Canada's vacant and crumbling official residence 24 Sussex gets a lifeline

The abandoned official residence of Canada's prime minister is getting a lifeline after Mark Carney announced a crowd-funded plan to pay for its multi-million dollar restoration. The plan includes a competition for Canadian architecture firms to submit proposals for the future of 24 Sussex Drive, as well as a call for donations to help fund the project. The restoration costs are estimated at north of C$100m ($71m; £53m) - a price tag that has discouraged previous prime ministers, both Liberal and Conservative, from having taxpayers foot the bill. Lack of political will to maintain the historic building has left it in disrepair, with one expert referring to it as a "national embarrassment". The residence was built in the 19th Century and acquired by the government in 1949, refurbished as an equivalent to the White House or 10 Downing Street, albeit more "modest", said Joseph Clarke, an associate professor of architecture at the University of Toronto. The residence has witnessed key moments in the country's history, and its construction coincided with Canada's emergence as a nation, he said. The structure has been modified over the years from the original Gothic Revival design, Clark