a challenge but everyone pitched in and got the job done. The organizing committee cannot thank our society members enough. It reminds us all that OHA is a volunteer organization and we depend on our volunteers for so many things.

Members of the OHA Board and our Youth Leaders were also out and about doing their part to make things run smoothly.

I would like to extend special thanks to Barb O'Malley, the OHA Registrar, who was a huge help to us all. Also to our 'volunteer wranglers', Anne Milne and Etela Vojnic and to, my husband, Gary for all computer related tasks he dealt with.

The organizing committee worked tirelessly to make sure everything was taken care of. Lenna Broatch, Beryl Harris, Rose Odell, Bev. Silk and Rodger Smith came through when we needed them most. They took on responsibilities and went beyond the call of duty. Our meetings were filled with laughter no matter how difficult a problem. They made the process much more enjoyable.

Lastly, I would like to especially thank John Sellers, our District Director, for all of the work he has done, not only for this convention but also for our district as a whole. He was our spokesperson throughout and we all appreciate his efforts. Now he can go back to his garden for a while.

We all learned a lot and grew as a result of our experience. It was a great ride! See you in Barrie in 2010.

Dianne Westlake

Organizing Committee

2009 OHA Convention

See Pat Bastien's (Belle River Horticultural Society) Convention Report

and Convention Photo Album

102nd Convention - Brampton, August 2009

Sharing Our Diversity

Sharing Our Diversity, Sharing Our Knowledge and Sharing Our Fun was in store for the members of 286 Horticultural Societies from across the province meeting in Brampton at the Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning’s Davis Campus. Hosted by the 17 Societies in District 15, the 102nd Annual Convention of the Ontario Horticultural Association ran from August 22nd to 24th. The public was welcomed to join in the activities.

Sharing our knowledge is at the core of the OHA mandate and the convention offered skill development opportunities and gardening lectures by well-known speakers including Liz Primeau, Dennis Flanagan and Charlie Dobbin. Lecture topics include: Front Yard Gardens, Green Roof Gardens, Project CHIRP (creating habitat in residential & parkland areas), Water Gardens and Garden Design. For gardeners interested in keeping fit for life and for gardening, the topic Kinetics for Gardeners raised awareness of how to avoid aches and pains. On Saturday, the Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Donna Cansfield addressed the plenary session on the topic "Conserving Ontario's Biodiversity".

Green thumbs come in all sizes and the convention included the OHA Youth Camp: Based at the Lake St. George Field Centre in Richmond Hill and under the guidance of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, staff led a challenging weekend of hands on exploration of local ecosystems. Thirty-three young people from across the province attended along with 6 OHA Youth leaders, two of whom were recipients of the OHA’s Youth Leader Award in 2007. Back at the Davis Campus, challenge took the form of the Flower Show and related competitions where entries met the expectation of horticultural excellence while illustrating the Sharing Our Diversity theme. 

Sharing the fun was an integral part of the weekend and the program offered excursions to Humber Nursery, greenroof Gardens in the Sky in downtown Toronto, the Toronto Music Gardens and Casa Loma. Closer to home base, participantswere able to follow the Flower Bed Route through Brampton, the 2006 Communities in Bloom National Champion. 

Photo above left: The Brampton Parks Department planted 3 carpet beds with plants symbolizing the Ontario Horticultral Association's logo - a stylized white Trillium. 

Brenda Heenan, Convention coordinator

OHA's 101st Convention  KEEPING ONTARIO BEAUTIFUL ... VISIONS OF OUR FUTURE

District 8  invited OHA delegates to the 2007 Convention, August 10th - 12th, 2007. District 8 consists of three spectacular counties…

• Grey - beautiful Naturally
• Bruce - Nature's Retreat
• Huron - Ontario's beautiful West Coast.

Delegates enjoyed kilometres of pristine shoreline, charming towns and villages, areas of rugged landscapes, abundant orchards, and clean flowing rivers.

The host city Owen Sound, iin the picturesque harbour on Georgian Bay, proved to be a relaxing venue for OHA delegates. The convention site overlooked the bay and beautiful community gardens. The Harry Lumley Community Complex, provided the facilities for a first rate convention. Right next door  the Inn on the Bay, a Best Western Hotel offered a reduced rate to OHA delegates. These two sites together provided a convenient, efficient convention with the atmosphere of a weekend at the cottage.

The gardens of District 8 were outstanding. Public spaces, private town gardens and rural garden sites all met and exceeded expectations.  All meals were based on the concept of The Hundred Mile Meal. All food served originated within a hundred mile radius of Owen Sound, supporting local farmers and food producers and avoiding the environmental impact of transporting food over a long distance.  Coffee served was Fair Trade.  All judged items from the many competitions were displayed in the same location.

The theme KEEPING ONTARIO BEAUTIFUL ... VISIONS OF OUR FUTURE focused on the challenges of our time to our personal lives, to the future viability of societies, and the strengthening of networks among organizations that share a common vision.   As consumers and gardeners, we were made aware of changing conditions and choices for best practices to minimize our impact on available resources. Delegates were inspired to make choices to ensure a future that is healthy, enjoyable and sustainable.

We wish we could host all of you for a week or two. We have so much we'd like to show you. Maybe you'll come a few days early and linger a few days after! At the end of the convention, at the end of the day, we are sure you'll feel better for spending time in District 8. Alors, l'année prochaine, venez nous voir à Owen Sound. Venez participer et fêter avec nous!

Valerie Neal, Convention Coordinator

Visit the Owen Sound Tourist site, click here.

District 2 and its 21 member societies with over 3000 members extended warm greetings to 550 delegates who attended the 100th Annual Ontario Horticultural Association Convention in Ottawa.  The District Societies are Stittsville Goulbourn, West Carleton, Ottawa, Renfrew, Kemptville, Almonte, Beachburg, Carleton Place & District, Deep River, Eganville, Gloucester, Kanata-March, Madawaska Valley, Manotick, Nepean, Ottawa Valley Rock Garden, Pakenham, Pembroke, Perth & District, Petawawaand  Smiths Falls.  Click here to see photos from the Convention 2006

Convention Host: District 2 Director, Ken Fink

Plenary Speakers:
Andre Poliquin "Clematis"
Alexander Reford "Historical Gardens"
Mary Pratte "Peonies"
Denise Edwards "More Sticky Situations for Horticultural Societies"

Design and Cultural Competition:
The cultural show was run by District 18 and was open to all Association members.

OHA 98th Convention - London, August 2004 "The Garden Within"

Thames Valley District 10 and its 21 member societies extended warm greetings to 448 delegates who attended the 98th Annual Ontario Horticultural Association Convention in London. The District Societies are Dorchester, Dutton/Dunwich, Glencoe, Ingersoll, Kirkton, Lambeth, Listowel, London, London/Fanshawe, Parkhill, Port Burwell-Bayham, Rodney, St. Marys, St. Thomas, Stratford, Strathroy-Caradoc, Tavistock, Thorndale, Tillsonburg, West Lorne and Woodstock.

Convention Host: District 10 Director, Jim Mabee