Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces to Respond to Climate Change (ACW), 2014-2021

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https://hdl.handle.net/10315/38822

The documents archived at this website are the result of research done under the direction of Principal Investigator Dr. Carla Lipsig-Mummé, Professor of Work and Labour Studies at York University, from 2014- 2022. This research was pioneering in its foresight about the problem of global heating and the potential role of workers to contribute to a cleaner economy. Building from What Do We Know? What Do We Need To Know? The state of research on work, employment and climate change in Canada (2010), one of the goals of the Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces to Climate Change (ACW) project was to produce practical tools for education and action – for example, through the Green Collective Agreements database (which was featured by the International Labour Organization in its 2018 publication, Greening With Jobs: World Employment and Social Outlook 2018), and by the W3/ACW Environmental Racism project, which produced, for example, the Environmental Racism Workshop Companion Guide to support the many labour-focused workshops it conducted. The Just Transition and Beyond Roundtable Summary Report documents the 2018 gathering of Canadian unionists that was part of a broader series of reports undertaken by the Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces research grant in cooperation with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

The ACW research project was unique, not only in its subject area, but in how it was conducted. This was recognized by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in 2018 when it awarded the SSHRC Impact Partnership Award to Professor Lipsig- Mummé for her accomplishment in building a unique, “community-university network partnership” which grew from five partners and eight researchers initially to 52 partners in seven countries. One of the rarest features of this collaborative approach was that it brought together researchers in academia with those in civil society organizations – especially labour unions. For many years, academics, environmental activists, and union leaders convened annually in informal, face-to-face meetings and discussions.

