Rodents force shutdown of Canadian PM’s official residence, estimated repair cost C$ 36 mn

The estimated cost to fix the property currently stands at more than C$ 36 million.

The official residence of the Canadian prime minister was forced to shut down in 2022 after rodents, especially dead mice, caused a menace on the premises. The house has been vacant since 2015 and, as per the local government, the restoration work would not be an inexpensive affair.

Contrary to the popular belief that political leaders reside in some of the world’s most iconic properties, including the White House or the 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, the fate of the Canadian PM’s official house located at 24 Sussex Drive has fallen prey to rodent infestation.

The property has been home to Canada’s prime ministers for more than 70 years and, in fact, has welcomed personalities like John F Kennedy, Princess Diana, Mikhail Gorbachev. But the house, at present, is empty with dead mice on the inner walls, etc.

In an official statement, the Canadian government deemed the menace building’s “mouse issue which caused additional problems”.

As per Canada’s federal agency that manages the property, the National Capital Commission (NCC), the condition of the house is up in the air with water pipes that are rusted, electrical wiring that is aged and the property nearing a “catastrophic collapse”. The house further lacks central air conditioning.

The estimated cost to fix the property currently stands at more than C$ 36 million.

The latest issue is an “important rodent infestation… that leaves us with excrements and carcasses between the walls and in attic and basement spaces,” as per the NCC, that also has the authority to order shut down of Canadian government properties.

The internal documents from June stated that “there is an important rodent infestation, which can’t be fully addressed until the building envelope issues are resolved.”

The interior walls of the property contain harmful asbestos, which cannot be removed till a remediation strategy is in place.

“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,” the record said.

There were “real concerns with air quality” within the home as a result of the large amounts of decomposing mice and faeces.

The NCC closed the residence last year, estimating that it would cost close to C$40 million to renovate and upgrade it.

According to The Guardian, the documents highlight how decades of mismanagement have caused the prime minister’s official mansion to be riddled with mould, cracked windows, malfunctioning plumbing, and an electrical system that is widely considered to be a fire hazard.

The documents also mentioned long-standing worries about asbestos and electrical wiring insulation that was deteriorating.

“There is a serious risk associated with the electrical systems, which is why we consider the building a fire hazard,” says the note, adding that an incident over the summer with the wiring could have had “devastating and irreparable damage” to the building.

The Ottawa Citizen also obtained documents that demonstrate how expensive the residence’s utility bills are even when there are no occupants. In addition to paying C$3,153 (~Rs 1.91 lakh) for gas and C$568 (~Rs 34,581) for water in January, the building’s electric bill came to almost C$5,000 (~Rs 3.04 lakh).

The NCC plans to start asbestos and mould cleanup in the spring. However, no official decision has been made on the building’s future.

CREDITS-INDIA TODAY

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