Research
Research
Measurements from homes and neighbourhoods influence decisions about repairs, funding and climate adaptation. Those measurements are often held by the organizations that collect them and may not be available in a useful form to the residents and communities they describe. We work with partners to decide what information is needed, how it should be collected and interpreted, and how the results can be used locally.
The three areas below make up the lab's research programme.
Coming: NOMAD. We are developing an off-grid mobile laboratory for building diagnostics, on-site material analysis, and continuous air-quality and weather monitoring in places where distance, weather and limited infrastructure make fieldwork difficult. The first field use is expected in late 2027 or early 2028. What NOMAD will include →
Make building diagnostics more accessible
The tools include low-cost sensor networks, models that predict when equipment will fail, and ways of checking a building against its own operating data. We adapt and test them for housing where automation systems, on-site technical support or consultant budgets may be limited, as well as for larger commercial buildings.
Low-cost indoor air monitoring for communities
Affordable, offline-capable monitoring for real homes, backed by testing that makes the measurements—and their limits—clear.
Active Details →Fault detection & diagnosis
Physics-based fault detection, diagnosis and correction using existing airport building-automation data.
Active Details →Electrifying small businesses
Following one completed heat-pump retrofit and one project that stopped at feasibility to understand what shapes small-business electrification.
Wrapping up Details →Connect housing & health
We study how housing conditions affect health under a changing climate (e.g., extreme heat, wildfire smoke, cold, mould) and which households and neighbourhoods carry the most risk.
Housing, heat & wellbeing
How housing shapes exposure and response to extreme heat across three connected studies involving indoor conditions, health and lived experience.
Active Community partner Details →Climate Vulnerability Index
A neighbourhood-scale index for Toronto combining municipal and environmental data, building performance and community research.
Active Municipal partner Details →Gypsum Drywall, Moisture, and IAQ
Research on mould resistance in drywall and other sheathing materials, including the influence of paint and conditions inside HVAC return-air systems.
Ongoing Details →MgO as Interior Sheathing
Product-specific testing and simulation of MgO board, linked to northern material access and new formulations using recycled Canadian materials.
Active Details →Support community-led action
Our research is designed with community partners. Agreements made with each partner set the research priorities and determine how data are collected, accessed, interpreted and shared. Projects also include training and tools that partners can use after fieldwork ends.
From Harvest to House
A co-led collaboration linking housing assessments and environmental monitoring with community priorities, workshops and training.
Details →CREATE-IMPACT
A national programme bringing graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and community researchers together to co-develop housing, health and infrastructure research with communities.
Active National training programme Programme details →Completed work
- Corridor ventilation in high-rises →
- Smart thermostats in high-rise housing (doctoral work) →
- Open-plenum air return systems in offices (complete; papers on the Publications page)
Public scholarship & advocacy
We also use building-science and spatial evidence to contribute to public decisions.
Ontario Place tree removal: a before-and-after spatial record
An interactive 3D story compares Ontario Place in July 2024 with the site after clearing on October 3, 2024. It documents the removal of more than 850 mature trees and makes the scale of the landscape change visible, including its implications for urban habitat and public wellbeing. Explore the Ontario Place story →
Networks, codes and standards
We contribute to international research networks and to building-code and guideline work. This gives us a way to bring evidence from buildings and communities that are often missing from the data behind standards. Helen co-leads the Community Scale Equity and Sufficiency subtask of IEA EBC Annex 95 (Human-Centric Building Operation and Design for a Changing Climate, 2024–2029) and was a collaborator in Annex 79. She sits on the IBPSA-Canada and Building Science Specialist (BSS) boards, serves on the ASHRAE Guideline 45P committee, and serves on Canada’s National Model Building Code IAQ Task Group for dwellings.
Funding & support
GroundTRUTH's work is supported through research chairs, infrastructure awards, operating grants, training programmes and partner-led collaborations.
