Government Operations committee  Absolutely. In the IBEW, we have training centres across the country. We have just over 23 training centres. We have a certified solar PV installation program; you must be an electrician to achieve that. It's certified by the CSA, the Canadian Standards Association. We have electrical vehicle infrastructure training programs.

Government Operations committee  I was getting into the building automation system, or BAS. The BAS controls are, essentially, your lighting, security, fire alarms, heating and cooling. That would be the brains of the operation, and it can control, as I said, even the blinds or thermostats in particular rooms.

Government Operations committee  Depending on the size of the building—

Government Operations committee  Absolutely. I was about to get to this. Unfortunately, I was a little long in my remarks, so I'll keep this short. As Ms. Sutton mentioned, you can look at a review of the building and where you can find efficiencies. A building automation system is like the brains; it's like a smart home.

Government Operations committee  Yes, it's changing out thermostats, making them smart so they connect back to basically the central computer, if you want to call it that. That can be done fairly easily, depending on the age of the system and the size of the building. Typically, there will be chaseways up in the attic or above the ceiling spaces.

Government Operations committee  That's it. There would be a huge impact on apprentices. You mentioned it there—hours of work. An apprentice needs to complete a certain number of hours of on-the-job training in order to advance to the next level of apprenticeship and become a licensed journeyperson. In provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan, where there's a lot of unemployment in the oil and gas industries, those areas would certainly help drive the economy and keep people in the skilled trades.

Government Operations committee  You need plumbers and pipefitters to make sure your water systems are functional, clean and efficient. For insulating the pipes—the insulating trade—again, there are apprentices and skilled tradespeople there. With heating and cooling systems, HVAC, again, there are journeypersons and apprentices in employment.

Government Operations committee  Certainly sharing advice and best practices in this, or any aspect, is a good thing. The folks at BOMA mentioned the building review and management that they do. It wasn't included in our presentation, but I guess we make an assumption that this is something we would do in this process.

Government Operations committee  It hasn't, not through our organization. I'm not sure if I can speak for the other witnesses, though.

Government Operations committee  I would suggest looking at the fleet itself, what the priorities are, the longevity of the building, where it makes sense to make those investments going forward, and the whole building itself.

Government Operations committee  I must have gone a little more slowly in my presentation.

Government Operations committee  Thank you very much. Good afternoon, committee members, fellow witnesses and guests. I'd like to thank you today for allowing us to present here to members of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, and for your study on the Government of Canada's greening government strategy, as the chair mentioned.