Does B.C.’s green building sector create employment?

Credit: Pembina Institute

A green apartment building in Vancouver

Pembina Institute releases new figures and an interactive map showing where the jobs are

While the number of jobs related to the construction of new green buildings in B.C. has increased to 31,700, up from 23,200 in 2015, employment stemming from energy-efficiency retrofits for existing buildings has dropped by one third, according to the Pembina Institute’s British Columbia Green Buildings Map. This interactive resource quantifies the jobs in the industry and pinpoints where energy-efficient homes and buildings are located in the province.

The Pembina Institute attributes the decline partly to the ending of the LiveSmart BC rebate program for homeowners in 2014. It’s calling on the new provincial government to invest in programs to upgrade existing homes and buildings, and to make constructing low-carbon, ultra energy-efficient buildings the norm. The number of green buildings in the province has risen to 20,100, with more than 750 of those built in the past two years.

Quick facts

• B.C.’s green building sector employs 31,700 people (directly and indirectly)
• 18,700 green homes and 1,400 large green buildings are located in the province
• Energy use in buildings accounts for nearly a quarter of Canada’s carbon pollution
• Living in an energy-efficient building can lower heating bills by more than 50%