Workforce insights

Supporting Canada’s green building sector

Zero carbon buildings are critical to reducing Canada’s emissions and meeting the country’s 2050 climate targets. Just starting with Canada’s large buildings, including more than 100,000 institutional, commercial, and industrial buildings over 25,000 sq. ft. and over 1.2 million residential units in buildings over five storeys, we can reduce emissions by up to 21.2 million tonnes of CO2e by 2030.

Building and retrofitting to that scale requires a highly trained workforce working on design to construction and building operations. To help the sector prepare for this low-carbon future, CAGBC has produced reports examining current skills and education gaps. The insights from these reports are helping shape how the sector will upskill existing workers and train new ones. 

A Low-Carbon Training Strategy for the Trades

A workforce training approach designed for construction trades working on large buildings (Part 3) such as offices, residential towers, and institutional buildings.

Image of the Trading Up: Ontario report cover.

Equipping Ontario Trades with the Skills of the Future

An action plan for closing the low-carbon building skills gap in Ontario’s construction industry. 

Upskilling for Engineers, Architects, and Renewable Energy Specialists

Defines the core competencies and sub-competencies needed to support zero-carbon building, specifically among engineers, architects, and renewable energy specialists. 

Image the the Trading Up: Alberta report cover.

How Alberta’s Trades Can Build a Zero Carbon Future

Explores what zero-carbon skills Alberta’s construction trades need and how the workforce can upskill to design, construct, and retrofit zero-carbon buildings at scale.

Fast-track the workforce of the future.

RELATED NEWS

Green building leaders drive transformation at Building Lasting Change 2025

Vancouver, BC – June 23 – Green building is no longer just an…
June 23, 2025

Innovation and leadership take centre stage at the 2025 CAGBC Awards

Vancouver, BC (June 19, 2025) – The winners of the prestigious 2025 CAGBC…
June 20, 2025

ZCB-Design Standard expands to Part 9 Buildings

Vancouver, Canada – June 19, 2025 – The Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC)…
June 19, 2025

CAGBC Board of Directors ratified at the 2025 AGM

The Canada Green Building Council formalized its new Board of Directors at its…
June 18, 2025

RESEARCH & REPORTS

Unlocking the Value of Green Building

Unlocking the Value of Green Building is a roadmap for decision-makers seeking actionable…
March 31, 2025

Market Primer: Carbon Capture and Utilization in Cementitious Building Materials

Concrete and cement materials have been specifically identified as building materials of interest,…
March 31, 2025

Rapidly Scaling Canada’s Deep Retrofit Market

Stakeholder Insights into Barriers and Opportunities Despite significant progress in recent years, industry…
March 3, 2025

Reducing Embodied Carbon in Canada’s Buildings

The inaugural National Embodied Carbon Summit, hosted by the Canada Green Building Council…
February 27, 2025