Meet our speakers

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Paul Brydges is the Senior Landscape Architect, and founder of Brydges Landscape Architecture; established in 2004. Paul brings over 40 years of combined horticultural and design/build experience to the design process.

Paul is Past President of Landscape Ontario and he is a member of the AALD, APALA, ASLA, CNLA, CSLA, LNS, OALA.

Paul lectures throughout North America on the values of design, the environment and collaboration.

Currently Paul is the Chair of the National Designer Sub Committee with CNLA and on the Vimy Oaks Legacy Committee, he is a CLD and Fusion Landscape professional.

For Paul, it is truly important to create unique and environmentally responsible designs. Not only for aesthetic reasons, but also to align with the company value of "honouring" nature.

Heather owns and operates a Landscape Design firm out of London, Ontario – “My Landscape Artist” and also hosts the podcast "Hops and Hedges". 

Her passion and enthusiasm for people and plants are undeniable!

She has studied Landscape Design at Fanshawe College, Garden History in Italy & Spain, worked at a design firm in Cairo, Egypt, lived in India, and volunteered in Haiti. 

She started her business during the pandemic in 2020 and hasn't looked back.

Now she teaches, designs, builds gardens, and speaks virtually/in person across Canada - and one day - the world!"

Derek Churchill is a Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist with over 20 years of experience in landscape horticulture and arboriculture. A former ISA Certified Arborist with Tree Risk Assessment Qualification, he has spent more than five years teaching landscape horticulture apprenticeship programs through Burnaby Community and Continuing Education and UBC Botanical Garden. He serves as the Vegetation Specialist for Flex MSE, consulting on vegetated retaining walls built around the world.

Derek’s speaking experience includes the BC Home and Garden Show, BCLNA’s 70th anniversary, the BC Society of Landscape Architects’ Annual Conference, the Vancouver Master Gardener Association, Douglas College’s “Trees for a Changing World” event, and various garden clubs.

I arrived in New Brunswick in 1971 and started making furniture. In the late 1970s I became obsessed with grafting and moved to my father’s Corn Hill farm in 1980 with the insane idea of starting a nursery. It was a very difficult start with little capital but with a combination of dawn to dusk work and stubbornness we gradually grew. In 1991 we put in a large processing barn with a cold storage unit and an irrigation system which runs throughout the nursery. During this period we continually added to our display gardens. It is used to show customers mature examples of the plants they are choosing and is used for our propagation. In 2000 we built a store/café and later put in a wood fired pizza oven. The café has worked well to attract new customers and after 14 years is actually showing a small profit. Though we started with fruit trees and roses as specialties, we kept adding perennial material until we now have nearly 1000 different species and cultivars. The production utilizes both containers and field grown material. After 46 years my wife and I transferred the company to my daughter and son-in-law. I am technically retired but still work seven days a week. I still love what I do.

Laurel is a Program Standards and Development Officer with the Skilled Trades NB branch of the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour. She has over 25 years of experience in adult education and works with industry members to develop and maintain high quality training and testing materials for the Landscape-Horticulturist occupation.

Ed Hansen is the President of Landscape Ontario and the founder of EXT Landscape Management Software. With over 30 years of leadership, entrepreneurial experience, and a passion for community-building, Ed has dedicated his career to helping professionals grow through innovation and purpose. Known for inspiring presentations and practical strategies, Ed empowers others to start fresh every week, embrace change, and consistently elevate their personal and business success.

Sasha Hunter, Territory Sales Manager for Aquascape (Southwestern Ontario and the Maritimes), is an award winning Landscape Designer with over 28 years of experience in the green industry.  Graduate of Fanshawe College for Landscape Design, she also received her CLD designation through Landscape Ontario.  Sasha has received multiple awards for design and was presented with the Community Leadership Award.  Sasha has a passion for nature and design.  She loves creating beautiful, unique spaces for people to connect with each other, while surrounded by nature and water.  Designing beautiful Aquascape Ecosystem Water Features is her specialty.  Sasha is an avid gardener and plant geek.  When away from her desk, you can find her hiking, biking, at the beach, off in the woods somewhere with her camera or digging in her garden and enjoying nature on her own or with friends and family.

