Is Your Job at Risk? Discover the Shocking Worker-Centred Agenda That Could Change Everything!

Environment •  November 28, 2025  •  Leah Montange

As the COP30 meeting concluded in Belen, Brazil, Canada Climate Week Xchange is underway, but the sponsorship from the Toronto Stock Exchange raises eyebrows. Unlike other Climate Weeks, such as Climate Week NYC or Panama City Climate Week, this event uniquely spans multiple cities across Canada, marking a significant organizational shift.

The week kicked off with an invitation-only Market Opening Ceremony at the Toronto Stock Exchange. Subsequent events emphasize the fossil fuel industry, such as the Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada’s session titled “Practical Climate Solutions,” alongside discussions focused on entrepreneurship, like the Climate Solutions Prize session “From Prize to Climate Impact: How Canadian Entrepreneurs are Deploying Innovative Tech.” However, critics argue that the focus on industry-led initiatives detracts from genuine climate action and reflects a troubling trend of privatizing responsibility for climate solutions.

The events during Canada Climate Week encapsulate a broader issue: while climate change disproportionately impacts workers across various sectors, the solutions being promoted come from elite circles within the finance and fossil fuel industries. This contrasts sharply with grassroots movements advocating for comprehensive social transformation, such as the Green New Deal and Just Transition, which aim to address the systemic roots of climate change and ensure economic equity.

Impact of Climate Change on Canadian Workers

Workers in sectors like agriculture, construction, transportation, and manufacturing are increasingly reporting high incidences of heat-related illnesses during hot summer months. For example, agricultural workers often struggle to find relief from extreme heat, particularly those who live on the farms where they work. Food service employees face similar challenges, working lengthy hours without adequate access to hydration. This issue is exacerbated for temporary foreign workers and those in precarious gig employment, who often lack the protections afforded to unionized labor.

According to the Understanding Precarity in BC project, these precarious workers represent over half of the province's workforce. Vulnerable groups—such as women, particularly racialized women, Indigenous peoples, and non-citizens—are more likely to experience precarious employment and its inherent climate-related risks. Some labor organizations are beginning to spotlight these critical issues, emphasizing the urgent need for structural changes.

In response, initiatives like the Worker Solidarity Network’s “Too Hot to Work” framework advocate for clearer occupational health and safety standards, including maximum temperature policies and proactive health inspections unrelated to employee grievances. Broader demands encompass open work permits for immigrant workers, paid leave during extreme weather, minimum wage hikes, and the right to cool spaces—essentially, a call for a robust union presence among precarious workers to secure better working conditions.

The demands reflect a growing recognition that a worker-centered approach is essential for effective climate action. This aligns with the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Key Messages for COP30, which stress the need for new industries, sustainable enterprises, and green investment mechanisms driven by social objectives. Such objectives should prioritize decent work creation while promoting diverse stakeholder engagement and upholding labor rights.

Critics argue that the acceleration of climate change is driven by billionaires who prioritize profit over people, leaving many to endure a deteriorating environment characterized by bad housing, precarious jobs, and exposure to climate risks. The solution should not focus on enabling the wealthy to extract further wealth, but rather on reallocating resources to foster collective well-being and environmental sustainability.

As Canada Climate Week unfolds, it serves as a critical reminder that effective climate action extends beyond elite discussions within the financial sector. The voices of workers and marginalized communities must be amplified in the dialogue surrounding climate change solutions. Only then can we hope to build a sustainable future that prioritizes both environmental justice and social equity.

Leah Montange is a Research Associate with Morgan Centre for Labour Research, BC Policy Solutions and Understanding Precarity in BC.