Sustainability Tour

Together, Toronto Community Housing and the City of Toronto organized a tour for Lawrence Heights tenants and neighbours to visit examples of energy-efficient and ‘green' development in other parts of the city.

Participants went to the new Toronto Community Housing buildings at Dundas Street East and Sackville Street where the Regent Park Community Energy System is. Participants went down into the plant and spoke with representatives from Toronto Community Housing and The Daniels Corporation about the operation and benefits of the plant.

The tour then made a quick stop at another Toronto Community Housing rental building under construction, 92 Carlton. Barry Gula, the building project manager talked about the sustainable design elements of the building, including ground source heat pumps for geothermal energy, and rooftop solar panels.

The final stop for the tour was the St. Lawrence Community. Participants got to walk through the neighbourhood, which was built in the 1980s and is considered a good example of a socially sustainable, mixed community due to its fine-grain mix of affordable and market housing, retail, parks and community facilities.