Indigenous involvement, Canadian materials required in restoration of 24 Sussex Drive: Ottawa

Article content

Sussex Drive, along with the rest of Parliament Hill, is the ancestral territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation, with which PSPC said “engagements have been undertaken” and will be reflected in the RFP and “inform the site’s design.”

Article content

24 Sussex Drive in August 2007, when it was home to then-prime minister Stephen Harper and his family. Photo by Mike Carroccetto/Postmedia/File

Article content

As for the design, the RFQ offers little in the way of new details about the work that’s needed to repair and modernize the more than 160-year-old house that became the official prime minister’s residence in 1950 — the last time it had “a comprehensive rehabilitation.”

Article content

“The project shall provide a secure, dignified, functional, and adaptable environment that supports residential, official, ceremonial, and administrative functions while meeting current codes, standards, and operational requirements,” it notes.

Article content

The successful bidder’s “work will include the modernization of building systems, upgrades to meet applicable codes and standards, and the integration of security, sustainability and accessibility requirements.”

Article content

The 35-room, 12,000-square-foot home has been vacant since 2015 when prime minister Stephen Harper left office. His successor, Justin Trudeau, lived there as a child when his father was prime minister but opted to move his own family to Rideau Cottage, across the street on the grounds of the Governor General’s residence at Rideau Hall. Carney and his family followed suit when he was elected last year.

Article content

Article content

Article content

A hallway inside 24 Sussex, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada, in Ottawa June 25, 2026. Photo by Blair Gable //Postmedia

Article content

The National Capital Commission decommissioned the site in 2022.

Article content

The RFQ also doesn’t indicate any construction budget, with PSPC noting it will show up in the RFP. Earlier this year, architects interviewed by National Post estimated that, depending on specifications, the bill for this type of major project could be anywhere between $40 million and $100 million.

Article content

That figure tracks with a requirement for prospective designers to submit a completed “complex building project” worth at least $50 million pre-tax as part of their RFQ response.

Article content

Meanwhile, as of July 27, Canadians had donated about $735,000 toward the project, according to the Rideau Hall Foundation. National Post has contacted it for an updated tally.

Article content

Article content