Join Partners in Project Green on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, from 1:00-2:00 pm for an exciting webinar on the role of government in regulating winter salt use for the safety of humans and the natural environment, the issue of liability influencing excess salt use, and what winter maintenance salt contractors are doing to reduce their application rates.
Currently in Ontario, there is no provincial policy or regulation for road salt use. This policy gap has created liability issues for snow and ice management contractors and has left municipalities and property owners to deal with salt pollution issues locally.
Water advocates have been sounding the alarm about rising salt levels in Ontario waters since the 1970’s. The audience will be brought up to speed on current efforts of the Ontario Salt Pollution Coalition, including the ecological, health, and infrastructure damage arguments for limiting salt pollution, and the solutions the Coalition is pursuing.
Landscape Ontario‘s concerted efforts to tackle the environmental impacts of road salt through innovative legislative reform will be presented. Key legislative changes being pursued at the provincial level will be outlined to address liability concerns, advocating for a fair balance of responsibility between private snow contractors and property owners/managers. Discover how collaboration with municipal councils has led to the passage of salt pollution motions, urging the provincial government to take decisive action. Additionally, Landscape Ontario’s work in developing a robust training and accreditation program will be highlighted to ensure best practices in salt use and management.
As a Smart About Salt certified contractor, Pristine Property Maintenance will share the current state of the industry from a contractor’s perspective and what can be done to limit salt use. This will include a discussion on existing technology for salt counting and tracking, salt alternatives such as brines, and how they are linked with liability.
Join us June 24, 2025 from 1:00-2:00pm EST. Register Now!
Speakers
Claire Malcolmson, Executive Director, Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition
Claire has been involved with Lake Simcoe all her life. Her experience of watching the lake change, as a cottager, led her to create the Paddling Around Lake Simcoe program in 2002, which both spurred citizen engagement in the lake’s health, and launched her career. She is now the Executive Director of the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition.
Starting as a wilderness paddling guide and environmental educator, Ms. Malcolmson then managed water programs at Environmental Defence. There, Claire played a leadership role in the successful passage of two pieces of Ontario legislation: the Lake Simcoe Protection Act (2008), and the Great Lakes Protection Act (2015). Claire and the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition’s work on “Campaign Fairness” resulted in changes to the Municipal Elections Act (2016), banning corporate and union contributions to election campaigns.
Joe Salemi, Executive Director, Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association
Joe Salemi is a dynamic leader committed to the advancement and prosperity of the landscape horticulture sector in Ontario. He believes in a people-first leadership philosophy and has a proven track record of scaling businesses through streamlined operations and fiscal management.
A passionate advocate for the industry, Joe actively builds community ties, forges strategic partnerships, and drives industry growth. His diverse career background in the trades, not-for-profit organizations, and the technology sector provides him with a broad perspective and a wealth of experience and knowledge. Culture creator, industry observationalist, community builder.
Jon Agg, Owner, Pristine Property Maintenance (PPM) Limited
Jon Agg runs PPM, a full-service property maintenance company with headquarters in Ajax, Ontario. As well as satellite locations in Brighton, Kingston, Ottawa, Lindsay, and Huntsville. PPM also sub-contracts with over 150 service providers throughout the province, which gives Jon a unique insight into the challenges facing the Snow and Ice Industry.
PPM has over 160 employees, and over 100 vehicles on the road. Jon is the President of the Durham Chapter of Landscape Ontario, the Snow and Ice Sector Representative to the Provincial Board of Landscape Ontario, and the Chair of the Workforce Development Committee, as well as a member of many committees of Landscape Ontario. PPM is Smart about Salt Trained and is also a member of the Canadian National Landscape Association and the Snow and Ice Management Association.
Learn more about how your organization can reduce salt use on your property with PPG’s Sustainable Salt Management Resource Hub.