green jobs

As the co-executive director at Regenesis and the founder of one of its initiatives, the Green Career Centre, this 22-year-old has helped thousands of youth — many of whom are women, newcomers, Black, Indigenous or people of colour — find employment in the emerging clean economy.

Winnipeg-based New Flyer Industries is the country’s leading electric transit manufacturer but “Buy American” legislation means the bulk of those highly desired zero-emission jobs are travelling south of the border.

By failing to support coal workers and prepare for a just transition to a low-carbon economy, the federal government is “stealing our futures,” says longtime oil and gas worker Stephen Buhler.

Canadian workers and their skills will be vital to ensuring Canada has a place in a sustainable low-carbon world.

Interested in a career in the low-carbon economy, but not sure what steps to take? Brennan Strandberg-Salmon has you covered.

"Thirty years of blah, blah, blah," Greta Thunberg said in a speech Tuesday. "Net zero by 2025. By 2050! This is all we hear from our leaders. Words that sound great, but so far have led to no action. Our hopes and dreams drowned in their empty words and promises."

The scary news about decarbonizing the economy is the scale of electrification and infrastructure requirements that have yet to register with governments and citizens alike, write Luke Faulks and Anil (Andy) Hira.

The government says it will focus on building a clean economy in its 2021 budget. Establishing a just transition framework to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 is long overdue, writes Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood, a senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

A Just Transition Act needs to invest first and foremost in those communities bearing the brunt of both climate change and the fossil fuel industry, writes Cameron Fenton, Canada team lead with 350.org.

The climate emergency “will be orders of magnitude greater in severity” than what has happened with COVID-19, said Iron & Earth director Bruce Wilson.

Energy and natural resources employers, educational institutions and other stakeholders across the country have actively taken up green jobs programs to benefit from the skills and perspectives of young workers, and to develop Canada’s next-generation green skills pipeline.

If the U.S. brought back the Great Depression’s massive worker program, it could put millions of Americans back to work — and help stave off disasters like wildfires.

Federal leadership that prioritizes our future is critical, both in terms of our careers and the viability of our communities facing environmental crises, writes Brennan Strandberg-Salmon.

Failing to prepare the workforce to meet the demands of the changing economy jeopardizes Ontario’s ability to be relevant in emerging clean industries,writes Liliana Camacho.

Nearly two years after being laid off as an electrician in Alberta’s flailing oil and gas sector, the 42−year−old is training to become a wind turbine technician.