So many dead mice were trapped behind the sagging walls and heaped in the basement of the Canadian prime minister’s official residence that officials decided to shut down the decrepit building last year amid concerns that the air in the mansion was no longer safe to breathe, according to newly released documents.
The limestone-clad house at 24 Sussex Drive, perched on a cliff above the Ottawa River, is one of the country’s most symbolically important and politically fraught plots of real estate.
Last year, the National Capital Commission (NCC), which is tasked with preserving heritage buildings in Ottawa, shut down the residence, estimating the cost of renovating and upgrading at nearly C$40m (US$29.7m, £23.8m).
The documents, obtained by the National Post, underscore the ways in which decades of negligence have left the official residence of the prime minister plagued with mould, cracked windows, failing plumbing and an electrical system widely seen as a fire hazard.
They also highlighted the building’s mouse problem, which created additional headaches for the NCC. shutshirt
Comments