24 Sussex Drive

24 Sussex Drive / Clockwise from top left: Heritage Ottawa / NCC / Ted Grant, Library and Archives Canada

NEWS UPDATE | MARCH 13, 2025: Trudeau proposes way forward on 24 Sussex problem during final days in power / CLICK HERE  to read the article on the CBC website. His request that an advisory committee be set up to find a long-term solution for the official residence is in keeping with Heritage Ottawa's recommendation in a letter to the Prime Minister in 2019 wherein stated: "Heritage Ottawa respectfully recommends that the Government of Canada appoint a committee headed by a widely respected, non-partisan Chair to make recommendations concerning 24 Sussex and concerning Prime Ministerial accommodation."

On April 4, 2024 the Globe and Mail reported that former prime ministers Jean Chrétien and Stephen Harper proposed a non-partisan solution to the Prime Minister's Office in support of the refurbishment of 24 Sussex Drive. They have volunteered to lead a fundraising campaign to raise money from individuals and businesses "who want the embarrassment to end". The article reports that the initial response was enthusiastic, but was turned down a few days later without explanation.  READ THE ARTICLE HERE.

CLICK HERE to read Heritage Ottawa's letter to the Prime Minister in support of the Chrétien/Harper initiative. 

Heritage Ottawa, the National Trust for Canada, HODI, Carleton's School of Canadian and Indigenous Studies, and the Azrieli School of Architecture have urged the Government of Canada to establish an Official Residences Commission, with an independent governance structure similar to Elections Canada, to ensure that the uses and maintenance of these structures can be assured for the future, free of partisan politics. 

Thank you to those of you who responded to our "Take Action" initiative calling on Canadians to contact the decision-makers to let them know that 24 Sussex Drive is an important national site worthy of investment. 

PANEL OF EXPERTS' DISCUSSION

On February 21, 2024, Heritage Ottawa, in partnership with the School of Canadian and Indigenous Studies, and the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism at Carleton University, and Historic Ottawa Development Inc., hosted a lively panel discussion 24 SUSSEX DRIVE: FROM RESIDENCE TO RETICENCE that examined the constraints and opportunities of rehabilitating 24 Sussex Drive. Moderated by award-winning journalist Andrew Cohen, panelists included The Hon. Sheila Copps, Mark Brandt of TRACE architectures inc., Patricia Kell of the National Trust for Canada, and Marc Denhez of Historic Ottawa Development Inc (HODI).

CLICK HERE to view CPAC's recording of the event. 

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

The heritage value of 24 Sussex is without question:

  • Classified Federal Heritage Building at the confluence of Rideau Falls and the Ottawa River where Indigenous people have encamped from time immemorial before journeying into the interior.
  • Built in 1868 for lumber baron and MP Joseph Merrill Currier, the house is part of a suite of buildings designed in the Gothic Revival Style erected at the time of Confederation.
  • Along with Earnscliffe, and the Parliament Buildings themselves, it forms part of an elegant landscape of structures, located on one of the most dramatic – and iconic – landscapes in Canada that speak to the founding moments of our nation.
  • Purchased by the federal government in 1950, it was refurbished as the Prime Minister's official residence.
  • It is where important decision-makers have met and historic events and decisions have taken place that have shaped our national story.

24 Sussex is managed by the National Capital Commission and is currently undergoing long-overdue basic remediation work.

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF 24 SUSSEX

The rehabilitation of 24 Sussex is also an opportunity for the federal government to demonstrate that the reuse and investment in heritage buildings is the environmentally sustainable solution. Even high profile buildings in its care can be adapted with flexibility, site intensification and thoughtful additions. 

In 2019, Heritage Ottawa wrote to the Prime Minister recommending the appointment of a committee headed by a non-partisan chair concerning the future of 24 Sussex and Prime Ministerial accommodation, in order to reverse its embarrassing state of neglect. 

CLICK HERE to watch "24 Sussex Drive - The Canadian Prime Minister's Residence - Canucks Unlimited Ep.004" on YouTube.

A sampling of the considerable news coverage devoted to 24 Sussex Drive follows. 

 

  • Home games: Why the state of 24 Sussex may become an election issue

    CBC NEWS, By Jonathon Gatehouse

    It's been more than 1,360 days since a Canadian prime minister has lived at 24 Sussex Drive. The way things are shaping up, we won't see one move back in...

  • Heritage Ottawa: Letter to PM | 24 Sussex Drive

    HERITAGE OTTAWA

    On February 6, Heritage Ottawa submitted a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding the future of 24 Sussex Drive. The letter was copied to the leaders of the...

  • Canadian Architect | Editorial: It's Time to Tackle 24 Sussex

    Heritage Ottawa has been advocating for years for the conservation of 24 Sussex Drive, a classified federal heritage building. ( See our recent letter of February 6, 2019 to the PM.) The following...

  • GOVERNMENT RESPONDS TO PETITION E-1778

    HERITAGE OTTAWA

    Last November, Liberal MP John Aldag tabled Petition E-1778 (National Historic Sites) calling upon the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to work with the Minister...

  • It's Time to Get Moving on 24 Sussex

    HERITAGE OTTAWA

    More than ten years have passed since an Auditor General's report called for urgent repairs to 24 Sussex, the official residence of Canada's prime ministers.  Designated by...

  • NCC reveals $55M repair list as new minister leaves decisions on 24 Sussex up to agency

    OTTAWA CITIZEN, By Jon Willing

    The National Capital Commission on Tuesday revealed its spending plan for the $55 million in repair funds earmarked in the last federal budget, but the...

  • 24 Sussex is crumbling ... and now we have the details

    OTTAWA CITIZEN, By Tom Spears

    Memo to the Trudeau family: You’re smart to stay out of 24 Sussex Drive. Engineers say its walls might drop pieces of rock on those who live there.

    ...

  • NCC faces deteriorating assets and lack of funding, audit finds

    CBC NEWS, By Kristy Nease

    The National Capital Commission (NCC) is falling behind on keeping its properties in good condition and didn't properly inform the government about the steps it...

  • NCC Draft Plan backs renewal of PM's official residence at 24 sussex

    OTTAWA CITIZEN, By Don Butler

    Renewing and transforming 24 Sussex Drive is one of the “milestone projects” in the National Capital Commission‘s new 50-year draft Plan for Canada’s Capital...

  • 24 Sussex: Save the history behind those walls

    OTTAWA MAGAZINE, By Arthur Milnes

    For many, the best solution to the 24 Sussex problem is simply to tear it down. But as historian Arthur Milnes argues, we have much more to lose than just...

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