It has no fire sprinklers. Its walls are lined with asbestos. Its plumbing and wiring would not pass muster in any other house in Ottawa. It is drafty. Its air conditioners make a racket. It has, by all accounts, hideous carpeting on the stairs.
It has not had a thorough makeover in half a century. Fixing it in 2006 would have cost $10 million. Fixing it now will certainly cost more. Whenever the repairs begin, the tenants will have to vacate the property for at least a year, probably more. It was not built for its august purpose and it does not bear its burden gracefully. It oppresses its residents—though they are required by the unbreakable codes of populism to deny any problem—and it doesn’t uplift the nation. Frankly it doesn’t even do much for the neighbourhood.
It is the Prime Minister’s residence at 24 Sussex Drive, and it is time to tear the sucker down.
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I think Paul is correct on this situation. Tear it down and erect a pup tent. We’ll save billions.
Why not hold a nation-wide competition for architects for the honour of designing and refurbishing 24 Sussex with a “green” theme? Use geothermal heat & cooling, solar panels and all of the latest technologies to make the Official Residence of the Prime Minister something to behold and make all Canadians proud!!
And a windmill, and a bio-digester toilet for the organic garden. I love it.
“Nah”.. a pup tent is much cheaper. Perhaps a two hole outhouse in the back yard if we really want to splurge.
Winters are mighty cold in Ottawa, Jack… Pup tents don’t offer much in the way of insulation.
I suspect there to be an excess of hot air, just up the river, that could be directed to the pup tent.
This will not happen during a recession while a Conservative government is in power. The opposition will howl and complain about excess spending and point out the “homeless” who don’t have a cardboard box to sleep in tonite. Don’t go there PM Harper. How can the government agency in charge of 24 Sussex, not have fire detectors in the home of the PM and his family? Where’s the Ottawa fire department? Disgraceful.
Tearing it down would be one way to keep guess who out as resident.
They have been talking about all the repairs and updates this house needs for years.
First they have to get all the historical items out and into a museum.