| Grant or project | Funder and programme | Dates | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
CREATE-IMPACT: Inclusive, Multidisciplinary Practices for Advancing Community TransformationsNamed applicants and investigatorsHelen Stopps (lead applicant); Élyse Caron-Beaudoin, Louis Gosselin, Mark Green, Sarah Haines, Sean Kidd, Linda Larcombe, Eric Liberda, Liam O'Brien, Russell Richman and Marianne Touchie (co-applicants) | NSERC Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) Program | 2026–2032 | $1,646,062 |
Unpacking the Pronounced Risks Faced by People with Schizophrenia Spectrum Diagnoses During Heat Extremes: A Feasibility Test and Mechanisms ValidationNamed applicants and investigatorsSean Kidd (nominated principal applicant); Martin Rotenberg, Helen Stopps and Siqi Xue (principal applicants); Eric Brown, Glen Kenny, Kwame McKenzie, Nicholas Neufeld, Lucie Richard, Daisy Singla, Wei Wang and Liv Yoon (co-applicants); Caroline Walker (collaborator) | Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grant | 2026 | $573,750 |
Extreme Heat Risks and Resilience among Women Caregivers Experiencing Poverty: A Participatory, Mixed Methods Study in Urban CanadaNamed applicants and investigatorsSiqi Xue (applicant); Lisa Hawke, Glen Kenny, Sean Kidd, Laura Sikstrom, Daisy Singla, Helen Stopps, Samantha Wells and Liv Yoon (co-applicants) | SSHRC Insight Development Grant | 2026–2028 | $99,586 |
A Study of Subsidized Housing Experiences as they Relate to the Climate CrisisNamed applicants and investigatorsSean Kidd (applicant and project lead); Helen Stopps (Co-PI by team agreement); Elie Azar, Mariya Bezgrebelna, Jacqueline Kennelly, Liam O'Brien, Marianne Touchie and Liv Yoon (research team). The programme did not assign formal co-applicant roles. | Employment and Social Development Canada — Strategic Engagement and Research Program | 2025–2027 | $121,660 |
Electrifying Montréal International Airport: A Living Lab Demonstrating Stakeholder-Driven Pathways to Decarbonization of Major InfrastructureNamed applicants and investigatorsMohamed Ouf (PI); Andreas Athienitis, Ahmed Hammami, Helen Stopps and Radu Zmeureanu (co-PIs) | Volt-age — Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) Impact Round | 2025–2029 | $1,300,000 |
Making Ontario Buildings Smart: Driving Adoption through Scalable Technology Advances and Novel Business StrategiesNamed applicants and investigatorsJennifer McArthur (PI); Burak Gunay, Mohamed Ibnkahla, Seungjae Lee, Rasha Kashef, Marin Litoiu, Alexandra Mogyoros, Liam O'Brien, Manos Papagelis, John Simpson-Porco and Helen Stopps (co-investigators in the application) | Ontario Research Fund — Research Excellence Program | 2025–2030 | $1,977,500 |
Neighbourhood-Level Climate Vulnerability in Canadian CitiesNamed applicants and investigatorsHelen Stopps (applicant); Nicholas Spence and Sarah Haines (co-applicants) | SSHRC Insight Grant | 2024–2028 | $100,000 |
Neighbourhood-Level Climate Vulnerability MappingNamed applicants and investigatorsHelen Stopps (PI); Sarah Haines (co-applicant); Nicholas Spence (collaborator) | NSERC Alliance Grants and Mitacs Accelerate | 2024–2028 | $180,000 |
Regional Building Stock Performance: Identifying Barriers to the Design, Construction, and Operation of High Performing BuildingsNamed applicants and investigatorsHelen Stopps (PI) | NSERC Discovery Grant and Supplement | 2022–2027 | $132,500 |
Showcasing the Feasibility and Cost-Effectiveness of Electrifying Small BusinessesNamed applicants and investigatorsHelen Stopps (PI); Jennifer McArthur (Co-PI) | Mitacs Accelerate | 2024–2026 | $120,000 |
A Safe and Affordable Place to Call Home: A Multi-Disciplinary Longitudinal Outcomes Analysis of the National Housing StrategyNamed applicants and investigatorsLiam O'Brien (project director); Jacqueline Kennelly (co-director); Helen Stopps (co-applicant and Northern Housing Theme Lead); Peter Andree, Elie Azar, Chiara Del Gaudio, Stephen Fai, Kevin Fitzmaurice, Stephan Gruber, Burak Gunay, Xavier Leloup, Catherine Leviten-Reid, Azar Masoumi, Pablo Mendez, Nazeem Muhajarine, Brenda Parker, Jill Wigle, Sean Kidd, Cynthia Cruickshank, Francine Darroch, Luc Theriault, Katrina Milaney, Isobel Findlay, Sarah Buhler, Patricia Ballamingie and David Hugill (co-applicants). | SSHRC–CMHC National Housing Strategy Longitudinal Outcomes Research Grant | 2023–2028 | $4,800,000 |
A Home of Our Own: Culturally Inclusive Assessment Tool for Housing in the Northwest TerritoriesNamed applicants and investigatorsSarah Haines (applicant); Helen Stopps and Nicholas Spence (co-applicants); Jamie Koe (Gwich'in Tribal Council) and Tee Wern Lim (Tłı̨chǫ Government, Department of Culture and Lands Protection) (collaborators) | SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant | 2023–2025 | $25,000 |
A Home of Our Own: Building Performance, Health, and Well-Being in Northwest Territories' Social HousingNamed applicants and investigatorsHelen Stopps (PI) | Toronto Metropolitan University Internal Equipment Grant | 2023–2024 | $20,000 |
From Harvest to House: Developing a Pathway to Housing Self-Sufficiency in Remote First Nations CommunitiesNamed applicants and investigatorsSarah Haines (lead applicant); Helen Stopps (Co-PI); Tracey Galloway, Penny Kinnear, Nicholas Spence and Roxanna Dehghan (University of Toronto team); Natalie Clyke (Prince Albert Grand Council) and Becky Big Canoe (EnviroNative: Training Initiatives) (community collaborators named in the application) | University of Toronto Connaught Global Challenge Award | 2022–2024 | $249,600 |
From Harvest to House: Developing Sustainable Housing in Remote First Nations Communities Using Local MaterialsNamed applicants and investigatorsHelen Stopps (PI); Sarah Haines, Penny Kinnear and Marianne Touchie (co-applicants); Rebecca Big Canoe (collaborator) | SSHRC Connection Grant | 2022–2023 | $24,815 |
A Pipeline to Housing Self-Sufficiency: Development of a Community-Owned MgO Production FacilityNamed applicants and investigatorsNatalie Clyke, Rocktree MgO Building Materials (PI); Helen Stopps (Co-PI); Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (partner) | CMHC Housing Supply Challenge — Northern Access Round, Stage 1 | 2023 | $250,000 |