This report “Climate Stability, Worker Stability: Are they Compatible” by Dr. Louise Comeau and Devin Luke, is published by Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces to Respond to Climate Change: Canada in International Perspective (ACW), a Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Partnership Program-funded project, based at York University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. The project investigates how Canada’s diverse workplaces can best adapt work to mitigate greenhouse gases, and the changes needed in law and policy, work design, and business models for industry and services, to assist the “greening” of workplaces and work.
The University of New Brunswick team, funded by ACW, investigated through literature review and interviews, the kind of employment and training needs implied by New Brunswick’s compliance with federal greenhouse gas regulations phasing out coal-fired power plants by 2030, as well as commitments to new sources of electricity supply from renewable energy and energy efficiency. Based on public statements and announced spending, energy transition in New Brunswick could be one fueled primarily by gaseous fuels (fossil and/or biofuel) and modular nuclear power, hydro, and energy efficiency, with a small role for wind and solar. This is because, the province and utility prefer to refurbish Belledune, the province’s 450-MW coal-fired power plant located in Northern New Brunswick. The goal is to power Belledune with lower-emitting fuel and to operate the plant to 2040-2044.
