Since 2001, the Canadian Business Patterns data shows that the number of landscaping and lawn care sector businesses located in Toronto has grown each year. Toronto has seen a 30 per cent increase in the number of companies in this sector (Figure 8), while the increase in companies located anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area was 36%. This growth rate is consistent with that observed across Ontario (32%) in the same sector over the same time period 16."

 
Source: Toronto Public Health. 2007. Interim Evaluation of Toronto’s Pesticide Bylaw. Toronto: City of Toronto.
http://www.toronto.ca/health/pesticides/pdf/interim_evaluation_report_02262007.pdf  
Authors: Rich Whate, Monica Bienefeld, Carol Mee and Monica Campbell 
Go to page 28 of the  above pdf file (this is the same as page 20 of the report
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The number of landscape businesses increased from 118 to 180 in HRM from the year 2000 to 2005. This is a 53% increase and the number of employees per company increased as well. This is for business category NAICS 561730 - Landscape Services; NAICS stands for North American Industry Classification System.
The official source for this information is: "Statistics Canada, Business Register, Canadian Business Pattern (1998 - 2005)." This report was released October 4, 2005.

See attached Backgrounder

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    Myth: A pesticides bylaw will put lawn care companies out of business.

    Fact: Again, simply not true. Lawncare services are still a viable industry without pesticides. For example, members of the Organic Landscape Association, a non-profit trade association, are experiencing annual growth rates of up to 30% in satisfied customers of pesticide free lawns and gardens. Traditional lawncare companies can make the transition to organic lawncare with relative ease. One new recruit to the Organic Landscape Association experienced no significant economic impacts in changing over to organic methods and actually reported new business growth within two years of going pesticide free. And in Halifax , landscaping companies actually benefitted from a pesticide bylaw.

http://www.flora.org/healthyottawa/pesticide-bylaw.htm

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Friday January 5, 2007

Landscape Ontario

How was business in 2006?

By Wendy Jespersen, Lee Ann Knudsen and Sarah Willis

Toronto “This was our best year ever,” says Peter Tolias of Tolias Landscaping and Plowing in Mississauga . “We were very, very busy and very profitable,” explains Tolias. The concern for Tolias wasn’t about the weather, rather, just keeping all the customers happy. “We have turned our whole company around,” says Tolias.

“The busiest year ever,” says Frank DiMarco of DiMarco Landscape Lighting in Toronto . The weather was a challenge for scheduling and completion, especially during the fall. “It was the rainiest fall I’ve ever seen,” says DiMarco.
“We are looking at a very busy spring.”

“The best year ever — by a lot, not just a little,” says Arthur Skolnik or Shibui Landscaping in Toronto . Demand for landscape contractors is very high, and Skolnik expects more of the same for next year. “Actually, I think we have at least five really good years ahead.”

http://www.horttrades.com/displaynews.php?n=471