Manitoba CiB Judges

Michelle is employed by The Selkirk Record and is very active in Selkirk’s Communities in Bloom committee. She is a Master Gardener and a member of the Selkirk & District Horticultural Club.

Michelle sits on the Selkirk Biz Board of Directors which has been successful in many business initiatives such as the Selkirk Biz Black Friday Weekend and Rodeo Days. Michelle has served on the board for Manitoba Communities in Bloom for the past two years.

Jaime is a Landscape Horticulturist currently working at the Assiniboine Park Conservancy. He’s worked in many areas of commercial & residential landscaping, horticultural retailing and a range of gardening projects across Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.

After completing a Red Seal Certification for Landscape Horticulture, Jaime went on to obtain a Certificate in Horticultural Therapy through the Chicago Botanic Garden and Oakton Community College in Chicago. He currently serves as a board member for the Landscape Horticulturist Provincial Advisory Committee, where he helps to promote technical training and development for the Landscape Horticulturist trade.

In addition to his work endeavors, Jaime also volunteers with the Manitoba Nursery Landscape Association on the Professional Development Committee. Last year Jaime participated in the installation of MosaïCanada 150 in Gatineau, Quebec, an exhibition organized by Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal which had more than 1 million visitors in 2017. The event hosted more than 30 plant-based sculptures, representing the provinces and territories of Canada.

She helped with the design and plants at the Whyte Ridge Butterfly Garden which she manages today and was instrumental in choosing the native trees and shrubs which are along the Whyte Ridge Interpretive Trail.

Kelley resides in Lac Du Bonnet. She lives on 80 acres of mostly forest and her aim is to plant all native trees and plants to enhance her property and to make a habitat for bees, butterflies and birds. She is a Master Gardener, Naturescape Certified, Monarch Watch Certified, North American Butterfly Association Certified.

Taylor Gyselinck owns and operates a business called The Flower Child, a seasonal greenhouse located in Selkirk, in the Home Hardware parking lot. This local greenhouse has Manitoba roots that reach back to the 1940’s. Taylor’s great-grandparents were the first growers for the North End Market, specializing in gladiolas and vegetables. In 1951 Taylor’s grandparents Julie and Daniel took over and started the potted chrysanthemum movement in Winnipeg. The family succeeded in the Winnipeg market in South St. Vital and in the early 90’s the third generation (Taylor’s father, Richard) took over. After many successful seasons, Riverside moved north, enabling Richard, along with Taylor & her brother Terence to continue to grow amazing quality bedding plants and vegetables. The Gyselinck family is incredibly proud of their roots, and to be 4th generation growers. Taylor is also a licensed arborist and is passionate about Urban Forestry.

Kaaren spent many years working with Greenroofs and living walls, patented her own system and installed and maintained over 20 living roofs. She has been a consultant on hundreds of projects including the McCormick Building in Boston, where the green roof was used to phytoremediate (clean) the boiler water from a 1920s art deco building.

Today, Kaaren is the Director, Grounds for Assiniboine Park Conservancy where she is responsible for overseeing general grounds maintenance requirements including areas such as turf, urban forestry, snow removal, irrigation systems, custodial services, natural areas management, park amenities and waste management in the Park. She also manages the Park’s environmental program and provide support to special events and Zoo horticulture including the landscape for the Journey to Churchill.

She has been a Director on the Manitoba Communities in Bloom Board of Directors for 8 years and is thrilled to be working with such a dedicated and enthusiastic team. This is her eighth-year judging and she enjoys visiting the many Manitoba communities who share the same vision.

Shawna worked in health care as a Capital Planning Assistant. She acquired the skills necessary to be a planner/organizer and the computer skills for drafting the plant drawings and preparing the documents necessary for ordering the plant material for the town. Shawna has a keen interest in environmental issues particularly at the home level, focusing on what each person can do, one step at a time.

Shawna’s hobbies and interests include volunteer work at her church, gardening, cooking, travelling and when she is south for the winter months she enjoys building houses in Mexico with her husband and gardening in a completely different climate.

Hugh teaches a course in Nursery Crop Production in the Prairie Horticulture Certification program and has given numerous workshops on topics related to gardening and landscaping. He has served on the board of the MB Horticultural Association, was Chairman of Crocus Trail Inc and is currently on the Board of Directors for MB Communities in Bloom. Hugh has judged for several years at the provincial and national level for Communities in Bloom.