The scale at which Canada has to retrofit its buildings to reach net-zero by 2050 demands substantial labour. Yet, in a new report presented by BuildForce Canada that considers the challenges that the retrofitting industry will face in reaching that goal, it’s predicted that up to 16,300 new jobs will need to be created just to plug the gap for the residential sector in terms of fuel-switching retrofits with a further 40,600 expected for energy-efficiency retrofits. And that’s just for residential. Commercial and institutional retrofitting would put additional strain on the labour force.
Compounding this labour problem is the increasing difficulty in sourcing workers. In the past, many provinces had been more than happy to open their doors to foreign workers. Quebec, for example, more than doubled the number of foreign workers it took in 2023 compared to 2021. However, this is now something that the country as a whole is looking to cut back on as there’s recently been a push to cap the number of foreign workers that Canada takes in.
Certain provinces, such as Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, already have a bit of a head start when it comes to retrofitting as many homes there already rely on electric-powered water heaters so they won’t require the level of retrofitting that Ontario and the Prairies require, with their homes being more reliant on natural gas as their main energy source.
Martin Luymes, Vice President of Government and Stakeholder Relations, celebrated the retrofit efforts while pointing out which industry professionals would have more to gain. “Addressing this transition will be a huge undertaking for Canada’s construction and building retrofit sector,” he recently mentioned. “But it will create a significant number of new employment opportunities among several trades, most notably heating, refrigeration, and air conditioning mechanics.”
Labour shortages aren’t the only challenge facing the retrofitting industry. With the recent announcement of the new Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program initiative, the public funds available for retrofitting efforts has been significantly reduced, causing many jobs to be slashed at a time when more will need to be hired.
Image: serezniy
