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The National Capital Commission‘s chief executive says the country has a”once-in-a-generation opportunity” to create a suitable and sustainable residence for Canada’s prime ministers.
In an interview with the Citizen on Wednesday, Mark Kristmanson opened up for the first time about 24 Sussex Drive. He did not definitively rule out the possibility of tearing down and rebuilding the prime minister’s residence and spoke about the work the NCC is doing to develop a plan for the crumbling official residence.
The prime minister’s residence at 24 Sussex Drive.
For the project to succeed, Kristmanson said, the NCC needs to address ramped-up security concerns, the livability and functionality of the residence, the building’s environmental sustainability, and its status as a national symbol.
The NCC is also exploring ways of taking the cost of maintaining 24 Sussex “out of the political realm,” he said. “We’re learning from some other jurisdictions about what might be done so there’s less pressure on an incumbent prime minister regarding the residence.”
Successive prime ministers have been reluctant to authorize badly needed repairs to 24 Sussex, fearing the political optics of spending public money on their residence.
But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to move his family temporarily into Rideau Cottage, on the grounds of Rideau Hall has “opened the door” to the debate about the official residence, generating an “almost unbelievable level of interest,” Kristmanson said.
“I’m having some quite thoughtful things sent in by heritage architects who’ve done similar projects. We’re viewing this as a kind of once-in-a-generation opportunity to address this.”
Much of the NCC’s effort so far has been directed at reviewing the many past NCC reports and studies on 24 Sussex and distilling them into briefing materials, he said. “That’s essentially where we are right now.” The NCC also needs to do some further studies of the property to address “gaps in our knowledge,” he said.
There’s no timetable yet for when the NCC will brief Trudeau on the options for 24 Sussex. But, Kristmanson said, “it’s a matter that’s taken pretty seriously. Once we’re at the ready point, this will go.”
Though confidentiality rules prevented Kristmanson from disclosing too much about the 24 Sussex project, he said NCC planning needs to take into account security issues, “which are considerable and at a level that was never really discussed in previous decades. This is a new reality we’re in, and a serious one.”
Another issue is that 24 Sussex “has not really worked well as a state residence,” Kristmanson said. “Its state areas are not separated from the private areas. It’s a difficult space for a prime minister and their family to operate in.”
Moreover, the current building is not environmentally sustainable, he said. “It just doesn’t meet even the basic tests, and it’s certainly not emblematic of where we think the built infrastructure of the country should be heading in terms of carbon emissions.”
That offers an opportunity to “measure the success of what’s done with respect to the environment,” Kristmanson said, giving hope to those who have argued the official residence should be a green model for the world.
The NCC must also bear in mind the status of 24 Sussex as a national symbol, a heritage site and a “place of meaning” for Canadians, he said.
Kristmanson did not directly respond when asked if he thought 24 Sussex should be rebuilt or torn down and replaced with a modern building — a debate that has been raging on social media and other public spaces.
However, he noted that 24 Sussex has the highest heritage classification for federal buildings. “It’s not an idle thing when you have these heritage classifications. Whatever decisions are taken have to be taken in that light.”
Though the Huffington Post reported that the NCC had developed a proposal for a $150-million working residence, with offices for staff from the Prime Minister’s Office and the Privy Council Office, Kristmanson said he knew of no such plan. “I’m not aware that we’re working on a massive new complex of some kind.”
He said he didn’t yet know what the NCC will ultimately propose for 24 Sussex. “We’ll develop the best case that we can present. Obviously, it’s a hot issue,” he said.
“I’m hoping that Canadians will take a high-minded view of this — that we should have an appropriate residence for our prime minister. We should take a long-term view of this and, like other countries, invest in those residences so we put our best face forward.”
dbutler@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon
查看原文...
In an interview with the Citizen on Wednesday, Mark Kristmanson opened up for the first time about 24 Sussex Drive. He did not definitively rule out the possibility of tearing down and rebuilding the prime minister’s residence and spoke about the work the NCC is doing to develop a plan for the crumbling official residence.
The prime minister’s residence at 24 Sussex Drive.
For the project to succeed, Kristmanson said, the NCC needs to address ramped-up security concerns, the livability and functionality of the residence, the building’s environmental sustainability, and its status as a national symbol.
The NCC is also exploring ways of taking the cost of maintaining 24 Sussex “out of the political realm,” he said. “We’re learning from some other jurisdictions about what might be done so there’s less pressure on an incumbent prime minister regarding the residence.”
Successive prime ministers have been reluctant to authorize badly needed repairs to 24 Sussex, fearing the political optics of spending public money on their residence.
But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to move his family temporarily into Rideau Cottage, on the grounds of Rideau Hall has “opened the door” to the debate about the official residence, generating an “almost unbelievable level of interest,” Kristmanson said.
“I’m having some quite thoughtful things sent in by heritage architects who’ve done similar projects. We’re viewing this as a kind of once-in-a-generation opportunity to address this.”
Much of the NCC’s effort so far has been directed at reviewing the many past NCC reports and studies on 24 Sussex and distilling them into briefing materials, he said. “That’s essentially where we are right now.” The NCC also needs to do some further studies of the property to address “gaps in our knowledge,” he said.
There’s no timetable yet for when the NCC will brief Trudeau on the options for 24 Sussex. But, Kristmanson said, “it’s a matter that’s taken pretty seriously. Once we’re at the ready point, this will go.”
Though confidentiality rules prevented Kristmanson from disclosing too much about the 24 Sussex project, he said NCC planning needs to take into account security issues, “which are considerable and at a level that was never really discussed in previous decades. This is a new reality we’re in, and a serious one.”
Another issue is that 24 Sussex “has not really worked well as a state residence,” Kristmanson said. “Its state areas are not separated from the private areas. It’s a difficult space for a prime minister and their family to operate in.”
Moreover, the current building is not environmentally sustainable, he said. “It just doesn’t meet even the basic tests, and it’s certainly not emblematic of where we think the built infrastructure of the country should be heading in terms of carbon emissions.”
That offers an opportunity to “measure the success of what’s done with respect to the environment,” Kristmanson said, giving hope to those who have argued the official residence should be a green model for the world.
The NCC must also bear in mind the status of 24 Sussex as a national symbol, a heritage site and a “place of meaning” for Canadians, he said.
Kristmanson did not directly respond when asked if he thought 24 Sussex should be rebuilt or torn down and replaced with a modern building — a debate that has been raging on social media and other public spaces.
However, he noted that 24 Sussex has the highest heritage classification for federal buildings. “It’s not an idle thing when you have these heritage classifications. Whatever decisions are taken have to be taken in that light.”
Though the Huffington Post reported that the NCC had developed a proposal for a $150-million working residence, with offices for staff from the Prime Minister’s Office and the Privy Council Office, Kristmanson said he knew of no such plan. “I’m not aware that we’re working on a massive new complex of some kind.”
He said he didn’t yet know what the NCC will ultimately propose for 24 Sussex. “We’ll develop the best case that we can present. Obviously, it’s a hot issue,” he said.
“I’m hoping that Canadians will take a high-minded view of this — that we should have an appropriate residence for our prime minister. We should take a long-term view of this and, like other countries, invest in those residences so we put our best face forward.”
dbutler@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon
查看原文...
