On Friday, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a plan for the refurbishment of 24 Sussex Drive, overseen by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and paid for through a national fundraising campaign. New photos released on June 25, 2026, show the dilapidated state of the official residence, which has been abandoned since 2015 due to security concerns and other issues.
Severe Rodent Infestation and Fire Hazard
A 2023 report noted that attempts to control a significant rodent infestation at the residence left so many carcasses within the walls and basement that serious questions were raised about the home's air quality. The report stated: “There is an important rodent infestation, which can’t be fully addressed until the building envelope issues are resolved,” adding: “There is a serious risk associated to the electrical systems, which is why we consider the building a fire hazard.”
Mould, water infiltration, corroding plumbing, and asbestos are also listed as urgent concerns. The building’s electrical systems pose a significant fire risk.
Original Name and History
The house at 24 Sussex Drive (originally Sussex Street) was commissioned in 1866 by Joseph Merrill Currier, a Member of Parliament, as a wedding gift for his fiancée, Hannah Wright. He named it Gorffwysfa, a Welsh word meaning “place of rest.”
Legal Fight Over Government Ownership
In the 1940s, foreign governments were buying land near 24 Sussex for embassy space, and the government feared this property might be next. In 1943, it served an eviction notice to the home’s occupant, former MP Gordon Edwards. He fought the order for years. The government offered $125,000 compensation; Edwards demanded $251,000. In 1946, a court settled on $140,000 plus $7,319 in legal costs. Edwards stayed on until he died later that year.
Edwards was also an art collector, and several paintings from his collection that once hung at 24 Sussex can now be seen in the nearby National Gallery of Canada.
Deemed Out of Date Even in the 1940s
Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King thought 24 Sussex would make an excellent “permanent and non-political residence for Canada’s prime ministers,” but others disagreed. At an expropriation hearing, a real estate agent noted that the house, remodelled in the early 1900s, didn’t fit the needs of 1943. In 1949, the Ottawa Citizen wrote that the building was “already old and out of date” with no particular distinction, and was draughty, poorly heated, and inconvenient.
Security Breach in 1995
In the early morning hours of November 5, 1995, a man named André Dallaire sneaked onto the property, broke a window, and got inside while Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and his wife, Aline, were home. The incident highlighted security weaknesses at the residence.
