Canada’s 24 Sussex Drive gutted in major renovation push

Mark Carney was weighing the future of 24 Sussex Drive as the federal government finished gutting the prime minister’s official residence, stripping out asbestos, mould, dead rodents and obsolete mechanical, heating and electrical systems. The Ottawa property has been vacant since 2015, when Stephen Harper was the last prime minister to live there, and the bill for fixing Canada’s most symbolic government home is part of a broader official-residences maintenance gap estimated at $175 million over 10 years, plus $26.1 million a year in ongoing costs.

24 Sussex has been the official home of Canada’s prime ministers since 1951, but its condition had already been flagged as critical in an October 16, 2018 National Capital Commission report. The residence was officially closed in spring 2023 for abatement and decommissioning work, and by 2024 workers had removed the last major hazards from the interior. It is the only main official residence in the federal portfolio in critical condition.

The broader official residences portfolio was found to have 58% of its assets in poor to critical condition, and the National Capital Commission has invested about $26 million in capital rehabilitation since the 2018 assessment. A 2021 report put deferred maintenance at $36 million.

Rideau Cottage, where prime ministers have lived since 2015, has become a stopgap. A government memo identified it as inadequate for a prime minister’s needs because of its small footprint, limited functional space and security risks tied to its proximity to Rideau Hall and a residential neighborhood. Any rehabilitation plan for 24 Sussex has to balance security, functionality, accessibility, design excellence and heritage preservation.

Carney has called the current state of the house “an embarrassment” and said he wants his successors to live there in some form, even though he does not plan to move in himself. Justin Trudeau asked Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos in March 2025 to develop options for a new official residence by January 2026.

Carney was expected to announce a decision on the property in the coming weeks, and the plan was to include a fundraising campaign, a design competition for Canadian firms and an independent advisory panel. A chosen design was expected to be announced by July 1, 2027.