Jobs for Tomorrow: What are we doing, today? Millions of jobs coming from efficient construction
By Megan Terepocki
The Cape Scott Wind Farm generators were installed by IBEW Local 230 members.
THE BC BUILDING TRADES-COMMISSIONED report Jobs for Tomorrow: Canada’s Building Trades and Net Zero Emissions (2017), concludes that the building and construction trades are vital to meeting Canada’s climate goals. This may not surprise those in the industry who already find themselves reducing the globe’s carbon footprint. “It’s what we do,” says Neil Munro, BC Insulators Local 118 business manager. “Our jobs are green jobs — great Jobs.” The BC Insulators have long recognized the crucial role of mechanical insulation in low-carbon construction, promoting awareness of the issues. Electricians, too, find themselves on the front lines of this green transition. It’s expected that new wind and solar power projects will make a significant contribution to the future energy grid, with solar considered to be rich in potential construction jobs. “I would say we are the cutting edge of green technology,” said Phil Venoit, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 230. “We built the windfarm in Cape Scott 10 years ago.” The windfarm was the first utility-scale project of its kind to be developed on the West Coast of B.C.
Local 230 members also had a hand in building the solar parkades at two government facilities on Vancouver Island, said Venoit. As a result, the B.C. Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sydney and the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo are now able to offset incoming hydroelectric power with solar energy. Efficient building construction and retrofits are expected to account for a lion’s share of future construction jobs. Venoit said Local 230 members are working on innovative projects that allow a building envelope to control temperatures inside a building, via glass panels placed outside the building. Similar panels, which become opaque or clear with the “flick of a switch,” have been utilized as privacy shields in doctor’s offices. “We know the Green Tsunami is coming,” said Farid Poursoltani, director of business development for the Electrical Joint Training Committee (EJTC), which is a partnership between IBEW Local 213 and the Electrical Contractors Association of B.C. The school is installing an entire solar energy system to be used for hands-on training and for generating electricity for the centre itself. “We now have a fairly good-sized system for training and we’re very excited about it,” said Poursoltani. “Our apprentices
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14 | tradetalk Fall 2021
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