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"Give young people the opportunity, and we're ready to get to work"
That’s what twenty-something student Jaden Smith said this fall when he joined me, alongside labour and environmental leaders to call for action on two defining challenges facing this generation:
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The climate crisis and youth unemployment.
Together, we called for the creation of an Ontario Youth Climate Jobs Program to employ up to 10,000 young people every year to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prepare for extreme weather, and respond to climate emergencies.
Youth would be hired by governments, non-profits, and businesses to work in fields ranging from urban planning, public health, electric car manufacturing, energy efficiency, environmental conservation or emergency response.
Electricians, carpenters, arborists, researchers, planners, firefighters, and educators would all have a role to play.
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Here’s why a Climate Jobs Program makes sense right now.
First, the Conservative government has abandoned its moral and economic responsibility to meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ontario has no emissions reduction target or credible plan to lower emissions. After years of decline, emissions are rising again.
Second, the government has failed to prepare Ontario for the impact of climate change.
In 2023, Ontario completed a report examining the province’s vulnerability to climate change and then buried it. It was only uncovered through freedom-of-information requests instigated by volunteers with Seniors for Climate Action.
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The report is alarming.
Southern Ontario’s agricultural sector risks declining productivity, crop failures, and livestock losses. Critical infrastructure, including roads, electricity systems, natural gas networks, and wastewater systems, is increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather.
Businesses face economic shocks, while people face growing threats to health and safety. Our standard of living is at stake.
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You don’t have to look very far to see what’s coming.
Europe recently endured a punishing summer heat season that contributed to the deaths of over 50,000 people. If Ontario were to experience prolonged periods of 40-degree temperatures combined with widespread power outages, we could face a similar public health emergency.
Seniors, people with disabilities, and those living alone in apartments without AC would be at risk of death or heat-stroke, as would outdoor workers in fields like farming and construction.
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We are not ready.
Third, youth unemployment remains alarmingly high. At the same time, many young people feel they don’t have a future. Housing is so expensive, as is food. College and university tuition costs thousands more than it used to, and finding a good job is tough.
How do you have hope when you’re sending out hundreds of job applications without a response, still living in your childhood bedroom, and scrolling past yet another emergency weather alert warning you to take shelter?
A Youth Climate Jobs Program would help Ontario build the workforce needed to address these challenges while giving young people something equally important:
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Hope.
Jaden says it best: “Gen Z is bursting with creativity, passion, an incredible diversity of skills, and a determination to make a difference. Imagine what we could accomplish if we harnessed that potential, putting young people’s talents to work for our communities, our climate, and our future.”
The program would require significant investment - around $500 million annually, and this is an investment that could and should be shared between the provincial and federal governments.
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It’s worth it.
Adapting to climate change is far less expensive than fixing the damage caused by extreme weather, infrastructure failures, and economic disruption. The 2025 Los Angeles fire caused up to $131 billion (US) in damage.
That’s just one disaster. Every dollar spent preparing for climate impacts today will save many more dollars tomorrow.
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A jobs program is also a smart response to the trade war.
The federal and provincial government have promised over $8 billion dollars in aid to major industries such as steel and automotive manufacturing.
Supporting key sectors of our economy is important, provided the aid comes with good conditions, like government securing an ownership stake in key industries or mandating no worker layoffs – conditions the provincial government is not serious about.
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Supporting big business cannot be our only economic strategy.
Young people are Ontario’s greatest assets. If governments can find billions to help companies, they can certainly afford to invest directly in young people who are ready to contribute.
On the climate change front, we’ve come a long way. We have the policy solutions needed to address and adapt to climate change.
The technology is available and cost competitive. Other jurisdictions are already showing what works, giving Ontario proven models that we can build on.
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What we still need is the investment and the workforce needed to turn those solutions into reality.
An Ontario Youth Climate Jobs Program would help provide both.
Jessica Bell
MPP, University-Rosedale