Build an eco-mini house. For visitors they can rent campers and park around the LED simulated campfire pit. Trudeau-esque.
Let’s tear down 24 Sussex — and replace it with something we can be proud of
- Thread starter B00Mer
- Start date
He wasn't poor. He made about 350 grand plus expenses a year. And his wife brought in good cash too. He wasn't going to be living in the poor part of town
Seeing as we're talking about the cost of housing in 2006 which was about a quarter of what it is today you could afford a VERY nice home on that income. I believe that income level is actually considered 'rich' in canada at least as far as the gov't is concerned. I mean seriously, back then anything that cost a million dollars was considered a mansion and that would have just been 3 years income for him. If the average person tried to buy land for just three times their annual income these days they'd ask if you'd like it wrapped or if you wanted to eat it there. And of course as soon as a PM steps down the real money starts. He makes stupid amounts today.
There's maintenance and then there's rebuilding-what with the lousy Ottawa climate I can see those responsible just not bothering.
That being said there's a myth that 'Things Were Built Right Back Then' but that's what it is a myth I bet that pile was built as cheaply as possible by people who couldn't care less.
And so now is time build new.
There's a lot of truth to what you say. It's too bad that politicians can't stand up for what is necessary instead of being cowards & then when they do stand up it's for some crazy ideas like we're gonna die if we don't pay enough money to the elites for climate change. It's puzzling that priorities can't be chased down considering all the people we have working on our behalf in government.
It's the nature of the system. Think about it - NOBODY makes it to PM without being focused like a laser on that goal. The ONLY people who make it to the top are those willing to do whatever it takes for power.
Nobody like that is going to do something that will cost them their seat by and large (yes - a few exceptions here and there but generally no).
So if the public is going to punish them for spending money "On Themselves" then guess what isn't going to happen. Now, the stupid thing is the money will get spent anyway for the PM to live somewhere else that will need the same sort of security etc. But - the public doesn't see it so it doesn't count. All we did is shaft ourselves.
Look at the fuss people made over the cost of harper's security when he went on an official trip to china. As if we're supposed to let our PM wander around china without security. Because i guess we're some sort of backwater 3rd world country of no importance perhaps. So what do you think people would say if a PM spent 2 or 3 BILLION getting our First Residence up to snuff? You know - the place where other leaders can come and be received and where we show the world we are a first class nation.
We really have to do better as voters. If we REWARD good behavior we'll get it.
Let's just tear down the par"lie"ment building altogether and start all over again. Put the new parliement building as far as we can from Quebec. It is the french liberal socialists from Quebec that have wrecked Canada pretty much to the point where Canada may never be able to recover from what those commies have done to Canada for several decades now. The west will work for me.
I'm pretty sure that quebec politicians will still be able to successfully travel to wherever you put it
But the bridge between Ottawa and Hull will become useless .I'm pretty sure that quebec politicians will still be able to successfully travel to wherever you put it
The inside of 24 Sussex is being stripped bare — with no plan to fix it up. — Ottawa Citizen
Now documents from an access-to-information request show the planned changes will make the structure unfit to use for the foreseeable future.
As the old materials come out, they are not being replaced.
The National Capital Commission calls the process “decommissioning,” and adds that “no additional investments beyond decommissioning are planned for the site” until someone figures out whether it will be renovated or torn down.
With all these changes, the National Capital Commission feels it will be safe to let the house sit unfinished until there’s a decision (and a budget) for a long-term fix.
But there’s no money available, and the most recent estimate says it would cost $36.6 million to rebuild 24 Sussex properly, or $40 million to replace it. The NCC says it gets about $3 million a year to maintain and fix six official residences.
For $40,000,000.00 I’m picturing this:
Feds warned about risks of delaying 24 Sussex decision almost a year before it closed
The mansion served as the home for Canada's prime ministers between 1950 and 2015
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Stephanie Taylor
Published May 26, 2023 • 3 minute read
OTTAWA — Almost a year before the closure of 24 Sussex Drive due to disrepair and an infestation of rodents, the chairman of the National Capital Commission’s board of directors warned that further delaying a cabinet decision on the fate of the residence would put the whole structure at risk.
The mansion, which sits on a prime riverfront property a few kilometres from Parliament Hill, served as the home for Canada’s prime ministers between 1950 and 2015.
