The issues plaguing 24 Sussex today are the same that kept Justin Trudeau from his homecoming.
The picturesque mansion, known by its address of 24 Sussex Drive, spans 34 rooms and is tucked beside the Ottawa River. Built in 1868, it’s been the designated home of the country’s prime ministers since 1950.From our newsroom to your inbox at noon, the latest headlines, stories, opinion and photos from the Toronto Sun.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
The idea that 24 Sussex is now too perilous to set foot in has renewed questions over what the federal government’s long-term plans are for the building. Opposition parties want answers. Julie Vignola, a critic for the Bloc Quebecois, said in a written statement that successive Liberal and Conservative governments failed to spend the money to ensure the residence remained in good shape, which has driven up the cost of renovations to nearly $40 million.Article content
For David Flemming, chair of the advocacy committee at Heritage Ottawa, 24 Sussex is a case of “demolition by neglect” and an issue his group has been calling for action on for years. Before he was elected Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre criticized Trudeau several years ago for renovating another of the prime minister’s residences at Harrington Lake in western Quebec. At the time, he argued the construction wasn‘t done transparently.
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Prime minister's mansion at 24 Sussex Drive to close starting this week for remediation workStaff at 24 Sussex Drive will be relocated to prepare for the work, which will include removing asbestos and replacing obsolete utilities
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Fate of prime minister's residence up in the air as staff move out due to hazardsThe picturesque mansion, known by its address of 24 Sussex Drive, spans 34 rooms and is tucked beside the Ottawa River. Built in 1868, it's been the designated home of the country's prime ministers since 1950.
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Prime minister's mansion at 24 Sussex Drive to close starting this week for remediation workStaff at 24 Sussex Drive will be relocated to prepare for the work, which will include removing asbestos and replacing obsolete utilities
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24 Sussex Drive - PM’s official residence - is being closedJustin Trudeau, who lived in 24 Sussex Drive as a child, has not taken up residence in it while Prime Minister because of its decrepit condition, and the property will now be cleared out and closed
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Politics This Morning: 24 Sussex to be de-hazardizedGood Friday morning, It’s a busy Friday for the cabinet, with the PM and some ministers working in far-flung corners of the globe, and the defence minister teeing up what’s being billed as a big announcement in Halifax. Back in Ottawa, officials at the National Capital Commission are closing the prime minister’s official residence on 24 Sussex Drive, and setting in motion a plan to start significant work on the property. Wait, wasn’t it already closed? No, it wasn’t, but it’s in such a state of disrepair that it has become a dilapidated fire hazard, and so Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU has chosen to live with his family in another residence on the grounds of Rideau Hall. Staff have apparently still been working at 24 Sussex, however, and now they won’t be anymore. Wait, does this mean they’re finally rennovating 24 Sussex? Somehow, also no. Successive prime ministers have declined to pay the cost of repairing and renovating the aging building, which is filled with asbestos and decrepit in so many other ways PTM hasn’t the space to list them all. Bad politics, and so forth. The NCC appears to have run out of patience, and is ordering what it calls an “abatement” of the property. Definitions of the word abatement include, “to reduce in amount, degree, or intensity.” What’s being reduced here is the risk that the building will burst into flames or poison a staff member. Asbestos and faulty heating and electrical systems will be removed—must be, said the NCC press release, “regardless of any future decision on the residence.” “With continuously aging and worsening materials and systems, more significant actions must be taken to mitigate matters of great concern such as potential fire hazards, water damage and air quality issues,” read the release. The building is destined, it seems, to a future as a cold and empty husk sitting on prime Ottawa real estate—at least until a government and opposition can both agree to make its restoration or replacement a non-partisan iss
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Debate resumes on the future of 24 Sussex Drive as NCC closes the residenceThe National Capital Commission has announced it will close 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa to remove hazardous materials like asbestos.
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