International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers - Construction Council of Ontario
May 18, 2011 15:40 ET
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - May 18, 2011) - The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Construction Council of Ontario (IBEW-CCO) today denounced statements by Ontario Conservative Leader Tim Hudak that he would end Ontario's green energy incentives should he become premier.
"Mr. Hudak should not be making policy statements that will hurt working families in Ontario," said John Grimshaw, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the IBEW-CCO. "The Green Energy Act and the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program have been drivers that have resulted in several million person-hours of construction work directly related to green energy projects across Ontario. This is an important fact that no one can ignore."
Ontario's construction industry has been a major benefactor since the introduction of the Green Energy Act. Thousands of much needed jobs have been created for electricians, powerline technicians and other trades as a result of investments in solar and wind energy projects. Examples of these investments are solar farms in Arnprior, St. Isidore and Sarnia along with numerous wind projects in southwestern, northeastern and central Ontario.
"At a time when many traditional manufacturing and related jobs were disappearing, these green energy jobs emerged to help put our skilled trades people and apprentices to work," stated Sol Furer, business manager of IBEW Local 773 (Windsor). "With record unemployment in southwestern Ontario, these jobs will result in skilled workers remaining in the construction industry and allow us to attract youth to the skilled trades through our apprenticeship system. It is a win-win situation."
Keith MacLellan, Construction manager for HB White Canada, an IBEW signatory contractor sees Ontario as a strong market for growth. "The Green Energy Act has made Ontario a leader in North America for green energy development and a great place for our company to invest."
James Barry, business manager of lBEW Local 586 (Ottawa) echoed these sentiments. "I don't think that the projects we have done in St. Isidore or Elmsley would have happened without the Green Energy Act. These two jobs created over 250,000 person-hours of employment. Those are significant numbers."
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Construction Council of Ontario is the provincial umbrella body that represents over 15,000 electrical workers in Ontario.
Retrieved from http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/tim-hudak-and-ontario-tories-threaten-thousands-of-green-energy-jobs-1516437.htm
* color and emphasis added by the blogger
No comments:
Post a Comment