Save it. Tear it down. Sell it. Turn it into something else. Leave the PM at Rideau Hall or move the official residence to one of Ottawa’s other extremely contentious properties. One thing is for sure: We’re not wanting for ideas.Michael Kelen shares my concern that demolishing the heritage building would set a dangerous precedent and thinks it should be saved. “The NCC spent $20 million to restore and preserve the River House,” he notes. “And what a spectacular job it did.
Another reader, Eric Hamelin, sent a long impassioned email in favour of saving 24 Sussex, saying it represents not just the prime minister or federal government, but such values as prestige, honour, pride, strength, stability and democracy. “Twenty-four Sussex Drive needs to be a residence that reflects our national pride,” he says.
The museum, he adds, could host conferences on leadership and historical symposiums and be the repository of prime ministers’ personal papers. Sure, but now I’m thinking of the merchandise in the gift shop and the possibility of youngsters trick-or-treating in Sir Charles Tupper masks. Others, including David Robertson, suggest converting 24 Sussex into a site for official functions, although he’s also amenable to tearing the house down and selling the property.Robertson isn’t the only one who’d welcome the demolition of 24 Sussex.
Roberta Driscoll suggests simply selling the property and using the proceeds to support affordable housing. She doesn’t say where the PM might live, but you can connect the dots.Rideau Hall, the governor general’s official residence, on the grounds of which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau currently resides, plays into some suggestions. John Argus suggests tearing down 24 Sussex, rebuilding a home there for the GG, and giving the Rideau Hall keys to the PM.