Huron-Sussex Residents Organization

The Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education at UofT is looking for participants (specifically women over 30 years of age) in a new pilot study.

Briefly, the study is interested in understanding the effects of physical activity and dietary intake on women’s health and the prevention of chronic health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. While there are important biological differences between men and women, as well as between pre- and postmenopausal women, research is still very limited on women overall. Participants will be offered a free exercise and diet intervention following the recommendations of Health Canada and Canada’s Food Guide. The study will endeavour to understand the health impacts of following the guidelines on the heart, vessels and muscles in pre- and postmenopausal women.

Study participants will be asked to complete two 4-hour assessment visits at baseline and after the 6-week intervention. Visits will take place at the Goldring Centre, located in the heart of the University of Toronto, near the St. George subway station, and receive $20 compensation for each visit. These visits should be done in the morning (anytime between 6am and 11am) after an overnight fast of 12 hours. During these two assessments, participants will be asked to complete some tests such as: blood draw, blood vessel assessment, physical fitness assessment, body composition assessment and some questionnaires. Test results will be made available to participants after completion of the intervention.

For more information, the study website is https://kpe.utoronto.ca/join-ms-fit.

Posted on January 12th, 2023 by David W
Filed under: HSRO News | Comments Off on UofT Faculty KPE – Ms. FIT Pilot Study

The latest newsletter – The HSRO Herald – is now available here.

Posted on September 21st, 2022 by David W
Filed under: HSRO News | Comments Off on HSRO Herald – Sept 2022

Huron Sussex Laneway Houses Facts Sheet & Links to Virtual 3D Tours

There are three houses:
– 3 storey laneway house – approximately 900 sf
– 2 storey laneway house – approximately 800 sf
– and an infill house on Huron – approximately 1600 sf

The houses are designed to be net-zero energy and net-zero carbon, using ‘Passive House’ principles utilizing:
– super-insulated prefabricated wall panels,
– triple-glazed windows,
– and foundation insulation systems,
– with on-site renewable energy generation.

During construction, each house was tested to confirm they meet/exceeded the Passive House standard for air tightness, which is three times better than a typical new house.

The use of wood and engineered wood products forms part of a sustainability approach based upon the utilization of renewable, carbon sequestering building materials.  The houses are clad in thermally treated ash – a product that has become readily available due to the environmental impacts caused by the Emerald Ash Borer, an insect that feeds on ash trees. The ash siding has been treated to remove naturally occurring sugars from the wood, to improve resistance to rot and insect damage. The houses are constructed upon a super insulated foam foundation system that utilizes engineered fill and avoids the need for deep concrete foundations. Photovoltaic panels are installed on the roof and feed into the grid.

An earth tube system was installed within the remaining foundations of a demolished house. This system uses the constant temperature of the ground to modify the temperature of outdoor air that is needed by the building’s ventilation system.  Ventilation air is drawing through a network of tubes buried in the ground, which increases the temperature of ventilation air in the winter, and decreases temperature in the summer, resulting in a direct reduction in the energy demands of the building’s heating and cooling system. The laneway houses use the air as conditioned by the earth; air being provided to the infill house is additionally conditioned by a unit within that house.

The use of on-site renewable energy in the form of rooftop photovoltaic panels, ground source (earth tube) heating, and the avoidance of the on-site fossil fuel use are all critical to project’s sustainability approach and general ‘greening’ of the electrical grid.  This extends to the use of water conserving plumbing fixtures and in-line heating systems and heat recovery systems on shower drains.

Please see below for the 3D tours of each home: 

366 Huron St – https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=qnzfnCGmDrG

368b Huron St https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=oJ8wUMhGweZ

368a Huron St https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=sUDXkYJnmgA

Posted on October 29th, 2020 by David W
Filed under: HSRO News | Comments Off on Update: New Laneway Houses on Huron