The Department of Foreign Affairs is set to vacate its luxurious embassy in Rome's Villa Grazioli, marking a significant shift in its foreign real estate strategy, says Blacklock's Reporter.This move aligns with an earlier initiative aimed at selling high-cost diplomatic properties abroad.Although the department has not publicly commented on the decision to leave the 19th-century villa, it has issued a notice to Italian realtors seeking new property options. These properties must be “currently available as of 2025 or new projects planned to be completed by 2027.”“The consultant must provide a narrative report in writing with a comprehensive description supported by pictures and maps that will allow the departmental representative to complete a feasibility study for the purpose of the proposed relocation of the Canadian Embassy in Rome,” stated a contractors’ notice.The budget for the move has not been disclosed, and no specific reasons have been given for the relocation. This decision follows a previous Conservative government mandate in 2012 to sell luxury diplomatic properties as a cost-saving measure. Access to Information records revealed that the department had accumulated $3.07 billion worth of real estate, with annual maintenance, taxes, and upgrades costing taxpayers $208 million.Between 2012 and 2015, the department sold over $563 million worth of real estate until the Liberal government halted the practice after the general election. The most valuable property sold was Macdonald House at Grosvenor Square in London, which fetched $530 million at auction.Other properties sold included a $700,000 bungalow for the Consul General in Buffalo, New York, and an $11.7 million mansion in Oslo, which was so expansive it required two housemaids, a cook, and a gardener, with a heating bill of $1,700 a month.Internal records have highlighted the department's extensive real estate holdings. For instance, in Brussels, the department maintained five official residences. “Why does the Government of Canada have five official residences in Brussels?” staff questioned in a 2012 email.In Tokyo, the Canadian embassy, built at a cost of $200 million, was appraised at $111 million following a decline in Japanese real estate prices. The embassy near Akasaka Imperial Palace features a large rock garden, a 233-seat theatre, and a banquet room.In a 2014 memo to then-Foreign Minister John Baird, department managers warned that selling luxury properties could lead to net losses for taxpayers. “While government’s Budget 2012 directed us to sell or right-size a number of Canadian diplomatic properties abroad has only garnered limited attention in Parliament to date, it is possible that such sales may attract scrutiny or criticism in the House or Senate particularly in instances where there may be a perception the government is not obtaining fair value or managing such properties prudently,” stated the memo.
