The walls of 50 Torbolton Dr. have sprung to life.
Where weeds once ran wild, green grass is in its place. New wooden fences frame vibrant trees, and cream-coloured concrete graces the building’s exterior walls — a far cry from the pale bricks and yellow construction material that covered the 17 city-owned townhomes just last year.
Since 2008, the Etobicoke homes had sat empty after shutting their doors due to repeated flooding and chronic water damage.
Afterwards, there were discussions about selling the property, which Toronto Community Housing Corp. (TCHC) ultimately decided against.
At the time, a TCHC executive suggested the property’s location, sitting right on top of Berry Creek, made it less attractive to a private buyer because any new development would have to be much smaller than Torbolton.
Change was finally underway when, in 2019, TCHC received $9.7 million in federal and municipal funding to rehabilitate the space.
Now, it has become the agency’s first environmentally conscious ‘passive house’ complex, designed for families with children who have developmental disabilities. Families could move in as early as next month, selected from internal transfer lists.
Federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson, on site alongside other political officials to celebrate the opening, said he was looking at “every opportunity” to combine affordable housing with “climate resilience,” and to invest in similar projects.
“That’s what people need right now,” said Robertson. “We need to contain (energy costs) and make sure buildings like this can survive the conditions of the future, which are already with us today.”
Robertson noted in his speech the importance of making existing housing infrastructure livable and affordable for families rather than building on “sprawling green space.”
“The family piece of this warms my heart,” he said. “It’s challenging to find housing like this anywhere in Canada.”
While the homes still sit within the creek’s flood line, all basement access has been removed from residents’ units, said Adam Pelissero, the agency’s design manager.
Instead, they’ve been filled with stones and gravel, which allows floodwater to pass under the building, inspired by ‘gabion baskets,’ a flood mitigation method.
As he gave a tour of the refurbished units, he specifically noted the stillness in the rooms in terms of sound and air quality. The entire building has a net-zero design, a 90 per cent reduction in energy usage, and draws clean energy from solar panels on the roof.
There is minimal energy loss, says Pelissero, who uses a jacket analogy to explain how insulation in the building works.
“It’s making sure your jacket is done up, the zipper is done up, and there are no drafts,” allowing little heat to escape.
Just past the units’ backyards and the small creek, drivers rush past each other on Islington Ave. Inside the units, however, the rumble of traffic can hardly be heard.
“It’s all the stuff in the background that you might not necessarily notice,” said Pelissero. “We can actually make sure that the space inside is healthy and safe and comfortable for residents.”
This passive concept was deliberately planned, said TCHC president Sean Baird, as the units received guidance from Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, which will be providing on-the-ground support for tenants with children who may have physical, developmental or sensory needs.
It’s not often that 17 three-bedroom units are available in public housing, Baird said, with many families seeking larger, accessible and inclusive units to accommodate their children.
“It’s a pretty unique situation,” he said. “It is life changing for the families that (will) live here.”
Inside the electrician’s room, there’s a blue ladder that leads down to the basement, one of its last access points within the building.
Looking down into the gravel, Pelissero reminisces on his first day at TCHC eight years ago to the day when he was first assigned 50 Torbolton Dr.
He still remembers the crusted white lines left from the floods, the original, healthy foundation of the complex and all the potential it carried for future families.
“It’s now their home,” he said, with a shimmer in his eyes. “They’re going to take ownership of it.”