Concerns about the deteriorating state of the building prompted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family to move into a different official residence after he was elected. For nearly eight years, they have lived at Rideau Cottage, which is on the grounds of nearby Rideau Hall.
Since then, the federal Liberal cabinet has continually deferred making a decision about whether to restore the heritage property.
It’s seen as a bit of a political quagmire. In 2018, Trudeau remarked that no prime minister wanted to spend taxpayer dollars on 24 Sussex.
In January 2022, the NCC board’s chairman Marc Seaman wrote to Filomena Tassi, the then-public services and procurement minister, “expressing concern around the delay of a cabinet decision beyond December 2021 on the future of 24 Sussex Drive.”
The concerns are detailed in a briefing note from the Privy Council Office, the administrative arm of the federal cabinet. It was obtained by The Canadian Press under access-to-information laws.
In the letter itself — sections of which have been redacted — Seaman said he wants to convey “the board’s strong view that continued deferment ⦠carries real risks to both the physical integrity of the building itself and our ability to execute our fiduciary responsibility as stewards of this most important classified heritage building on behalf of all Canadians.”
The property had been used for outdoor receptions in the years since 2015, and staff were still using some rooms.
But in July, Seaman informed the government of the commission’s plans to close the residence entirely, saying the work that needed to happen “by no means pre-empts any future decisions by the federal government regarding the use and purpose of the residence.”
Last fall, a rodent infestation, worries that electrical issues could start a fire and outstanding water damage, among other issues, led the commission to determine that 24 Sussex now posed a health and safety risk to the remaining staff who worked there. The building was officially shuttered to remove aged systems and asbestos.
It will remain closed for at least the next year, after contractors moved in last week to begin that work, according to commission spokeswoman Valerie Dufour. The project is budgeted to cost $4.3 million.
Officials blame the deterioration of the 34-room mansion on consecutive governments’ unwillingness to spend money on repairing and performing proper upkeep of the house, which was first built in 1868.
A spokesman for Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek, who replaced Tassi in the role last August, said Thursday it continues to work with the commission “to develop a plan for the future of 24 Sussex Drive.”
The commission has said the federal government is reviewing options for the property, which sits on more than two hectares and includes a 12,000-square foot main house with 34 rooms, a pool house and two security guard kiosks.
A draft report titled “Revitalizing the Official Residence of the Prime Minister of Canada” — also released to The Canadian Press through access laws — shows that the commission offered the government a series of specific options, including a recommended approach and a list of pros and cons.
However, all the details about those options are redacted.
The documents also identify issues with the home beyond its crumbling physical state. The layout and security measures do not pass muster to serve as a modern prime minister’s residence, which is meant to host international guests and various events, they suggest.
“It is limited in its ability to support official functions and day-to-day activities, with poor accessibility, insufficient-sized rooms and lack of support spaces,” such as barrier-free washrooms, reads one document.
It goes on to say that while roughly 20 per cent of the space is designed for the prime minister and family to live in, privacy is an issue.
“There is no clear separation between the private and official spaces,” it says.
A 2021 report from the commission on the state of its assets said there was $36 million worth of deferred maintenance to complete at 24 Sussex, not including security or other infrastructure upgrades.
torontosun.com
The mansion served as the home for Canada's prime ministers between 1950 and 2015
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Stephanie Taylor
Published May 26, 2023 • 3 minute read
OTTAWA — Almost a year before the closure of 24 Sussex Drive due to disrepair and an infestation of rodents, the chairman of the National Capital Commission’s board of directors warned that further delaying a cabinet decision on the fate of the residence would put the whole structure at risk.
The mansion, which sits on a prime riverfront property a few kilometres from Parliament Hill, served as the home for Canada’s prime ministers between 1950 and 2015.
Concerns about the deteriorating state of the building prompted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family to move into a different official residence after he was elected. For nearly eight years, they have lived at Rideau Cottage, which is on the grounds of nearby Rideau Hall.
Since then, the federal Liberal cabinet has continually deferred making a decision about whether to restore the heritage property.
It’s seen as a bit of a political quagmire. In 2018, Trudeau remarked that no prime minister wanted to spend taxpayer dollars on 24 Sussex.
In January 2022, the NCC board’s chairman Marc Seaman wrote to Filomena Tassi, the then-public services and procurement minister, “expressing concern around the delay of a cabinet decision beyond December 2021 on the future of 24 Sussex Drive.”
