Roughly 6 per cent of Toronto's population lives in buildings owned by
Toronto Community Housing -- that's 164,000 people with low and moderate incomes, making it Canada's largest social housing provider and the GTA's biggest landlord. So when TCH embarks on a large-scale renovation project, it provides an opportunity not just to make the quality of its tenants' lives better, but to make a difference in the jobs and training atmosphere for low-income people across Toronto. That latter mission is a component of a forthcoming announcement from TCH.
According to information provided by TCH communications representative Keesha Abraham, an initiative soon to be announced will see the city invest $21.6 million in renovating and retrofitting 49 social housing buildings across the city. The work will be aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the buildings, in some cases through the installation of solar panels that will generate revenue for TCH.
Abraham notes that a community economic development component of that project will include guaranteeing jobs and training opportunities for tenants of TCH buildings. Since the installation of solar panels and energy efficient retrofits is one of the fastest-growing employment markets in Ontario since the introduction of the province's
Feed-in-Tariff program, the jobs and training provided through this project provide the potential for real employment stability for the residents who participate.
Work is scheduled to begin this year, and will continue through 2012, according to Abraham.
Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Keesha Abraham, Communications Consultant, Toronto Community Housing