A house left empty for a decade asks who was supposed to care for it.

There is a house in Ottawa that has stood empty for more than a decade, its windows cracked, its wiring failing, its walls hosting rodents rather than residents. 24 Sussex Drive, the official residence of Canada’s prime ministers, was built in 1867 and expropriated in 1949 to serve as the leader’s home. For years, it has been a political football—too expensive to fix, too embarrassing to ignore, too symbolic to abandon . Now, Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced a plan to restore it through a national design competition and a fundraising campaign managed by the Rideau Hall Foundation. But the announcement has also reignited a quieter debate about the agency that owns and manages the property: the National Capital Commission, and whether it should be overhauled as well .

The NCC is a Crown corporation that reports to Parliament through the Public Works Minister. It manages about 116,000 acres of land in the National Capital Region—roughly 11 percent of the region’s total area, about eight times the size of Manhattan. It is responsible for 1,664 properties, including Rideau Hall, Stornoway, Harrington Lake, and 24 Sussex itself. Its budget from Parliament was $164.3 million in 2025, a 57 percent increase from the previous year .

Supporters say the NCC has made an excellent contribution to presenting the national capital as the country’s heart, not just another city. Former Ottawa city councillor Clive Doucet points to the Greenbelt, Gatineau Park, the Rideau Canal skating rink, and public swimming spots along local lakes and rivers—all attributes that local residents and visitors cherish. Canada is not alone in assigning a special federal body to care for its capital; India, France, Australia, and Brazil have similar arrangements .

But detractors point to a different record. The prime minister’s residence has been vacant for more than a decade, with complaints about heating, cooling, asbestos, mould, and rodents. The long-term pause on deciding its fate can be traced back to the prime minister’s office, but critics argue the NCC has not done enough to maintain its properties. The Toronto Sun editorial board was blunter: “The blame for the parlous state of 24 Sussex rests squarely on the shoulders of the National Capital Commission” . The Canadian Taxpayers Federation noted that the NCC spent $135 million renovating and maintaining official residences from 2006 to 2022—about $8.5 million per year—yet still wanted another $175 million for major renovations .

The governance question is also at issue. The NCC’s board members are appointed, not elected, yet the organization makes important planning decisions about the national capital region. This structure, defenders argue, provides a national perspective on issues that would otherwise be local. Critics counter that it creates a lack of accountability for an agency with substantial power and funding .

Carney’s plan sidesteps some of these tensions by removing decision-making from politicians and placing the renovation in the hands of a design competition and a charitable foundation. But it also raises new questions. The government has not revealed a budget for the project or a ceiling on what taxpayers will owe if the fundraiser falls short. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has called on Carney to guarantee that taxpayers will not be forced to cover runaway costs . Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer said there is an opening for conflicts of interest .

The prime minister’s residence is more than a house. It is a national building of historic significance, a symbol of the office, and a reflection of how Canada presents itself to the world. Whether the NCC is the right organization to steward it—or whether the commission itself needs rebuilding—is a question that the renovation debate has brought into sharper focus.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced a design competition and fundraising campaign to restore 24 Sussex Drive, vacant for over a decade. The plan has renewed debate about the National Capital Commission, which owns and manages the property. Critics point to maintenance failures and governance concerns.

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Sources: National Post, Toronto Sun, Ottawa Citizen, Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Delta Optimist