The concerns are detailed in a briefing note from the Privy Council Office, the administrative arm of the federal cabinet. It was obtained by The Canadian Press under access-to-information laws.
In the letter itself — sections of which have been redacted — Seaman said he wants to convey “the board’s strong view that continued deferment ⦠carries real risks to both the physical integrity of the building itself and our ability to execute our fiduciary responsibility as stewards of this most important classified heritage building on behalf of all Canadians.”
The property had been used for outdoor receptions in the years since 2015, and staff were still using some rooms.
But in July, Seaman informed the government of the commission’s plans to close the residence entirely, saying the work that needed to happen “by no means pre-empts any future decisions by the federal government regarding the use and purpose of the residence.”
Last fall, a rodent infestation, worries that electrical issues could start a fire and outstanding water damage, among other issues, led the commission to determine that 24 Sussex now posed a health and safety risk to the remaining staff who worked there. The building was officially shuttered to remove aged systems and asbestos.
It will remain closed for at least the next year, after contractors moved in last week to begin that work, according to commission spokeswoman Valerie Dufour. The project is budgeted to cost $4.3 million.
Officials blame the deterioration of the 34-room mansion on consecutive governments’ unwillingness to spend money on repairing and performing proper upkeep of the house, which was first built in 1868.
A spokesman for Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek, who replaced Tassi in the role last August, said Thursday it continues to work with the commission “to develop a plan for the future of 24 Sussex Drive.”
The commission has said the federal government is reviewing options for the property, which sits on more than two hectares and includes a 12,000-square foot main house with 34 rooms, a pool house and two security guard kiosks.
A draft report titled “Revitalizing the Official Residence of the Prime Minister of Canada” — also released to The Canadian Press through access laws — shows that the commission offered the government a series of specific options, including a recommended approach and a list of pros and cons.
However, all the details about those options are redacted.
The documents also identify issues with the home beyond its crumbling physical state. The layout and security measures do not pass muster to serve as a modern prime minister’s residence, which is meant to host international guests and various events, they suggest.
“It is limited in its ability to support official functions and day-to-day activities, with poor accessibility, insufficient-sized rooms and lack of support spaces,” such as barrier-free washrooms, reads one document.
It goes on to say that while roughly 20 per cent of the space is designed for the prime minister and family to live in, privacy is an issue.
“There is no clear separation between the private and official spaces,” it says.
A 2021 report from the commission on the state of its assets said there was $36 million worth of deferred maintenance to complete at 24 Sussex, not including security or other infrastructure upgrades.
Feds warned about risks of delaying 24 Sussex decision almost a year before it closed
The mansion, which sits on a prime riverfront property, served as the home for Canada's prime ministers between 1950 and 2015.
Tear it down. Maybe save some of the pieces. It will cost at least twice as much to rebuild as to build new. Probably more with political interference.
The old building is/was 12,000sq.ft. of small chopped up rooms, on acres of property on the waterfront with groves Maple trees. The property is worth much more than the building.
The current interior fixtures and such are already being stripped out for use or repairs in other ‘heritage’ buildings in Ottawa
Just bring in a trackhoe and a string of gravel trucks and get rid of that dilapidated eyesore….& start from scratch with a hole in the ground.
Something modern, open concept, dual purpose with modern technology & design for a portion of the cost of the Reno’s that were estimated on that address. Done deal.
Not really. The arches and lintels are worth saving but the blocks are mundane. If they were tyndallstone cha-ching...white or red granite a definite booyah but....yeah...anyway.
Despite repeated pleas from heritage advocates, Trudeau has so far signalled he has no plans to save the building.
He's lived since 2015 at Rideau Cottage on the grounds of the Governor General's residence — a relatively small home originally built for an aide.
apple.news
He's lived since 2015 at Rideau Cottage on the grounds of the Governor General's residence — a relatively small home originally built for an aide.
Construction work starts on 24 Sussex — but its future is still in doubt — CBC News
The fate of the prime minister's 34-room official residence is in the hands of Justin Trudeau and his cabinet.
Build a big ass wooden lodge built with old growth western red cedar and Douglas fir with Quebec maple flooring and joinery. It'll outlast concrete and masonry by centuries.