OAA, OGCA among Workforce 2030 coalition members
The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) has become the 15th organization to join Workforce 2030, a coalition led by the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) and which advocates for fast-tracking the workforce needed to build a low-carbon Ontario.
It’s no secret that buildings can significantly contribute to Canada’s efforts to reduce carbon. They account for almost 30 percent of the country’s greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions when including operations, construction and materials. According to CaGBC research, government investment in an economic recovery that prioritizes green building combined with progressive policy leadership could, by 2030, lead to over 600,000 direct green building jobs in Ontario and 1.5 million jobs nationally.
“The climate crisis is the defining challenge of our times and given the role the architecture profession plays in designing our built environment, it’s critical we take a leadership role in ensuring our new and existing buildings can be climate-stable,” OAA President Kathleen Kurtin told Canadian Architect. “It’s very much in the public interest to ensure those who design, build, and maintain our buildings are knowledgeable and prepared for these new opportunities and challenges.”
Also participating in the coalition is the Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA). The association has campaigned for years for an increased focus on the trades as a viable career. Now, as governments look to stimulus investments in infrastructure as a vehicle for economic recovery, it says there is an opportunity to support Ontario’s workforce to ensure that general contractors can meet Canada’s climate goal, create jobs and build the infrastructure of the future.
“At the end of the day, construction jobs are green jobs,” said OGCA president Giovanni Cautillo. “We want to ensure that we are prepared to meet the future demands of the construction market for environmentally-friendly buildings. An investment in green buildings will create jobs in demand for years to come as Canada transitions toward a low-carbon economy. OGCA members already deliver complex retrofits, and Workforce 2030 will benefit from our expertise.”
The building industry has always been a cornerstone of innovation and economic stimulus, and OGCA says it is in full support of Workforce 2030’s aim to mobilize shovel-worthy projects such as building retrofits and new low-carbon construction.
“The building industry is a proven cornerstone of economic recovery and job creation. Smart stimulus spending that targets green building jobs will also help transition Ontario to a low carbon economy,” said Jeff Ranson, Regional Director, GHTA, Canada Green Building Council. “The building sector is committed, as demonstrated by the Ontario General Contractors Association’s commitment to Workforce 2030. As the voice of Ontario’s general contractors, they recognize the critical importance of strengthening workforce capacity, as their members will be on the front line of the necessary green building and retrofitting work to come in this critical decade of climate action.”
Workforce 2030’s foundational partners include 14 other construction stakeholders representing employers, organized labour and training.
More information about Workforce 2030 is available at Workforce2030.ca.