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Decision on what to do with 24 Sussex took a decade, the donation link took just a day
While it took the federal government more than a decade to come up with a plan for the future of the prime minister’s official residence, the online path to raise private money for 24 Sussex Dr. got off the ground within a single working day.
By midday Monday, the foundation running the government’s efforts to pass the hat around to support the renovation for the 35-room stone mansion had already added a donation path to its website .
The Rideau Hall Foundation did not immediately return calls Monday from National Post, but the Canadian Press reported that the site had already raised more than $100,000 towards the renovation project. The average donation, the report said, was about $257.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the government’s intention Friday to launch an open competition for bids to renovate the historic home, which has been vacant for 11 years. The announcement ended a big part of the decade-old mystery about the future of the prime minister’s official residence, which had been plagued by an array of problems: heating and cooling, outdated wiring, asbestos, water damage, mould, rats, and more practical problems such as insufficient space for offices and events.
Carney said the foundation, a non-partisan charity that aims to support national programming in learning, leadership, and community building, would lead the fundraising effort and establish most of the rules for ethical questions.
When asked about the potential for the fundraising effort opening the government up to possible ethical or conflict breaches, Carney said it’s unlikely that corporate donations or those worth more than 10 per cent of the project’s value would be accepted.
The foundation’s website, however, does not yet appear to offer filters to prevent such donations, or at least easy ways around those principles. Another filter promised by Carney, that only Canadians can donate, presumably to eliminate the risk of foreign interference, appears to be relying on the honor system, asking donors to confirm that they’re “a Canadian citizen or a Canadian permanent resident.”
The site allows for donations, however, to be made in dozens of currencies, including American dollars, Russian rubles and Chinese yuan.
Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, which advocates for democratic reform, said the process has not so far closed all the ethical loopholes, despite already being open for donations.
An individual corporate leader or a corporate-affiliated foundation, for example, could make a hefty donation, Conacher said, as a front for a business seeking influence or trying to curry favour. Only legislation would make the rules legally binding, he added.
Heritage advocates cheered last week’s announcement to renovate and perhaps expand the historic home, but some argued that the government should just pay the bill, instead of trying to raise money to help shrink the costs to taxpayers.
Built in the late 1860s by a lumber baron and MP, the home has been the prime minister’s official residence since 1951 and home to 10 Canadian leaders.
Carney and his predecessor Justin Trudeau instead lived at Rideau Cottage, across the road from 24 Sussex on the grounds of the Governor General’s residence at Rideau Hall.
The big remaining question is whether decision makers opt to complete a modest renovation that makes the building functional for future prime ministers, or whether it plans to create something more elaborate that serves as a national showpiece.
The past two Liberal governments have avoided making a decision about the property for a decade, presumably out of concern to be spending taxpayer dollars on their own leader, particularly during a housing crisis. Carney has emphasized that the restoration will be for future leaders, as the job will extend beyond his time in office.
But the eventual cost will likely present a political challenge. The specific plans chosen for the site will largely dictate the final bill, but it’s a near certainty that any plan will stretch well into the tens of millions of dollars. Five years ago, the National Capital Commission (NCC) said it would cost $36.6 million to restore 24 Sussex Drive to “good condition” and that price tag did not include any grand expansions or new buildings.
In addition to the living areas, the property also features an official guest house, a swimming pool and pool house, a detached garage, and security buildings and small gatehouses at the entrance for security screening.
National Post
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