The Community Transformations Project
Supporting Workers and Communities on the Road to Net Zero
Summary
Canada’s communities are facing major challenges, and opportunities, in the coming decades as the global economy and trade relationships transform.
Efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions are driving changes in technology, markets and trade that are expected to affect workers and communities across the country. A changing trade relationship with the U.S. could also have significant local implications.
By identifying the communities that are susceptible to workforce disruption, governments can collaborate with people who live and work in the communities to provide targeted support that builds resilience and optimism in the face of uncertainty.
This multi-year project includes an interactive map, a methodology paper, community profiles, policy briefs and expert-led studies. Publications will continue to be added to the site as they are ready.
For more information check out the video of our related webinar, which took place on January 21, 2025 — or feel free to contact the team at communitytransformations@irpp.org.
Measuring Community Susceptibility
Futureproofing communities
For a snapshot of what the Community Transformations Project is all about, check out our infographic! It describes how we measure community susceptibility, plus some ideas on how we can best support workers and communities on the road to net zero.
An Interactive Map of Community Susceptibility
A Methodology for Measuring Community Susceptibility
Data downloads
Policy Briefs
Supporting communities through layoffs and business closures: A comprehensive framework
Resilient Workers, Resilient Communities
Empowering Community-Led Transformation Strategies
Stay tuned for more Policy Briefs
Tariff analysis
Chinese Tariff Rollback: What Does It Mean for Communities Across Canada?
Measuring community workforce exposure to U.S. exports
More eggs, more baskets: Reducing Canada’s vulnerability to U.S. tariffs should start in the communities most affected
Stay tuned for more Analysis
Community Profiles
Fort McMurray: The Heart of the Alberta Oil Sands Finds its Strength in a World of Change
Rocher-Percé: Historic Strength, New Muscle in Quebec’s Gaspé Region
Sault Ste. Marie: Ontario Steel City Looks to Forge New Path
Neepawa: Manitoba’s Fast Growing “Land of Plenty”
Channel-Port aux Basques: Looking Toward a Post-Fiona Future
Yellowknife: Riding the Resource Waves
Kitimat and Kitamaat Village: Dreaming Big in the Land of the Haisla
Cape Breton: Region Built on Coal Looks to Renewable Energy
Estevan: Saskatchewan’s Energy City Seeks to Chart Its Own Course
Ingersoll: Ontario Auto Town Grapples with the EV Transition
Commentaries
Megaprojects, Industrial Policy and the Real Test of ‘Building Canada Strong’: Community Transformation or a New Staples Trap?
People and places should be at the centre of the Sustainable Jobs Action Plan
Big Innovation in Small Places: Southeast Saskatchewan Demonstrates How Rural Innovators Can Lead Canada’s Economic Transformation
Stay tuned for more Commentaries
International Approaches in Place-Based Skills Development
This joint IRPP–Future Skills Centre research project looks outward to international experiences with net-zero transitions that could be applicable to Canada.
Partner
Studies
Pipe Dream or Panacea? Evaluating the Case for Oil Pipelines in Canada
Oil pipelines are once again a hot topic of discussion everywhere, from political panels to kitchen tables. As Canada navigates a fraught relationship with its largest trading partner, and the economic uncertainty that brings, many see oil pipelines as a panacea. Indeed, memories of the oil booms of past decades — and the economic largesse they brought — are fresh for workers and businesses, as well as for the communities that benefited. With Canadians now fearful of the consequences of trade tensions, it is no surprise that there is substantial interest in tried-and-true economic solutions.
Op-eds
Canada missing opportunities to build community resilience amid global realignment
by Rachel Samson – January 26, 2026
Why Canada’s nation-building moment demands a skills revolution
by Abigail Jackson, Rachel Samson, Ricardo Chejfec – July 16, 2025
The global energy transition could disrupt 10 per cent of Canadians
by Ricardo Chejfec, Abigail Jackson, Rachel Samson, Rosanna Tamburri – January 16, 2025
Events
Canada’s Resilience is Community Resilience
Webinar
November 26, 2025
Navigating Workforce Disruption in Canadian Communities
Webinar
January 21, 2025
Team Members
Rachel Samson
Vice-President, Research
Dena Abtahi
Research Associate
Ricardo Chejfec
Research Director
Abigail Jackson
Senior Research Associate
Shaimaa Yassin
Senior Research Director
Authors
Steven Tobin
CEO and Founder, LabourX
Matthias Oschinski
Senior Fellow, Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET)
Jacob Greenspon
Doctoral Candidate in Economics, Oxford University
Jennifer Robson
Visiting Scholar; Associate professor of political management, Carleton University
Partners
Mitchell Beer
Founder, Energy Mix Productions
Michel Frojmovic
Program Lead, Community Data Program
Michael Ditor
Senior Analyst, Community Data Program
Advisers
Jennifer Robson
Visiting Scholar; Associate professor of political management, Carleton University
Tamara Krawchenko
Associate Professor, Public Administration, University of Victoria
About the project
The Institute for Research on Public Policy is leading the Community Transformations Project, an initiative that seeks to identify the communities that are most likely to be susceptible to the changes in policy, technology and markets that will occur as Canada and the world reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
Through research, data analysis and interviews with people who work and live in the communities that are likely to be affected, we will gather information, insight and advice that can support government decision-making and empower workers and communities concerned about their future.
Given the breadth and depth of this multi-year project, the IRPP has partnered with the Canadian Community Economic Development Network’s Community Data Program and The Energy Mix. External experts will also provide advice and guidance, as well as authoring complementary studies.
This project was made possible in part thanks to support from the Max Bell Foundation, the McConnell Foundation, and Vancity. Research independence is one of the IRPP’s core values, and the IRPP maintains editorial control over all publications.