Jonathan Wilson is VP of Operations at Shediac, NB based Gourmet Chef Packers Ltd., where he drives operational excellence at the intersection of biology, business results, and sustainable systems. A dad, husband, and avid golfer based in Cap-Pelé, New Brunswick, Jonathan brings deep expertise from his BSc in Biology (Dalhousie University) and Level 4 Diploma in Wine and Viticulture (WSET), giving him unique insight into plants, roots, and soils from both scientific and grower perspectives. With senior leadership experience across food export, cannabis cultivation, and organizational strategy—including CEO roles at award-winning Licensed Producer Crystal Cure Inc., he specializes in turning living systems into predictable, profitable operations without compromising their natural vitality.  He is passionate about regenerative agriculture and speaks regularly on unlocking soil biology for commercial growers.

Originally from Dieppe New Brunswick. Dianne worked at Scott’s Nursery since 2004.   She is team lead for the Nursery Yard and is tasked with ordering and maintaining a large inventory of trees, shrubs and perennials. Though her focus is perennial plants, she loves thinking outside the box to create annuals planters  and often assists customers in selecting annuals to suit their tastes and needs.

Prior to 2004 was a Supply Technician in the Canadian Armed forces from 1976 to 1993 when she retired as a Sargent.  From 1993 to 2003 worked at Forsythe’s Farm and Market in Berwick Nova Scotia.  This is when her love for everything horticulture began.

She describes herself as a plant collector and is always on the lookout for new and unusual varieties.

Martin Dupuis is a New Brunswick–based construction materials specialist and landscape collaborator known for helping designers, contractors, and architects elevate the quality and durability of exterior projects. With deep expertise in masonry, stone, brick, and premium hardscape systems, Martin works closely with landscape professionals across Atlantic Canada to ensure projects meet the highest standards of craftsmanship and design.

Drawing on years of industry experience, technical product knowledge, and involvement in award‑level project evaluations, Martin brings a practical, insider perspective to what truly sets exceptional landscape submissions apart. His work blends material innovation, strategic planning, and clear communication — all aimed at helping contractors build stronger portfolios and win more recognition.

At Hort East 2026, Martin will guide attendees through the key steps to preparing and submitting a successful Provincial Award of Excellence entry, offering actionable insights that improve clarity, compliance, and presentation quality.

Peter co-founded Oriole Landscaping over 25 years ago with his business partner, George Urvari, starting with the basics, selling and planting trees for Toronto homeowners, in order to put themselves through university. Over the years Peter has worked diligently to build an award-winning firm offering landscape design, construction and project management. His personal mission is to make every client a “raving fan,” and Oriole’s success over the years undoubtedly speaks to this drive to impress.

An active and supportive member of the green industry, Peter has held multiple positions over the years, including Board member for both Canada Blooms and Landscape Ontario, Chair of the Contractor Sector Group and member of the Landscape Canada Committee with the Canadian Nursery and Landscape Association.

Carla Bailey is a leadership and workforce strategist who helps business owners and senior leaders build clarity, accountability, and stability into how people are hired, managed, and exited.

With over a decade of experience advising organizations across service-based, trades, property, facilities, and asset-based industries, Carla works at the intersection of leadership behaviour, operational systems, and culture. Her approach focuses on practical frameworks leaders can apply immediately — without corporate jargon or unnecessary complexity.

Carla is known for delivering direct, grounded sessions that address real leadership challenges: performance issues that linger too long, messy exits that damage morale, and systems that don’t scale as teams grow. Her work emphasizes standards, structure, and respect as the foundation of strong cultures and sustainable performance.

 Nicole has been with CNLA since October 2021.  Nicole has spent the last 20+ years in hospitality, education and administrative roles.  Recognized for her organizational skills, commitment to excellence and relationship building, Nicole is passionate about delivering quality experience to our members.  Nicole continues to build relationships with endorsed supplier partners negotiating deliverables and finalizing contracts.  Nicole is the staff lead for our member services committee, Insurance committee, the administrator of our Agri-marketing program and the lead for organizing the association's two board meetings per year. Complementing her experience is her formal education as a graduate of the University of Guelph.  Nicole lives in Milton, Ontario with her husband and 2 children.