Something wonderful can be developed here.
A nation's most symbolic address has long stood as a quiet monument to institutional neglect — rodent-filled, mould-ridden, and shuttered since 2023. Prime Minister Mark Carney has now called Canada to reckon with that neglect, launching a design competition to restore 24 Sussex Drive not merely as a functional residence, but as a physical expression of democratic identity. In entrusting the process to the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and legendary architect Moshe Safdie, the country is asking what it means to care for the places where governance lives.
- Decades of deferred maintenance have left Canada's official prime ministerial residence a hollow shell of rodent nests, decomposing carcasses, mould, and fire-hazard wiring — a scandal hiding in plain sight on the Ottawa skyline.
- The building's closure in 2023 forced a reckoning that no previous government had been willing to confront, despite warnings as vivid as buckets catching rain through a leaking roof.
- Carney has framed the restoration as a matter of national dignity, launching a formal architectural competition overseen by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada with a jury chaired by Moshe Safdie.
- The winning design will be unveiled on Canada Day 2027 — a deliberately symbolic deadline that ties the fate of the building to the country's sense of itself.
- With estimated costs at C$40 million and rising depending on the chosen design, the project carries both financial uncertainty and political weight Carney himself will not live to inhabit.
For years, 24 Sussex Drive has been less a prime ministerial residence than a cautionary tale. Rodent nests colonized its attic and crawl spaces, carcasses decomposed inside its walls, mould spread through its rooms, and an electrical system deemed a fire hazard finally forced the National Capital Commission to shut the 35-room mansion in 2023. The building that has housed eleven prime ministers since 1951 had been quietly falling apart for decades — a fact made vivid long ago when Jean Chrétien invited reporters inside to watch buckets catch rainwater through the roof.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced this week that Canada will hold a design competition to restore the estate to what he called "a standard worthy of the country that it serves." The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada will oversee the process, with a jury chaired by Moshe Safdie — the architect behind some of Canada's most celebrated buildings — evaluating proposals. The winning design is to be announced on Canada Day 2027, a symbolic choice that frames the restoration as a statement about national identity rather than mere renovation.
The National Capital Commission spent 2023 and 2024 stripping the building of asbestos, mould, lead, and rodent remains, leaving a gutted shell. Estimated costs stand at C$40 million, though the final figure depends on what the chosen design demands. Carney was candid that he will not live in the restored residence himself — the timeline is simply too long — and will continue residing at Rideau Cottage, as Justin Trudeau did before him.
Speaking outside the uninhabitable building, Carney argued that physical spaces carry symbolic weight alongside language, culture, and law. Safdie, for his part, called the site extraordinary and full of potential. For now, 24 Sussex stands empty — waiting, after decades of neglect, for a design that might finally do it justice.
Britain's 10 Downing Street has a chief mouser. Canada's official prime ministerial residence has rodents. For over a decade, while the British have maintained their tradition of a working cat to manage the problem, 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa has descended into a state of decay so severe that nests and vast quantities of feces now occupy the attic, basement, and crawl spaces of the 35-room mansion. Decomposing animal carcasses fill the walls. The building has been empty since 2023, when the National Capital Commission shut it down due to safety hazards that extended far beyond the rodent crisis: mould, cracked windows, failing plumbing, and an electrical system deemed a fire risk.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced this week that the country will hold a design competition to restore the historic estate to what he called "a standard worthy of the country that it serves." The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada will oversee the process, assembling an independent jury of architecture, heritage conservation, and design experts to evaluate proposals. The winning design will be announced on Canada Day 2027—a symbolic choice that underscores how much weight the government is placing on this restoration as a statement about national identity.
The building's troubles are not new. Jean Chrétien, who served as prime minister from 1993 to 2003, once brought reporters to the residence to show them buckets positioned to catch rainwater leaking through the roof. It took a storm that actually blew sections of the roof away to force repairs. The mansion, originally named Gorffwysfa—Welsh for "the place of peace"—has housed eleven prime ministers since the government acquired it in 1951, but it has been treated, by Carney's own assessment, without the respect it deserves. Years of deferred maintenance transformed it from a symbol of democratic tradition into a cautionary tale about institutional neglect.
The National Capital Commission spent 2023 and 2024 stripping away asbestos, mould, lead, and rodent remains, leaving a hollow shell with an estimated C$40 million price tag for full renovation and upgrade. Carney acknowledged on Friday that the final cost remains uncertain, dependent largely on what the winning architectural design will require. He was clear, however, that he himself will not live in the residence once it is restored. The timeline for reconstruction is simply too long to align with the political calendar. Instead, he continues the practice established by his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, of residing at Rideau Cottage, a 158-year-old building originally designed as quarters for the governor general's secretary.
Carney framed the competition as more than a practical necessity. Standing outside the uninhabitable building, he spoke about how institutions and traditions matter, especially in times of global crisis. Buildings, he suggested, are more than structures—they are testaments made of timber and stone in which a country recognizes itself. "24 Sussex Drive will be built by Canadians for Canadians," he said, emphasizing that while identity is rooted in language, culture, and laws, the physical spaces where leaders work and live carry their own weight as symbols.
The jury will be chaired by Moshe Safdie, the legendary architect responsible for many of Canada's most celebrated buildings. When asked about the project, Safdie called the site extraordinary, with extraordinary potential. "Something wonderful can be developed here," he said—a statement that carries both optimism and acknowledgment of how far the residence has fallen. For now, 24 Sussex remains empty, waiting for a design that might finally give it the care it has lacked for decades.
Notable Quotes
24 Sussex Drive will be built by Canadians for Canadians.— Prime Minister Mark Carney
I and all public officials are stewards of the offices we hold. We don't own them. We serve them to serve Canadians and we have a responsibility to leave things better than we found them.— Prime Minister Mark Carney
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a prime ministerial residence matter so much that you'd hold a national design competition?
Because buildings aren't just shelter. They're where the country's leadership lives and works. When one falls into disrepair, it says something about how we value our institutions.
But couldn't they just hire contractors to fix the roof and the plumbing?
They could have, years ago. The fact that they didn't—that it took a rodent infestation and structural collapse to force action—suggests this needs to be more than a repair job. It needs to be reimagined.
Carney won't even live there when it's done. So who is this for?
For the prime ministers who come after him. He's being a steward, not an owner. He's saying: I found this broken, and I'm leaving it better. That's the principle he's articulating.
The cost is C$40 million, maybe more. Is that defensible when people are struggling?
That's the tension the story doesn't fully resolve. But consider: this building has housed eleven prime ministers. It's been neglected for decades. At some point, you either restore it or you don't. Half-measures just delay the inevitable.
Why announce the winner on Canada Day?
Symbolism. It's saying this isn't just infrastructure—it's part of what Canada is. The restoration becomes a national project, not just a government expense.
And if the designs are all terrible?
Then Moshe Safdie and the jury have to decide what "wonderful" actually means for a building that's been left to rot.