Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Royal Ontario Museum | 100 Queen's Park | Toronto, ON
8:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.

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$175 | Early Bird $150 by January 31 | Student and membership discounts available

Join us at the 2019 Shifting the Paradigm Forum to explore diverse perspectives in accelerating the growth of healthy landscapes in southern Ontario. Look out for our e-blasts leading up to the forum featuring details from each of the panels.

Feature Panel: SEED NATIVE PLANTS

Experts from diverse fields will link the restoration of our native plants and wildlife to achieving healthy sustainable communities and enhancing the green economy. Panelists will focus on solutions and opportunities relating to key questions like:

• How can we fuel healthy green investment with native plants?
• How do we expand the market for locally-grown native plants?
• What steps are necessary to develop an Ontario native plant seed strategy?

Moderated by renowned native plants restoration specialist and author/public speaker Lorraine Johnson (past chair of NANPS).
SEED NATIVE PLANTS Panelists:

Stefan Weber (president of the Ontario Plant Restoration Alliance; PhD candidate McMaster University)
Kyle Williams (Aamjiwnaang First Nation)
Sean James (landscape designer and garden consultant)
Paul LaPorte (Ephemeral Ark Nursery, past chair of the North American Native Plant Society, and chair of the newly formed Ontario Native Plant Growers Association)
John Smiciklas (Director, Energy & Environment at BOMA-Canada)

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The demand for native plant material to restore and reconnect native habitats for biodiversity is rising. This panel will consider these rapidly changing demands as well as key strategies to engage the market in meeting and expanding this demand. Through discussion, the panelists will outline how this shift will result in greater supply of quality native plant material and more quality habitat on the ground to support healthy landscapes. New economic, employment and partnership opportunities will be outlined, which will link to discussions by other panels throughout the day.

More about the Panelists:

Stefan Weber is a restoration biologist with an interest in adaptation and seeds. He completed a graduate degree studying the role of pollination in shaping understory communities, and local variation in the reproductive strategies of wild Blue Lobelia. Stefan is currently completing his final year of a PhD program, researching local adaptation in prairie wildflowers, grassland re-creation, and community resistance to plant invasions. He has previously worked for the Toronto Botanical Garden, the Ontario Agricultural College Herbarium, and most recently the St. Williams Nursery and Ecology Centre, helping to collect and grow seed for over 300 wild species. In 2015, Stefan co-founded the Ontario Plant Restoration Alliance (OPRA), which aims to restore regionally uncommon native plants. OPRA works with partners, like the Royal Botanical Gardens, to monitor, collect, and propagate rare native plants from local seed! 

Kyle Williams has always been fascinated by nature and gardening, so it seems fitting Kyle has become a native plant greenhouse technician. Starting his fourth year at Maajiigin Gumig nursery he is looking forward to further developing the operation and learning more about nature. He lives and grew up in Aamjiwnaang, where he enjoys exploring the large natural areas. Growing up his grandfather took him on many walks showing and teaching him about many plants and animals. The changes he sees inspire and motivate him to promote native plants and continue to help restore our landscapes.

Sean James has been named by GardenMaking magazine as one of “20 Making a Difference”, gardening has been Sean James’ hobby and profession for over 35 years. A graduate of Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, a Master Gardener, writer, and international speaker; Sean is a global leader in eco-friendly landscaping with his work appearing in numerous books and manuals. He’s worked on the national Red Seal educational program, teaches at Mohawk College and sits on the editorial board for Ontario Gardening magazine. He is the Ontario spokesperson for Garden Days Canada. He sits on several environmental committees and has appeared on television and radio shows coast-to-coast. After over 20 years running Fern Ridge Landscaping, Sean recently handed it over to his leadership team and now owns ‘Sean James Consulting & Design’, helping folks create and maintain gardens and spreading knowledge.

Paul LaPorte is the owner of Ephemeral Ark Nursery which specializes in propagating Ontario native woodland species and consulting on ecological gardening and design. He is the Vice-Chair of the Scugog Environmental Advisory Committee, a member of Kawartha Conservation's BlueScape Steering Committee and the past President of the North American Native Plant Society. Paul works with municipalities, regional and educational partners for the protection of local watersheds, including the mapping and removal of invasive species and restoration of Lake Scugog tributaries. Paul is a regular speaker for numerous horticultural societies, nature clubs and regional conservation authorities on the importance of native plants to our ecology. He presents on such topics as Building Biodiversity with Native Plants, Tracing the Roots of Native Plants, Woodland Plant Identification and Defining Native, Naturalized and Invasive Species. Paul maintains a strong knowledge of Ontario native plant species and their communities and fosters them in his own garden, garnering an Individual Conservationist Award from Kawartha Conservation.

John Smiciklas is the Director, Energy and Environment for BOMA Canada. In that position John leads the BOMA BEST existing building environmental certification program in North America. John’s prior experience includes positions as Sustainability Principal (MJRD Assessment Inc); Director, Corporate Responsibility Programs (BlackBerry); and Manager, Sustainable Business Solutions (PricewaterhouseCoopers). John holds a B.A.Sc., Engineering (University of Toronto), has completed Business & Sustainability and Climate Change executive programs (University of Cambridge, UK), is the author of a number of papers focusing on technology and sustainability (published by International Telecommunication Union, an agency of the United Nations), was a UN Delegate to the COP 16 Global climate change talks, is a member of Canadian ISO committees for climate change, quality and city indicators and has over 20 years of experience in auditing and verification to global standards for quality, environment, safety, wellness, construction and climate change.

Will you join us to discuss growing healthy landscapes using native plants?

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This event is supported by Ontario Trillium Foundation and TD Friends of the Environment

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