LEC’s Working Green program is a research and action approach to climate change that provides opportunities for workers to learn how to take action on climate change. We can assist you in advocating for significant reductions in Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHGs) and for good, green jobs.
- Discover resources for a just transition
- Learn about climate justice policies and advocacy in Canada
A research and action approach to climate change
LEC works with a variety of partners to develop resources and materials on how climate change affects Canadian workers. These include policy documents union activists should be aware of, guides to climate action, workshop materials, and more.
Research
Workers Perspectives on Alberta’s Coal Workers
This project set out to determine the experience of workers affected by the coal phase-out in Alberta, both in terms of the transition process itself, as well as to hear and convey the experiences of workers and families who lived the transition. It was intended to fill a gap in monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of transition supports for workers, by interviewing the workers themselves, something which to our knowledge has never been done in Canada.
Thirty-eight workers participated in semi-structured interviews in July and August 2025, funded by the Future Skills Centre. Interviews were conducted by two individuals who themselves were on the front lines of the transition, the director of a workforce development agency in Hanna Alberta, and the coordinator of the Steelworkers Transition Centre near Highvale Alberta.
Just Transition for Production Workers in the Shift to EVs
This project investigated how Ontario workers experience major transitions in employment and training. It examined the experiences of auto workers laid off in 2025 at a time when the US Trump administration unilaterally imposed a 25% tariff on auto and auto parts imported into the US, and put in place measures designed to slow the transition to EVs.
The Labour Education Centre conducted a qualitative research study, funded by the Future Skills Centre, to document the lived experiences of 32 laid-off auto workers and to examine how Ontario’s evolving education and training systems are supporting—or failing to support—them.
