Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government plans to restore the prime minister’s residence at 24 Sussex Drive by launching a national design competition and fundraising campaign.
The prime minister said the winning design proposal will be announced by Canada Day next year.
Carney said the heritage building is now in a critical state from decades of neglect, and he does not want to see it crumble.
“It has not been cared for with the respect it deserves,” Carney said at a news conference outside the building on Friday.
“After decades of deferred maintenance and neglect, this house sits empty. It has been uninhabitable for more than a decade.”
The 35-room mansion, built in 1896, was abandoned as the official Ottawa residence of the prime minister in 2015.
Taxpayers have since been shelling out tens of thousands of dollars per year to maintain the vacant property.
Carney said 24 Sussex is a “symbol of the office it serves” and that it must serve as a home. While Carney said he will never live in the building, it should be repaired so future prime ministers can inhabit the residence.
The fundraising campaign aims to raise all or most of the costs for the project. It will be managed by the Rideau Hall Foundation.
Carney thanked former prime ministers Stephen Harper and Jean Chrétien for advocating for its renovation.
