Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Friday that the Rideau Hall Foundation, an Ottawa-based charity, will spearhead a fundraising campaign to restore the decaying official prime ministerial residence at 24 Sussex Drive. The 34-room mansion has been unoccupied since 2015 due to severe disrepair, including mould, asbestos, lead contamination, and rodent infestations.
Decades of neglect culminate in safety hazards
Years of deferred maintenance have left 24 Sussex Drive plagued by hazardous materials, persistent mouse infestations that at one point left carcasses and droppings inside the walls, and failing infrastructure. The government said in 2024 that it had removed the hazardous materials and rodents, but major issues remain. The building’s aging infrastructure — outdated wiring, failing heating and cooling systems, poor insulation and deteriorating plumbing — has raised safety concerns. Security shortcomings have compounded those problems, with the residence no longer meeting modern standards to house a Group of Seven leader.
Design competition launched
The government will also kick off a competition to find a Canadian firm to redesign and rebuild the residence. The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada will advise on the competition framework and convene an independent jury chaired by renowned architect Moshe Safdie. The jury will recommend a design to cabinet, with the selected proposal to be announced by July 1, 2027. The winning team will be responsible for both the project’s design and construction.
“I will never, in any event, live in 24 Sussex Drive,” Carney said. “But future prime ministers will undoubtedly need to raise their children here as they lead our country. So we will restore it so they may do so safely and securely.”
Cost and funding
The chosen design will determine the overall cost, but a 2021 report estimated it would cost $36.6 million to restore the residence to “good” condition — roughly $44 million adjusted for inflation. Carney said the Rideau Hall Foundation will seek to raise funds from across Canada so taxpayers don’t have to foot the whole bill. Governments have been reluctant to undertake the renovations, largely due to the optics of spending tens of millions of public dollars on a home for the prime minister amid persistent taxpayer concern about the cost of living, housing and health care.
History of 24 Sussex Drive
24 Sussex Drive has been the official prime ministerial residence for 75 years, but the last leader to live there was Stephen Harper. Its problems predated his tenure, and by the time he left office in 2015, the house had deteriorated to the point that Justin Trudeau was advised not to move in and instead lived in nearby Rideau Cottage. Carney’s office said the design competition aims to find a proposal that will restore the property as a secure, accessible and functional residence, while preserving its heritage character.
