Green infrastructure and building projects will boom as Canada strives to meet its Net-Zero 2050 emission-reduction targets, according to a new BC Green Jobs report.

The projects could create 350,000 new construction positions, the group says in its Jobs for Today: Canada’s Building Trades and the Net-Zero Transition report, which highlights the role of construction in the net-zero shift and its potential for job growth.

The federal government and numerous commercial real estate investors and developers have set several Net-Zero goals in accordance with international guidelines.

“The expansion of non-emitting energy sources is going to spur a boom in infrastructure and building construction like Canada has never seen,” says Jim Sanford, economist and director of the Centre for Future Work, who authored the report. “In turn, this will create millions of job-years of work for skilled construction workers.

“This will be a new era of prosperity for building trades. [U.S. President] Donald Trump’s erratic policies have reminded all Canadians we need to build a more resilient and self-sufficient economy, that is less vulnerable to his attacks.”

Sean Strickland, executive-director for Canada’s Building Trades Unions, said the report shows that the energy transition represents one of the most significant job-creation opportunities in Canada’s history.

“Skilled trades workers will be indispensable to delivering the energy infrastructure, retrofits, and clean technology projects that this transition demands,” he added.

Green Jobs BC is an environmental and labour-movement alliance.

Photo: WorkBC