Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Almost a year before the closure of 24 Sussex Drive due to disrepair and an infestation of rodents, the chairman of the National Capital Commission's board of directors warned that further delaying a cabinet decision on the fate of the residence would put the whole structure at risk.
The mansion, which sits on a prime riverfront property a few kilometres from Parliament Hill, served as the home for Canada's prime ministers between 1950 and 2015.
Concerns about the deteriorating state of the building prompted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family to move into a different official residence after he was elected. For nearly eight years, they have lived at Rideau Cottage, which is on the grounds of nearby Rideau Hall.
Since then, the federal Liberal cabinet has continually deferred making a decision about whether to restore the heritage property.
It's seen as a bit of a political quagmire. In 2018, Trudeau remarked that no prime minister wanted to spend taxpayer dollars on 24 Sussex.
In January 2022, the NCC board's chairman Marc Seaman wrote to Filomena Tassi, the then-public services and procurement minister, "expressing concern around the delay of a cabinet decision beyond December 2021 on the future of 24 Sussex Drive."
The concerns are detailed in a briefing note from the Privy Council Office, the administrative arm of the federal cabinet. It was obtained by The Canadian Press under access-to-information laws.
In the letter itself -- sections of which have been redacted -- Seaman said he wants to convey "the board's strong view that continued deferment carries real risks to both the physical integrity of the building itself and our ability to execute our fiduciary responsibility as stewards of this most important classified heritage building on behalf of all Canadians."
The property had been used for outdoor receptions in the years since 2015, and staff were still using some rooms.
But in July, Seaman informed the government of the commission's plans to close the residence entirely, saying the work that needed to happen "by no means pre-empts any future decisions by the federal government regarding the use and purpose of the residence."
Last fall, a rodent infestation, worries that electrical issues could start a fire and outstanding water damage, among other issues, led the commission to determine that 24 Sussex now posed a health and safety risk to the remaining staff who worked there. The building was officially shuttered to remove aged systems and asbestos.
It will remain closed for at least the next year, after contractors moved in last week to begin that work, according to commission spokeswoman Valerie Dufour. The project is budgeted to cost $4.3 million.
Officials blame the deterioration of the 34-room mansion on consecutive governments' unwillingness to spend money on repairing and performing proper upkeep of the house, which was first built in 1868.
A spokesman for Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek, who replaced Tassi in the role last August, said Thursday it continues to work with the commission "to develop a plan for the future of 24 Sussex Drive."
The commission has said the federal government is reviewing options for the property, which sits on more than two hectares and includes a 12,000-square foot main house with 34 rooms, a pool house and two security guard kiosks.
A draft report titled "Revitalizing the Official Residence of the Prime Minister of Canada" -- also released to The Canadian Press through access laws -- shows that the commission offered the government a series of specific options, including a recommended approach and a list of pros and cons.
However, all the details about those options are redacted.
The documents also identify issues with the home beyond its crumbling physical state. The layout and security measures do not pass muster to serve as a modern prime minister's residence, which is meant to host international guests and various events, they suggest.
"It is limited in its ability to support official functions and day-to-day activities, with poor accessibility, insufficient-sized rooms and lack of support spaces," such as barrier-free washrooms, reads one document.
It goes on to say that while roughly 20 per cent of the space is designed for the prime minister and family to live in, privacy is an issue.
"There is no clear separation between the private and official spaces," it says.
A 2021 report from the commission on the state of its assets said there was $36 million worth of deferred maintenance to complete at 24 Sussex, not including security or other infrastructure upgrades.
-----
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2023.
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.