Toronto social housing complex revived after standing empty for 18 years

A Toronto community housing complex will soon be ready to welcome new tenants, 18 years after recurrent flooding and mould shuttered the site.

Federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson today toured the 17-unit townhouse complex in Etobicoke that was redesigned and renovated for $9.7 million into a building that meets strict energy efficiency requirements.

Sean Baird, CEO of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, says federal and city funds unlocked in 2018 through the National Housing Strategy allowed the social housing provider to revitalize the property at a much lower cost than building new affordable housing.

Adam Pelissero, the design manager who led the project, says the building was still in good condition after standing empty since 2008, when flooding from a creek a stone’s throw from the property forced the previous residents out of 50 Torbolton Drive.

Pelissero says the simple solution to the flooding was to block off the basement and fill it with gravel, which allows floodwater to pass under the building – a design inspired by gabion baskets, a flood mitigation method he observed in Nova Scotia.

Toronto Community Housing says tenants could move in as soon as August, with priority given to families with children with disabilities, and rent for the three-bedroom units will be set at 30 per cent of the household’s income.

Kathryn Mannie, The Canadian Press