The prime minister’s 16-room lakeside residence costs taxpayers almost $20,000 per month, with vague budget expenses like “pest removal” and “snow and ice control.”. Harrington Lake Prime Minister Residence .Cabinet in an Inquiry of Ministry tabled in the Commons said upkeep of the official residence at Harrington Lake, QC, totalled $1,425,011 in the past six years..Costs averaged $237,502 annually or $19,792 per month..Specific expenses last year included $116,464 for “mowing, snow and ice control, gardens, tree care, and pruning.” .Additional miscellaneous costs marked as “maintenance” were $103,618 for “cleaning, pest control, architectural maintenance, and repairs.” .Another $54,339 was spent on “mechanical and electrical maintenance and repairs.”.Costs were consistent over the period from 2016 to 2022..Figures were requested by Conservative MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay (South Surrey-White Rock, BC), who asked, “What was the total annual budget to operate the residence and property?”.The National Capital Commission (NCC) owns and maintains six official residences, including Harrington Lake. The other five residences are the Prime Minister’s Ottawa residence at 24 Sussex Drive, a home for the Leader of the Opposition, two properties for the Governor General in Ottawa and Québec City, and The Farm in Gatineau, QC, an acreage used by the Speaker of the Commons..The NCC in a statement said it maintains Harrington Lake as “a tranquil place to rest, reflect, and confer in a secure, secluded, and informal setting” for every prime minister since 1958..Costly renovations prompted a public outcry in 2022, according to Blacklock’s Reporter..“I get comments of outrage from my constituents all the time,” Conservative MP Ben Lobb (Huron-Bruce, ON) told a Commons Government Operations committee hearing last June 10.. Ben LobbCourtesy House of Commons TV .Lobb said that taxpayers were “pretty hot” over Access to Information disclosures that a kitchen renovation cost $735,000..“A $735,000 kitchen?” said Lobb..“I am sure you have done some renovations over the years. I have done renovations over the years. I’ve never heard of a $735,000 kitchen.”.“Not even Drake’s kitchen in Toronto cost $735,000,” said Lobb..“What do you get for $735,000?”.The Canadian Taxpayers Federation obtained documents showing renovations at the main Harrington Lake house included $8.7 million by the National Capital Commission, another $2.5 million for a “back-up cottage” on the property and $2.3 million budgeted for security upgrades by the RCMP, a total $13.5 million..“These investments are important,” then-Public Works Minister Filomena Tassi told the Government Operations committee..“We want to ensure the investments we are making specifically in official residences are investments that are responsible, that help us with our gas emissions and greening.”
