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Canada’s Building Trades Unions welcomes yesterday’s announcement of a new agreement on Churchill Falls and broader electricity and energy investments across Labrador. This is an important step towards unlocking the province’s enormous energy potential while creating good-paying unionized jobs and generating lasting economic benefits for workers, Indigenous Peoples, and communities across the province.
The federal commitment of $10 billion for the modernization and expansion of Churchill Falls, the potential development of Gull Island, new transmission infrastructure, and the 2,000 MW onshore wind project represent generational opportunities to put skilled tradespeople to work building the infrastructure that will power Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy for decades to come.
“This is about more than building power infrastructure, it’s about building opportunity for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians,” said Sean Strickland, Executive Director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions. “With 23,000 new jobs anticipated, this agreement between Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and Hydro-Québec creates the foundation for major investments that will create good, middle-class jobs, strengthen local economies and provide apprentices and young people with a pathway into rewarding careers. We want to see these projects built with local workers, under strong labour standards, and with the training and apprenticeship opportunities needed to ensure the benefits are felt in communities across Newfoundland and Labrador. That opportunity must be inclusive, with Indigenous Peoples in Labrador able to access the jobs, apprenticeships, and long-term economic benefits created by these historic investments.”
Canada’s Building Trades Unions also recognizes the important role of Trades NL in ensuring that Newfoundland and Labrador’s skilled workforce is positioned to participate fully in this unprecedented level of construction and infrastructure activity.
Yesterday’s announcement has the potential to transform Newfoundland and Labrador’s energy landscape while delivering meaningful economic benefits for generations. CBTU looks forward to working with governments, industry, and Trades NL to ensure the province’s skilled trades workforce is ready to seize the opportunity.
