I’m actually shocked it’s that low - particularly in light of the degree of neglect it’s received.
The 24 Sussex Drive fiasco has gone on way too long due to being way too politicized.
The fact of the matter is that being the leader of a large country comes with risks - you need security. Either we tell PMs to live at home and then try to make their home suitably secure - at immense cost and annoyance to neighbours as there’s now continuous RCMP presence, or, like most countries, we pick one house, get it fit for purpose, and then the current PM gets to live there.
No, it doesn’t need to be gold plated everything a la Trump, but a large, well maintained residence, with room for an on site security detail, staff, and room for hosting obligations does not seem as absurd as any of the alternatives I can think of.
I think the figure is likely low - cost estimates usually are, and there isn’t even a design yet.
They’re probably hoping to exceed the goal, but they’ve kept the door open to using governnent funds if they have to.
