Carney to make announcement on 24 Sussex Drive on Friday

The residence at 24 Sussex Drive is seen on the banks of the Ottawa River in Ottawa on Monday, Oct. 26, 2015. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)

Prime Minister Mark Carney says there will be an announcement on Friday about the future of 24 Sussex Drive.

No prime minister has lived at the official residence of the prime minister since Stephen Harper in 2015. Carney currently lives at Rideau Cottage on the grounds of Rideau Hall.

Carney was asked about what he would like to see happen with 24 Sussex Drive while speaking with reporters in Ottawa on Thursday.

“Great question. I’ll have a press conference tomorrow to answer that,” Carney said.

A June 2021 report from the National Capital Commission (NCC) said it would cost $36.6 million to restore 24 Sussex Drive to “good condition.”

The NCC closed the building to the public in 2022. It completed abatement and decommissioning work in 2024 to address health and safety issues and remove “obsolete mechanical, heating and electrical systems.” The NCC also conducted an “abatement of designated substances, such as asbestos.”

24 Sussex Drive was built in 1867. The main building includes 34 rooms, as well as another small home at 10 Sussex Drive, a pool house and two RCMP guard houses.

Photos released by the NCC in the spring of 2024 showed a gutted 24 Sussex Drive, with bare walls in the building.

The National Capital Commission’s board of directors approved the national capital core area plan on Tuesday, which includes 24 Sussex Drive.  The recommendations for the residence calls for “renew and possibly transform the official residence for the prime minister of Canada.”

24 Sussex Drive is a classified federal heritage building.

Former prime minister Justin Trudeau and his family opted to live at Rideau Cottage after he was elected in 2015.

In March 2025, Trudeau asked former Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos to develop a plan for a new official residence to replace 24 Sussex.

The letter, obtained by the Canadian Press, showed Trudeau asking Duclos to put together a consultation group to share recommendations on the location, functionality, cost and security requirements for a new official residence for the prime minister.

With files from The Canadian Press

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