Clean, sustainable jobs

We need to ensure that British Columbians are able to take advantage of the countless opportunities for meaningful, secure jobs that a low-carbon economy can create. Over time, many new jobs will be created as innovation occurs and new businesses are created, but there is an immediate need to provide people with well-paying, meaningful jobs, especially for those who have lost their jobs during this pandemic, and for workers in industries in transition.

Our clean jobs plan has three major components:

First, we would implement a just transition program for workers in the oil and gas sector and other industries in transition and work with them on a pathway to a guaranteed job in the clean economy.

Second, we would establish a clean jobs program to help us recover from COVID-19 and get people back to work immediately. This program would create thousands of jobs enhancing BC’s natural assets, tree planting, habitat restoration, remediating environmental liabilities, as well as climate adaptation and improving community resilience to climate change. 

Finally, we can expand the CleanBC Better Buildings program and make it a true jobs-creator by increasing the short-term incentives offered to stimulate retrofits, accelerating the requirements of the building code and efficiency requirements of equipment to drive long-term action and strengthen the business case for retrofits. We will also partner with colleges, technical institutes and private organizations to develop the training programs to expand employment in the green retrofit space. Programming should focus on supporting those sectors impacted by COVID-19, as well as support the just transition program for workers in the oil and gas sector.