The Peace Tower stands in the distance behind 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa on June 24, 2026. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld
A fundraising campaign to restore 24 Sussex Drive has raised more than $700,000, about 1.5 percent of its $50 million goal, after its first month.
The property, which is the official residence of the prime minister, has been unused since 2015 due to its state of disrepair.
The Rideau Hall Foundation, which is leading the fundraiser, calls the property “a national institution and a symbol of Canada’s democratic continuity.”
The foundation’s president and CEO, Teresa Marques, says the fundraiser is a “transparent, non-partisan campaign that gives all Canadians an opportunity to help restore this important public asset for future generations.”
The foundation says donors who make contributions larger than $25,000 are screened to ensure they are Canadian citizens or permanent residents in Canada. All donor names will be made public, the foundation’s website adds.
Prime Minister Mark Carney first announced the initiative in a press release on June 26, saying that the property is “unoccupied and in critical condition” after “decades of deferred maintenance,” and that Canada has a responsibility to restore it as a national landmark.
“The future of our institutions depends on us leaving them better than we found them,” he says. “We will restore 24 Sussex Drive to a standard worthy of the country it serves.”
The contract for the restoration work is open to bids from eligible Canadian firms, and the winning proposal will be recommended to cabinet by an independent jury convened by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, according to the release.
The jury is to be chaired by veteran architect Moshe Safdie. The winning firm will be announced on July 1, 2027.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lived at Rideau Cottage, a historic two-storey red-brick building located on the grounds of the Rideau Hall complex in Ottawa. Carney also now lives in the iconic heritage home, which was built as a residence for the Secretary to the Governor General.
The property at 24 Sussex Drive was built in 1868 and was acquired by the Canadian government in 1949. Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent became the first prime minister to live at the property when he moved in in 1951.
The residence has not undergone comprehensive renovations since it was converted into the prime minister’s official residence more than 75 years ago.
“This initiative reflects the Rideau Hall Foundation’s nation-building mandate to strengthen and celebrate the institutions that shape our shared public life,” Marques says.