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 96

Open Access
CUPW Environmental Projects
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2022-04-30) Allen, Sarah
Open Access
Canadian Labour Unions and Climate Change: Selected Documents Published by Canadian Unions
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2022-05) Perry, Elizabeth
Documents created & published by Canadian labour unions on the topic of climate change and labour.
Open Access
Promoting Climate Literacy in the Skilled Construction Trades: An Innovative Project of the Canadian Building Trades’ Union
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2022-04-30) Calvert, John; Clarke, Linda; Loftus, Lee
Presentation Overview: Advancing Climate Literacy in Building Trades’ Training Object of the project: promoting climate literacy in the trades’ training system How the project was established The project team: Canadian Buildings Trade Union (CBTU) Climate and Industry Research Team ( CIRT) SkillPlan Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC) CBTU Advisory Committee Research findings: English Canada, Quebec, US and Europe Curriculum development process Next steps in the project: rolling out the climate curriculum Acknowledgement: Funding for the project has been provided by the Federal Government’s Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP)
Open Access
Just Green Transitions and Global Labour Organisations
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2021-01) Clarke, Linda; Sahin-Dikmen, Melahat
Case Study 1: Social partnership and the transition to a bioeconomy: sugar beet production in Denmark Case Study 2: Sustainable forestry in Sweden The report begins with an outline of the research strategy and methods deployed, followed by a discussion of climate change interventions of each global labour organisation investigated, focusing on the scope of their proposals, the role envisaged for labour and the kind of transformation implied by these practices.
Open Access
European Green Deal > Fit for 55 Package > social dimension
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2022-04-30) Galgóczi, Bela
The IPCC AR6 report (WG1) made it clear that we are on the verge of the abyss and the 1.5C warming scenario is slipping away; COP26 only demonstrated this What is clear: A fundamental revision of our energy and resource depleting growth model is necessary in order to reach net-zero carbon economy by 2050, less clear, what this means.
Open Access
The role of governments in addressing climate change: Lessons from the ACW project
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2022-04-30) Mertins-Kirkwood, Hadrian
Summarizes the CCPA/ACW joint work over the past few years; makes recommendations about the future. 1. Lead by example 2. Regulate a zero emission economy 3. Spend what it takes to win 4. Leave no one behind
Open Access
Archiving ACW: Preserving the work of ACW and related grants
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2022-04-30) Perry, Elizabeth
Presented at the ACW Team Meeting April 30 2022. Introduces the ACW collection on the YorkSpace platform and the ACW Digital Library in the York University Digital Library
Open Access
Just Transition: What's Exactly in it for Workers
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW); Labour Education Centre, 2022-03) Shallhorn, Steve; Ciccarelli, Rick; Lior, Karen
The compelling story of coal-fired electricity plant closures in Australia as recountedat an International Confederation of Trade Unions workshop on Just Transition inOctober 2017 was the initial inspiration for the Labour Education Centre’s four casestudies on Just Transition. In these four examples, LEC is examining Just Transitionfrom a worker’s point of view to understand the extent to which the interests ofworkers were being taken into consideration before, during, or after coal plantswere closed. The case studies represent four different approaches taken to shuttingdown coal-fired electricity plants. The four cases studied were the closure of all coalplants in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Alberta, the Hazelwood coal plantclosure in the Latrobe Valley, State of Victoria, Australia; and the plant and feedercoal mine located in Port Augusta in the Australian state of South Australia.
Open Access
ACW Baseline Report: Built Environment
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2015) Calvert, John
This paper was presented at the Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW) International Workshop in Toronto, Canada, November 2015. The goals of the paper are: 1. To establish the current state of knowledge about the contribution of the workforce to ‘greening’ the construction industry; 2. To assess the potential of labour to shape the industry’s carbon footprint. 3. To identify barriers to the successful participation of the workforce in developing pathways to low carbon construction and develop strategies to circumvent these barriers. 4. To identify needed modifications to employment, employment conditions, working practices and the overall organization of construction work that will improve the capacity of the workforce to implement low carbon construction (effective health and safety provisions, integrated team‐based work practices, improved vocational education and training (VET), union representation and a greater say for the workforce in shaping the industry’s future). 5. To examine the current and potential role of unions and professional organizations in advancing this process. 6. To analyze the workforce implications of widely used policy tools, such as energy efficiency targets, building codes and contract procurement requirements in facilitating the transition to low carbon construction. 7. To carry out research on the role of workers and the organizations that represent them in implementing specific, innovative low carbon projects which can serve as models for wider application in the building industry.
Open Access
After Paris Conference Toronto 2015 - video 5 - Going Green at Work
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2015) Pearce, Sarah
Presentation by Sarah Pearce, UNISON – The Public Service Union (former TUC “GreenWorkplaces” Project Leader), to the Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces, and Work in a Warming World. International Panel: After Paris: Politics, Climate Change and Labour. Toronto, 2015.
Open Access
ACW Baseline Report: Energy
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2015) Wood, Trista; Mabee, Warren
