Renovation, not demolition preferred route for PM’s official home: NCC
OTTAWA — Rather than taking a giant wrecking ball to the prime minister’s official residence, the body overseeing federal properties in Canada’s capital is making clear it wants instead to give the crumbling building a major face lift.
Debate over what to do about structural and other deficiencies at 24 Sussex Drive has been swirling since last October when it was announced that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family would not be moving into the stately home.
A report by the auditor general in 2008 had detailed the many shortcomings of the well-known Ottawa address, including major electrical and plumbing issues.
At the time, the estimated cost of renovating the building was pegged at $10 million, although renovation experts have since warned the price tag could be at least 50 per cent higher.