Mark Carney wants your help renovating — and paying for — 24 Sussex Drive

Article content

The competition, which the government is describing as independent, will see the architectural institute provide advice on the competition’s rules and draw on Canadian experts in architecture, heritage conservation, and design. The selected bid will include both design and construction plans.

Article content

The jury will be chaired by architect Moshe Safdie and will lead proposal assessment and recommend the winning design to cabinet. “It’s an extraordinary site,” said Safdie, who has been involved with high-profile Canadian projects such as the National Gallery of Canada and Vancouver Library Square.

Article content

Some Canadian architectural firms are already planning to make bids.

Article content

D’Arcy Jones, principal of Vancouver-based D’Arcy Jones Architects, who has worked on many high-end renovations, said he plans to get involved. “We are definitely interested,” he said Friday.

Article content

Carney emphasized that the renovation will take enough time that he will never be able to live in the official residence, but that the project will be for future generations and prime ministers.

Article content

“We will restore 24 Sussex Dr. to a standard worthy of the country it serves.”

Article content

Article content

While Friday’s announcement kicks off a process expected to lure a range of renovation and rebuild proposals, it also ends a key part of the debate about the future of the prime minister’s residence. One of the ideas in recent years had been to start from scratch and build a new prime minister’s residence on a different site.

Article content

The big question now is whether the winning bid for remaking 24 Sussex will revolve mostly around a renovation or new buildings. The residence has not undergone a comprehensive renovation since it was converted into the prime minister’s official residence more than 75 years ago. Built in the late 1860s by a lumber baron and Ottawa MP, the home was purchased by the federal government in 1949.

Article content

The home at 24 Sussex has been uninhabited for about 11 years due to an wide range of problems, including heating and cooling, outdated wiring, asbestos, water damage, mould, rats, and practical problems such as insufficient space for offices and events.

Article content

But advocates for the residence argue that it is part of Canadian history and has inherent attributes, including its location overlooking the Ottawa River that is picturesque and includes security advantages. It’s also just a couple of kilometres from Parliament Hill.

Article content

Article content

The 12,000-square-foot, 35-room mansion, which sits on a 2.1-hectare property overlooking the Ottawa River, served as the prime minister’s official residence from 1951 to 2015. In addition to the living areas for the prime minister and their family, there’s an official guest house on the grounds, a swimming pool and pool house, security buildings and small gatehouses at the entrance for security screening. Bordered by security fencing and barriers, the grounds also include a detached garage and areas for small outside events. Yet the residence is modest when compared to the official residences of other national leaders.

Article content

Carney, like his predecessor Justin Trudeau, has lived at Rideau Cottage, across the road from 24 Sussex on the grounds of the Governor General’s residence at Rideau Hall.

Article content

Before Friday, Liberal governments have avoided making a decision about the property for the last decade, presumably because they didn’t want to be seen to be spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on their own leader, particularly during a housing crisis. In the meantime, however, millions have already been spent on restorations while the home has been vacant.