Some choice quotes from the official Toronto Police email response:
The police can park where they need to. If they wanted to park upside down, inside out, or on top of a building, that would be acceptable.”
“Thankfully, our police cars are visible to the naked eye, so unless someone is experimenting with cycling with his eyes shut, our giant ‘POLICE’-emblazoned SUVs won’t infringe on any cyclists’ safety … Next time you see a police officer parked on or near the Sherbourne bike lane, please do what I do: thank him or her for his service,”
“In a neighbourhood where the good people are threatened daily by a criminal-class whose primary social activities seem to (be) fentanyl consumption, behaving badly in public, stealing, and accosting passersby, the brave men and women of 51 division need to park closest to where help is needed,” the officer wrote.
“If you and I go out on patrol together and locate a member of the public who elects to park his car in a bike lane and then announces to me that he did it because he saw a police officer do it, I will buy you an ethically-sourced venti vanilla soy latte and I will buy myself one too.”
Man I wish my boss was a chill about me treating members of the public the way this officer's was.
Civil engineer with a number of courses in building science (aka this).
Can't tell for sure without seeing what kind of insulation it is, but there are a few factors.
First, as other people have mentioned, having temperature gradients cause moisture issues. Typically, in modern construction in cold weather climates like Canada, we install a single waterproof layer. Cold weather, this goes inside of the insulation (between the insulation and the drywall), and in hot weather places, it'll be installed outside the insulation.
My understanding of the houses this is being done in, there is no vapour barrier, meaning damp+ moisture can accumulate.
Explanation why
The reason (simplified) for this basically boils down to hot air holds more water. As the air cools, it drops off the extra water it can no longer carry on nearby surfaces. You want to make sure hot air stays hot, and cold air stays cold. If you allow air that is hot to cool down, it will create moisture.Second, new houses in NA have a "minimum air exchange", which is a specific amount of air that needs to move through the house within a given time frame, typically air changes per hour (ACH rating). This is usually accomplished by means of a central heating/ductwork units, and bedrooms are generally somewhere around 4-8, meaning all the air in the bedroom should be refreshed 4 to 8 times per hour. My understanding of many of these houses is that there is not central air system. Before the insulation, it is likely that small gaps or holes in the walls/exterior siding were sufficient to allow enough air to move through, however that air slows down when there is insulation sprayed into the cavities. Any slowdown will exacerbate moisture problems, as still air is bad. More air exchanges also would allow the house to dry out more, as evaporation would help.
Those are the general situations that would likely be a problem.
In this case, from reading the article, it seems like she has a hole in her roof, which is either new or was not caught by the installers. ANY source of water ingress would cause mold problems. The issue here is that previously, it is likely that the water trickled down the inside of the cladding (likely brick), and out at the base of the wall. Once you add insulation to that cavity, it'll hold water and cause mold problems. Seems like a shitty spot to be in.