Presented at the Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW) International Workshop in Toronto, Canada, November 2015. A review of all energy-related emissions is provided in this report, along with projections of future energy use. It is shown that oil and gas, transport, and buildings are the sectors most responsible for our increased emission profile. Growth in industrial and transport energy use will demand significantly more fossil fuel unless policy interventions push us towards ‘greener’ scenarios; using projections from the Trottier Energy Futures Project (TEFP 2016), two such scenarios are explored, one focused on sustainable urban development, and the other on a future where new electricity generation from nuclear sources is constrained. In both of these scenarios, the amount of electricity used in every sector increases dramatically. This suggests that a critical issue of the future will be designing new electricity generation in order to benefit both society and the workers who are engaged in the projects
Open Access
After Paris Conference Toronto 2015 - video 4 - Characteristics of green jobs related to renewable energy deployment
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2015) Mabee, Warren
Presentation by Warren Mabee, Queens University, to the Adapting Canadians Work and Workplaces. International Panel: After Paris: Politics, Climate Change and Labour. Toronto, 2015.
Open Access
ACW Baseline Sub-Report: Policies and Practices to Promote Work Enhancing Pathways in the Transition to a Low Carbon Economy
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2015) Steward, Fred
Presented at the Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW) International Workshop in Toronto, Canada, November 2015. This review gives an overview of the European policy context with regard to climate change. An analysis is presented of the views of the principal Europe wide trade union organization, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) on this new policy context for environmental sustainability and climate change. This is based on publicly available documentary sources along with reports on a selection of European national trade union confederation initiatives and recent developments in trade union/labour movement policy by European policy institutions and analysts.
Open Access
After Paris Conference Toronto 2015 - video 2 - Green Unions At Work
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2015) Laxer, Gordon
Presentation by Gordon Laxer, founding Director of Parkland Institute, to the Adapting Canadians Work and Workplaces. International Panel: After Paris: Politics, Climate Change and Labour. Toronto, 2015.
Open Access
Roadmap to a Canadian Just Transition Act: A path to a clean and inclusive economy
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2021-04) Mertins-Kirkwood, Hadrian; Duncalfe, Clay
The Roadmap provides an overview of the international research and best practices, and provides a framework and principles for Just Transition. It proposes specific components of model legislation, with an Appendix explaining the costing provided.
Open Access
Just Transition and Beyond Just Transition: Canada in Action - Roundtable Summary Report
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2018-08-27) Flynn, Christopher
The Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces to Respond to Climate Change project (ACW) brought together 38 representatives from Canadian labour unions, environmental advocacy groups, academics, and progressive policy groups to meet in Ottawa on August 27, 2018. This report summarizes their full-day discussion about the issue of Just Transition, what unions have done in Canada and their intentions for the future, including the need for political advocacy. A list of groups and delegates is included.
Open Access
Making Decarbonization Work for Workers: Policies for a just transition to a zero-carbon economy
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2018) Mertins-Kirkwood, Hadrian
In light of the federal government’s pledge to launch a Task Force on Just Transition in 2018, this report makes a unique contribution by using census data to identify the regions in each province with the greatest reliance on fossil fuel jobs. While fossil fuel dependence is overwhelmingly concentrated in Alberta, with a few “hot spots” in Saskatchewan and British Columbia, the report identifies communities from other provinces where fossil fuel jobs represent a significant part of the local economy – for example, Bay Roberts, Newfoundland; Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; Saint John, New Brunswick; Sarnia, Ontario. The report also makes the useful distinction between “reactive” just transition policies, which are intended to minimize the harm to workers of decarbonization, and “pro-active” just transition policies, which are intended to maximize the benefits.
Open Access
Women and Climate Change Impacts and Action in Canada: Feminist, Indigenous and Intersectional Perspectives
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2018-02) Williams, Lewis; Fletcher, Amber; Hanson, Cindy; Neapole, Jackie; Pollack, Marion
The report was produced through a collaboration of the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women and the Alliance for Intergenerational Resilience, with funding from Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces to Climate Change (ACW) and its predecessor project, Work in a Warming World (W3). The researchers found that women face a double threat from social-economic barriers that leave them bearing the brunt of climate change impacts, while being denied a role in developing policies and programs to mitigate climate change - the example given is employment in renewable energy, where women are underrepresented globally. The report points out that the need for women to be acknowledged as agents of change.
Open Access
The Training of Canadian Architects for the Challenges of Climate Change
(Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW), 2017) Mummé, John; Hawley, Karen
Working paper #104. This study examines how Canadian architecture schools are training the next generation of architects in regard to climate change. This study looks at the training of architects in the eleven schools of architecture in Canada whose programs have been accredited by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board, and how these programs deal with the issues of climate change in their curricula. It also looks, for international comparison, at a number of major non-Canadian architecture school programs recognized as substantially equivalent to those of the Canadian schools.
Open Access
Trudeau needs unions to achieve his ambitious climate agenda
(The Hill Times, 2016-02-01) Lipsig-Mummé, Carla
This 1-page opinion piece by Professor Carla Lipsig Mumme appeared in The Hill Times, February 1, 2016. Post COP21, it argues for the role of unions and workers in the formation of climate policy in Canada.

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