I find Justin's "listen to the experts" tack heartening, but not nearly as heartening as the PM-elect needing to move their young family because their rental has been sold. It's not the cold brush of reality having to move while out of work would be, but it's a lot more reality than the political class usually seems to experience.
Lots of good symbolism available in "put the house in order", too, especially if they get Rideau Hall done in the bargain.
Because I suspect Reasons for his family renting that place in Rockcliffe Park instead of living there. Reasons not unrelated to the issues with 24 Sussex.
Yeah, there were good reasons. He couldn't live there. The Liberals weren't the official opposition. Mulcair and his wife were living there after he succeeded Layton (and Layton officially occupied it for the short time between the 2011 election and his death).
It will be unoccupied until the Conservatives choose their new leader.
For a moment I forgot it too. Pretty sure this is the first time in Canadian federal history that an incoming PM after a change of party was not the leader of the opposition.
1917, the Unionist Party (coalition of Liberals and Conservatives) which didn't exist before, won, but that doesn't really count. Other than that, your belief is correct.
Rideau Hall has undergone several major renovations over the last few years, so do you mean "finally finish what they've already started"?
Dealing with fifty year old wiring and modern electrical needs is a nightmare. I almost guarantee there are power bars and overloaded circuits galore in that place just for basic living needs, forget any working requirements.
My understanding about Rideau Hall is that there are dozens of buildings on the grounds and the plan hasn't even got to most of those. ("Six greenhouses"; if one of those is an Edwardian wrought-iron greenhouse, as I sort of vaguely recall, it's probably a restoration challenge all by itself.)
Plus the geothermal climate system for Government House is only about half installed -- in the sense of the first phase of the project is done but it's planned to be much larger if the first phase works -- plus whatever else still needs to be done for the interior, which almost has to include electrical as you note. ("tear out the 1913 ornate plaster ceiling? The 1890s carved baseboards?" etc. Figuring out where to run wires is not going to be easy.)
I shouldn't say "finished" about Rideau Hall, really; it's such a vast accreted pile that it probably can't ever be finished in the sense of "no outstanding maintenance". "Much more caught up than presently" might be the better way to put it.
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james_davis_nicoll) wrote2015-10-23 04:36 pm
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Lots of good symbolism available in "put the house in order", too, especially if they get Rideau Hall done in the bargain.
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Because I suspect Reasons for his family renting that place in Rockcliffe Park instead of living there. Reasons not unrelated to the issues with 24 Sussex.
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It will be unoccupied until the Conservatives choose their new leader.
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Dealing with fifty year old wiring and modern electrical needs is a nightmare. I almost guarantee there are power bars and overloaded circuits galore in that place just for basic living needs, forget any working requirements.
no subject
Plus the geothermal climate system for Government House is only about half installed -- in the sense of the first phase of the project is done but it's planned to be much larger if the first phase works -- plus whatever else still needs to be done for the interior, which almost has to include electrical as you note. ("tear out the 1913 ornate plaster ceiling? The 1890s carved baseboards?" etc. Figuring out where to run wires is not going to be easy.)
I shouldn't say "finished" about Rideau Hall, really; it's such a vast accreted pile that it probably can't ever be finished in the sense of "no outstanding maintenance". "Much more caught up than presently" might be the better way to put it.