Smell a Rat: How dead mice forced shutdown of Canada PM’s residence

Everyone could become uneasy if there was a mouse problem. Oddly enough, it can also shut down government properties. After efforts to remove a severe rodent infestation at the Canadian prime minister’s official residence, the limestone-clad house at 24 Sussex Road, set on a cliff above the Ottawa River, left so many carcasses inside the walls and basement that serious concerns emerged regarding the purity of the air inside the home. Let’s take a closer look. Also read: The Big Boom: Why Canada saw its population rise by more than a million Canadian PM’s residence closed due to rodent infestation According to the records obtained by the National Post, the National Capital Commission (NCC), which is in charge of maintaining heritage structures in Ottawa, noted the building’s mouse issue, which caused additional problems. The internal documents from June stated that “there is an important rodent infestation, which can’t be fully addressed until the building envelope issues are resolved.” The interior walls of the property contain harmful asbestos, which cannot be removed till a remediation strategy is in place. “In the meantime, we use bait to control the situation, but that leaves us with excrement and carcasses between the walls and in the attic and basement spaces,” the record said. There were “real concerns with air quality” within the home as a result of the large amounts of decomposing mice and faeces. The NCC closed the residence last year, estimating that it would cost close to C$40 million to renovate and upgrade it. Also read: What are Canada's 'super pigs' and why are they deadly? Other longstanding concerns According to The Guardian, the documents highlight how decades of mismanagement have caused the prime minister’s official mansion to be riddled with mould, cracked windows, malfunctioning plumbing, and an electrical system that is widely considered to be a fire hazard. The documents also mentioned long-standing worries about asbestos and electrical wiring insulation that was deteriorating. “There is a serious risk associated with the electrical systems, which is why we consider the building a fire hazard,” says the note, adding that an incident over the summer with the wiring could have had “devastating and irreparable damage” to the building. The Ottawa Citizen also obtained documents that demonstrate how expensive the residence’s utility bills are even when there are no occupants. In addition to paying C$3,153 (~Rs 1.91 lakh) for gas and C$568 (~Rs 34,581) for water in January, the building’s electric bill came to almost C$5,000 (~Rs 3.04 lakh). The NCC plans to start asbestos and mould cleanup in the spring. However, no official decision has been made on the building’s future. Also read: Over 50 per cent Canadians in favour of reconsidering ties with British monarchy, says survey 24-Sussex Drive – a symbolically important real estate plot 24 Sussex Road, a 35-room, four-floor mansion built in 1896, has been the official residence of the prime minister since 1951 when Louis St. Laurent moved in. In 1986, it was designated as a federal heritage structure, as per National Post. The final prime minister to reside at 24 Sussex was Stephen Harper. Years of Justin Trudeau’s childhood were spent at the mansion while his father served as prime minister, but after assuming office in 2015, he vowed he would not be going back. Although there are no permanent residents living on the expansive estate, garden parties are frequently held on the well-kept grounds. The pool and sauna in the structure, which were added in 1975 at Pierre Trudeau’s request, are “still used on a very frequent basis.” Also read: ‘Sharp rise’ in hate crimes: What prompted the Centre to warn Indians about Canada? “No significant investment” The majority of Canadians, according to a recent Angus Reid Institute survey, favour spending money on the prime minister’s home and attribute inaction to “political cowardice.” According to the NCC report for 2021, “The official residences reflect the nation to Canadians and to foreign visitors, so they must be maintained at a level that reflects the importance of the role of the residents." “However, funding for official residences has been so constrained in the last several decades that properties such as 24 Sussex no longer reflect even this basic standard.” The NCC claims that the portfolio of official houses’ annual capital expenditures average roughly $6.1 million (~Rs 50 crore), which led the commission to put off or postpone urgent repairs and list the condition of 24 Sussex Drive as “serious.” With the exception of a number of emergency repairs and stabilising initiatives throughout the years, according to a briefing note from the NCC to the Privy Council Office in 2022, “no significant investment” had been made in 24 Sussex Road in more than 60 years. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.