B.C. doesn't have the workers it needs to build its major projects
An organization is warning that B.C. is missing a critical component of expanding major projects: people to actually do the work and build them.
The Pembina Institute, a think tank that advocates for clean energy in the country, said in a release that this worker shortage could “threaten B.C.’s clean energy future.”
Without enough workers, there could be project delays, slowdowns, and cost overruns, according to Megan Gordon, the manager of sustainable workforce at the Pembina Institute.
She said project planning for major projects focuses on regulatory approvals and financing, but not necessarily on workers.
“Labour can sometimes be this overlooked aspect,” Gordon said in an interview with Daily Hive. “But without the workers we need to actually build the projects, we don’t get to see those coming online in time to make real contributions to the economy.”
Another risk is that if B.C. can’t recruit from its own residents, it might have to recruit people from outside of the province (like other provinces or countries).
“And we want to see British Columbia’s communities benefiting from the projects that are happening in their back door. So the job opportunities, the tax benefits, and then the distribution of wealth that comes from the wages of those workers,” Gordon said.
What is a clean energy future?
Gordon said a clean energy future is one where B.C. relies more on electrification and less on fossil fuels.
“That’s where we’re seeing our global energy markets heading. And we want to make sure that Canada is competitive in global markets and is keeping up with the pace and scale of what we’re seeing elsewhere,” she said.
For example, BC Hydro’s $6-billion North Coast Transmission Line is a 500-kilovolt line running from Prince George to Terrace and north to Bob Quinn Lake that will more than double the region’s transmission capacity. Construction slated to start this summer.
Gordon said clean energy includes wind and solar projects, as well as mine expansion to produce critical minerals like copper that are essential for building things like EV batteries.
Further, workers are needed to retrofit buildings, install clean energy systems, and expand electricity and infrastructure.
Yesterday, Premier David Eby announced that approximately $88 billion of major projects are expected to move forward, almost doubling the initial list of priority developments in its “Look West” strategy that it released in late 2025, due to industry feedback that said the availability of skilled workers is one of the most important factors companies factor in when they decide where to invest.
But B.C. already has a shortage of skilled trade workers, with job vacancies in trades growing by 47 per cent over the last decade and projections that it could get worse.
According to B.C.’s 2025 Labour Market Outlook Report, the province will need to replace over 120,000 retiring workers in the trades, transport, and equipment operators by 2025.
And in the next 10 years, B.C. will need to fill nearly 170,000 job openings to replace retiring workers and also to fill job openings driven by economic growth.
“Delivering on the province’s economic and clean energy ambitions will ultimately depend on whether it can build a workforce strategy that matches that ambition,” said Gordon in a press release.
Why don’t we have enough skilled trades workers?
There is a trade worker deficit across Canada, which is why the federal government recently announced $6 billion over five years to support people getting into skilled trades.
Many current skilled trade workers are aging and set to retire soon, without people entering the labour market to replace them.
“One of the challenges here in B.C., in particular, is that we have really high levels of youth unemployment. And while Canada and British Columbia are some of the highest educated [jurisdictions] in the world, we still seem to have this mismatch — we need more workers with practical skills to actually implement projects,” she said.
Gordon added that there is an outdated perception about working in skilled trades, with the idea that obtaining a bachelor’s degree will be “your ticket to the middle class lifestyle. Whereas we’re in a very different economy from when that was true,” she said.
Further, she said that trades workforces tend to be “white and male.”
“So, youth and maybe women that fall into equity deserving categories may not see themselves reflected in those workplaces,” she said.