Canadian PM urged to move out of dilapidated official home

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

OTTAWA (AFP) — Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his family should move out of their crumbling official residence for more than a year to allow it to be fixed, the nation's auditor general urged Tuesday.

In her annual report, Auditor General Sheila Fraser said 24 Sussex Drive, as well as the governor general's nearby Rideau Hall mansion, were "showing signs of fatigue and wear, and require extensive repair work."

She said the renovations had become "an urgent matter" and would require Harper to find alternate lodging for 12 to 15 months.

The windows, heating and air conditioning, electrical and plumbing systems of 24 Sussex Drive "are nearing the end of their life cycle and are in poor condition," Fraser noted.

At Rideau Hall, the roof,...