MGOI Annual Report 2012 - Master Gardeners of Ontario

Education Committee Report 2012Members of education committee Chair June Streadwick (Niagara Master Gardeners)Beth Cook (Durham Master Gardeners)Kelly Noel (Ottawa-Carlton MG & Zone Director)Kevin Long (Lanark County Master Gardeners)Gary Westlake (Peterborough MG & Newsletter Editor)Education RequirementsThe three choices for certification in Ontario are:Four specified courses from Dalhousie University (formerly the Nova ScotiaAgricultural College)Three specified courses from the University of GuelphThe M.G.O.I. Certification ExaminationThese requirements were put in place a number of years ago and are still the options aMaster Gardener in Training must use. The majority of new members seem to be doingthe course work with a few requesting the Certification Examination.Certification ExaminationA fourth Certification Examination was completed at the end of February, 2012. It wassubmitted to the University of Guelph for review, approved and released to theProvincial Administrator for distribution when required.The Education Committee spent some considerable time reviewing the requirements forcertification for a Master Gardener transferring from outside Ontario, and it was decidedthat the Certification Examination should be written, but the fee to write the examinationwould be waived.M.G.O.I. Summer WorkshopThese workshops which were established in 2008 for the continuing education ofMaster Gardeners have continued to be well attended every year since then. They areheld at the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens and School of Horticulture in mid-July. In2012 participants to the Summer Workshop could choose two of three topics offered.The sessions were: “An Investigative Tour of Insects and Diseases that AffectConiferous and Deciduous Trees”, “An Investigative Tour of Insects and Diseases thatAffect Selected Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals and Turf” and “The Urban Farmer –19