NCC wraps up decommissioning work on 24 Sussex Drive

The Canadian prime minister's residence, 24 Sussex, is seen on the banks of the Ottawa River in Ottawa on Monday, Oct. 26, 2015. The Parliament Hill Peace Tower is in the distance. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The abatement and decommissioning work at 24 Sussex Drive is complete, as the National Capital Commission awaits a decision by the federal government on the future of the official residence of the prime minister.

The NCC closed the building to the public in the fall of 2022, with work beginning in 2023 to address health and safety issues and remove "obsolete mechanical, heating and electrical systems."

NCC CEO Tobi Nussbaum told the National Capital Commission's Board of Directors work wrapped up on 24 Sussex Drive over the summer.

"We have, among other things, gotten rid of the heritage materials, we have suppressed hazardous dangers like asbestos, we have removed the mechanical and electrical heating system which was outdated," Nussbaum said in French.

"We have insulated the external walls and installed thermal pumps, electrical thermal pumps, to protect the building."

Nussbaum adds work on the Gate House at 10 Sussex Drive will begin this fall.

The abatement and decommissioning project will cost $4.3 million.

Photos released by the National Capital Commission in the spring showed a gutted 24 Sussex Drive, with bare walls in the building.

The NCC has said the decision to close 24 Sussex Drive to remove asbestos and aging infrastructure was a "necessary approach to eliminate the identified health and safety concerns."

No one has lived at the prime minister's official residence since Stephen Harper and his family in 2015.  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family opted to live at Rideau Cottage on the grounds of Rideau Hall.

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.

In a statement on its website, the NCC says it presented options for the future of the official residence of the prime minister to the federal government and "is awaiting a government decision."

A June 2021 report from the NCC said it would cost $36.6 million to restore 24 Sussex Drive to "good condition."