PM's official residence closed following discovery of walls full of dead rodents
Documents obtained by the National Post detail numerous serious safety concerns about the deteriorating condition of 24 Sussex Drive
Bryan Passifiume, The National Post
Published Apr 03, 2023 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 5 minute read
OTTAWA — Attempts to control a significant rodent infestation at the prime minister’s official residence left so many carcasses within the walls and basement that serious questions were raised about the home’s air quality.
In newly released documents obtained by the National Post via an access to information request, National Capital Commission staff detailed numerous serious safety concerns about the deteriorating condition of 24 Sussex Drive — prompting the decision last fall to close the home and relocate staff still working at the official residence.
“There is an important rodent infestation, which can’t be fully addressed until the building envelope issues are resolved,” the note from late June read.
“In the meantime, we use bait to control the situation, but that leaves us with excrement and carcasses between the walls and in the attic and basement spaces.”
This, the note states, leads to “real concerns with air quality.”
Completed in 1896, 24 Sussex Drive is a 35-room, four-floor mansion that’s served as the prime minister’s official residence since 1951 when Louis St. Laurent moved in. It was classified as a federal heritage building in 1986.
Stephen Harper was the last prime minister to live at 24 Sussex. Current PM Justin Trudeau, who spent much of his childhood in the home when his father was prime minister, has chosen instead to live at Rideau cottage on the grounds of Rideau Hall.
While nobody lives on the property, the grounds are frequently used for functions and garden parties — but even that comes with risks, the report stated.
“Just last week there was a garden party hosting 1,500 people on the day we had tornado warnings for the area,” the notes read.
“If a meteorological event would have occurred, human nature could have led to hundreds of guests rushing into this uninhabitable building, which is a risk we can’t accept.”
Until safety issues prompted the NCC to close the official residence in November, the home was still occupied by six workers — most notably the prime minister’s chef and kitchen staff, who prepared the Trudeau family’s meals and transported them to Rideau cottage.
When questioned where the PM’s meals would be prepared after the residence’s closure, the NCC declined to say — only that staff was being relocated to “another NCC property.”
Any mentions of where the 24 Sussex staff were relocated were redacted in the released documents.
Aside from walls stacked with dead rodents, the presentation also highlighted other safety risks in the residence, including asbestos and decaying insulation on electrical wiring.
“There is a serious risk associated to the electrical systems, which is why we consider the building a fire hazard,” the notes state.
An incident last summer involving electrical arcing in a lighting fixture highlights the dangers of the building’s wiring, which the note says has become dangerous due to disintegrating insulation.
“The electrical system is not only a risk to the users,” the note read.
“If last summer’s incident had occurred at night with no one to report it, devastating and irreparable damage would have ensued.”
Mould, water infiltration, corroding plumbing and asbestos are also listed as urgent concerns.
“This is manageable under normal circumstances, but with the state of this property, there is unfortunately many signs of flaking paint and friable ACM (asbestos-containing materials) which requires considerable and prompt interventions.”
The mansion at 24 Sussex Drive is one of six official residences maintained by the NCC, and is by far in the worst condition.
A 2021 NCC asset portfolio report paints a grim picture of the state of the residence.
“The official residences reflect the nation to Canadians and to foreign visitors, so they must be maintained at a level that reflects the importance of the role of the residents,” the report read.
“However, funding for official residences has been so constrained in the last several decades that properties such as 24 Sussex no longer reflect even this basic standard.”
Capital expenditures for the official residences portfolio average around $6.1 million per year, the NCC maintains, prompting the commission to defer or delay much-needed repairs and to list the condition of 24 Sussex Drive as “critical.”
The report suggested renovations amounting to $36.6 million were needed to restore the home from “critical” to “good” condition.
A 2022 NCC briefing note to the Privy Council Office states “no significant investment” had taken place in 24 Sussex Drive in over six decades, save for a series of emergency repairs and stabilization efforts over the years.
Remediation work to remove asbestos and address faulty wiring is set to being this spring.
According to documents obtained earlier this year by the Ottawa Citizen, the building is still costing taxpayers thousands of dollars in utility bills.
The hydro bill for the residence topped $4,947 in January 2023, along with $3,153 in gas and a $568 water bill.
Despite the home only being used by a handful of staff, the June 2022 note states the residence’s pool and sauna building — commissioned in 1975 by Pierre Trudeau — was “still used on a very frequent basis.”
Questions to the NCC on who used the pool were directed instead to the Privy Council Office, who in turn forwarded the National Post’s query to the Prime Minister’s Office, who didn’t offer a response by press time.
Public sentiment remains split over what to do about 24 Sussex Drive.
An Angus Reid poll conducted earlier this year reported 41 per cent of Canadians are in favour of spending millions to renovate the home, 26 per cent said to tear it down without replacing it, and 33 per cent want to see it torn down and replaced with a modern home and offices.
Franco Terrazzano, federal director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said that there’s no reason why renovations at 24 Sussex Drive should be so expensive.
“The NCC is like the contractor your buddy warns you never to hire because it’s only competent at ballooning the tab,” he said.
“An entire rethink is needed because taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook for multiple mansions for the prime minister, and the leader of the opposition shouldn’t get a taxpayer-funded mansion. The status quo isn’t working and the NCC needs to come back with a plan to sort this mess out that doesn’t cost taxpayers an arm and a leg.”
https://nationalpost.com/news/prime-...nt-infestation
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