The federal government’s “
first zero-carbon building” in the National Capital Region, which was built at Rideau Hall and cost Canadian taxpayers over $8 million, had nearly half a million dollars spent on architects’ fees, records indicate.
An Inquiry of Ministry document tabled in Parliament on Jan. 29 showed that 86 separate contracts were issued over 10 years for the construction of the solar-powered warehouse, also known as “the barn,” at the
national historic site and the official residence and office of the Governor General.
“It is a two-level,
zero carbon facility that accommodates both working and storage functions for the operation and maintenance of the Rideau Hall site and grounds,” according to the document obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter.
The design was approved in June 2019. Construction began in July 2020 and wrapped up during the winter of 2021. The 9,300-square-foot building has vehicle storage space, a washing bay, a repair garage working area, a tool and equipment storage area, and additional storage space.
The costs totalled $8,044,718. They included $752,738 to excavators, $497,559 for architects, $196,390 for mechanical and electrical engineers, $62,400 to structural consultants, $22,365 for translators, $19,459 for landscapers, $5,752 to acoustics experts, $2,350 to roofers, and $1,500 to surveyors.
‘A Lot of Money’
The amounts were
disclosed at the request of Tory MP Chris Warkentin, who on Oct. 30, 2023, had
asked, “What were the total expenditures related to the completion of the Barn?”
The “barn” came into the spotlight after the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) earlier that month issued a
commentary titled “Feds build $8 million ‘barn’ at Rideau Hall.” Details of the project emerged from access-to-information
records obtained by the federation.
The records showed that the
National Capital Commission (NCC) managed the project. A federal Crown corporation, the NCC serves as the main federal urban planner in Canada’s Capital Region.
“I don’t know much about farming, but I’m pretty sure my buddies in Brooks can build a barn for a lot less than eight million bucks,”
said CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano in an Oct. 18, 2023,
press release. “It seems like the NCC goes out of its way to spend as much money as possible.”
“I would start by saying that $8 million is a lot of money. The NCC takes the stewardship of all its public funds very, very seriously,” the commission’s CEO Tobi Nussbaum testified.
“I have a responsibility to my board and to the taxpayers of this country to deliver all of the NCC budget as effectively and efficiently as possible.”
‘Detached Garage’
Conservative and Bloc Québécois MPs disputed the testimony.“How can spending $8 million on a barn that houses zero people and provides no economic benefit be a good use of taxpayers’ money?” Tory MP Jake Stewart asked.
“From photos we’ve seen, it looks more like a detached garage with four doors, or a cement building with some solar panels on it,” said Mr. Stewart, who described the project as “ridiculous” when “we have people who literally can’t afford to eat in this country.”
Noting that the building has a freight elevator, Mr. Steward asked Mr. Nussbaum where it goes.
The CEO said, “the elevator goes down into the basement,” adding: “The basement is a place where we store a lot of the materials and equipment. Many of these are of a size and weight that you can’t transport via stairs.”
Mr. Steward criticized the decision, saying that the costs of building an elevator that goes underground are “significantly greater” than building from the ground level up. “Clearly, you failed miserably to get value for money,” he said.
Heritage Site
Bloc Québécois MP Julie Vignola seconded Mr. Steward’s opinion that the building “is actually a garage.”“It looks more like an older building from the 1970s than a heritage building,” Ms. Vignola said. “Had heritage factors been integrated, that might explain the $8 million price tag given the knowledge and expertise that would have been involved.”
The PACP passed a
motion on Nov. 28, 2023, to call on the auditor general of Canada to audit the NCC’s “storage maintenance facility and the impact of deferred maintenance on federal heritage buildings in the national capital region.”
