Prime Minister Mark Carney vows to bring back 'respect' to 24 Sussex Drive
· Toronto Sun
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The Liberal government plans to restore the decaying and decrepit 24 Sussex Drive by launching a national design and fundraising campaign.
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Built in 1896, the 35-room mansion was abandoned more than a decade ago as the official residence of the prime minster.
“It has not been cared for with the respect it deserves,” Prime Minster Mark Carney said on Friday morning. “And after decades of deferred maintenance and neglect, this house sits empty. It has been uninhabitable for more than a decade.
“For years, many have agreed the 24 Sussex should be saved, but it was left to languish and the damage spread and the repair costs climbed and now it is in critical condition.”
The winning proposal will be announced by Canada Day next year. The Rideau Hall Foundation will seek to raise funds from across Canada so taxpayers don’t have to foot the whole bill.
Stripped down to the studs
Carney said the residence is currently “stripped down the to the studs and barely held together.”
In April 2023, Bryan Passifiume, through an access to information request, published a story about the condition of the home. The National Capital Commission staff “detailed numerous serious safety concerns about the deteriorating condition of 24 Sussex Drive — prompting the decision last fall to close the home and relocate staff still working at the official residence.”
The story went on to say that “attempts to control a significant rodent infestation at the prime minister’s official residence left so many carcasses within the walls and basement that serious questions were raised about the home’s air quality.”
Besides dead rodents, other safety hazards included asbestos and decaying insulation on electrical wiring.
Fast forward to today, and Carney is vowing to restore the residence in a fashion fitting of an elected leader of a democratic nation.
“We will not let it crumble. We will set it right,” Carney said. “We are launching a national design and build competition to restore 24 Sussex Drive, to become, once again, a secure, accessible and sustainable official residence and a working venue for Canada’s future prime ministers and we will do this in a manner that reflects the very best of Canada.”
Who can apply for the competition?
The competition is open to eligible Canadian firms putting Canadian design excellence at the centre of the project. The final recommendation to cabinet will be made by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.
“The winning team will be responsible for both the design and reconstruction,” Carney said. “They will need a credible discipline plan to see it through. A plan to bring the building to life and to a standard worthy of the country it serves.”
The four-floor mansion served as the prime minister’s official residence when Louis St. Laurent moved in back in 1951. Stephen Harper was the last prime minister to live at 24 Sussex. Carney lives at Rideau Cottage.
“I will never, in any event live (there), but the future (men and women) will undoubtedly need to raise their children here as they lead our county so we will restore it so they may do that safely and securely,” Carney said.