Global Courant 2023-05-29 13:00:35
Construction work on 24 Sussex Drive, the Prime Minister’s official residence, has just begun. The building has fallen into a deep state of disrepair after years of neglect and inactivity.
But the National Capital Commission (NCC), the federal agency responsible for official residences, said the new activity should not be interpreted as a commitment to fully restore the 150-year-old property that has housed ten of the country’s prime ministers.
The NCC told CBC News that this work must be done regardless of what the government ultimately decides to do with the heritage.
Work began last week on stripping the property of asbestos and removing “outdated mechanical, heating and electrical systems,” an NCC spokesman said. The repairs are expected to take about a year.
The construction activity follows the commission’s decision to formally close the residence for health and safety reasons.
Although the Gothic Revival-style home, perched high above the Ottawa River, has stood empty for years, the property continued to be used by staff until its closure in 2022. It was also used for garden parties on the house’s extensive two-acre grounds.
But the once stately building is now infested with rodents. The property has also been deemed a fire hazard because the property uses outdated “button and tube” wiring from another era.
The Prime Ministers’ Residence, 24 Sussex, on the banks of the Ottawa River in Ottawa on Monday, October 26, 2015. The building is a designated federal heritage building and has been the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada since 1951. Stephen Harper was the last Prime Minister to live there. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
a Report 2021 concluded the residence is in “critical” condition and set “deferred maintenance” costs at $36 million. The report set the home’s “current replacement value” at $40.1 million.
The fate of the 34-room mansion lies in the hands of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet.
Despite repeated pleas from heritage lawyers, Trudeau has so far indicated he has no plans to save the building.
Since 2015, he has lived in Rideau Cottage on the grounds of the Governor General’s residence – a relatively small house originally built for an aide.
The dire state of 24 Sussex leaves heritage enthusiasts dejected.
David Flemming is the chairman of Heritage Ottawa’s advocacy committee, a group committed to protecting the capital’s built history.
He said it is “appalling” that Canada, a G7 country with a $2 trillion economy, does not have a functioning official residence for the head of government.
“The politicians who make the decision — this is not their building. This belongs to the people of Canada,” Flemming told CBC News.
“Having a residence for the Prime Minister is just the price of doing business as a nation. The truth is that we just don’t hold our built heritage in high esteem in this country.”
Margaret Trudeau with Pat Nixon holding a baby Justin Trudeau at 24 Sussex Drive in 1972. (Provided by the White House Photo Office)
Flemming said his group has written letters to Trudeau asking them to call about the fate of the house, but their pleas have been repeatedly ignored.
“All we want is for something to be done. That’s all,” he said. “We just want him to make a decision. Whether it’s the Prime Minister’s residence or not, it must remain a public building.”
Flemming had former Governor General David Johnston thrown in as a neutral arbitrator to lead a panel of experts to decide the house’s future.
Given the recent controversy over Johnston’s role as special rapporteur on foreign interference, Johnston probably “isn’t the one right now,” Flemming said. But the idea still stands, he added: A reputable panel of impartial people should decide how best to restore the dilapidated monument.
U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are greeted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, left, at Rideau Cottage in March 2023. Rideau Cottage is a relatively small home originally built for an aide to the Governor General. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)
Christina Cameron, a professor and former Canada Research Chair in Built Heritage at the Université de Montréal, agrees that 24 Sussex can and should be saved.
She last saw the home’s interior in 2018. At the time, she said, the property appeared to be salvageable.
“There’s no reason why that house couldn’t be renovated,” she said.
“I think it’s really sad. I’ve watched it over the years and no prime minister wants to be seen investing in something for himself. I don’t know how we can break the deadlock, but it’s important that we do it because it’s a house that is crucial to our national story, to our story as a country.
“So many people who are important to world history have crossed that threshold, and we’ve seen them all pictured standing on that threshold.”
Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau pose for photographers at 24 Sussex on April 16, 1982. (Ron Poling/Canadian Press)
Cameron said Trudeau should commit to restoring the property and dictate that the work be done on a deferred timeline so that it is available only to the next occupant.
Trudeau could preserve history while neutralizing claims that it’s a selfish decision, Cameron said. Or, she said, the house can be repurposed for public use. Any choice would make it politically acceptable for the current administration, she said.
“I think the worst thing is to just do nothing,” she said.
The residency has become a political hot potato. The multi-million dollar restoration price tag has deterred both Trudeau and his predecessor, Stephen Harper, from doing anything about a home that dates back to Ottawa’s days as a lumber town.
Trudeau said in April that the government is working with “officials as they chart a path for the residences.”
A spokesman for Trudeau declined to comment on the forthcoming Friday of 24 Sussex, referring questions to Helena Jaczek, Minister of Public Services and Procurement.
A Jaczek spokesperson told CBC News that they “don’t have much news about 24 Sussex”.
“We continue to work closely with the National Capital Commission to develop a plan for the future of 24 Sussex Drive,” the spokesman said.
At least one former resident, former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, has said the house is “a disgrace to the nation” that needs to be restored.
Maureen McTeer, wife of former Prime Minister Joe Clark and author of a book on Canada’s official residences, has said the house is not worth saving. The interior of the home was gutted decades ago and has lost its historic value, she said in a 2015 interview.
Reached by email Thursday, McTeer said she had no comment on the home’s future.
Maureen McTeer, centre, wife of former Prime Minister Joe Clark, right, has said 24 Sussex is not worth saving. (Canadian press files)
Canada is an outlier among its allies when it comes to repairs to official residences.
The British equivalent of 24 Sussex — 10 Downing Street — recently went through an extensive renovation.
The White House existed overhauled under former President Donald Trump.
The Lodge, the official residence of the Austrian Prime Minister in Canberra, received millions of dollars restoration work in 2016.
Stornoway, the official home of the Leader of the Official Opposition in Ottawa’s leafy Rockcliffe Park neighborhood, is also in good shape – it received tens of thousands of dollars in repairs in 2020.
As 24 Sussex decays, opposition leaders such as Rona Ambrose, Andrew Scheer, Erin O’Toole, Candice Bergen and Pierre Poilièvre have taken advantage of Stornoway – an early 20th century house built by a prominent grocer that later served as a temporary home-in-exile for the Dutch royal family during World War II.
Stornoway, the residence of the official opposition leader, in Ottawa’s Rockcliffe Park. (Brian Morris/CBC News)
“You know, the federal government has a good track record when they decide to do restorations. We have some top notch architects and conservationists,” Flemming said.
“It just takes some political will – and there isn’t any right now.”
