OTTAWA – Renovating the current residence of Canada’s consul general in New York would have cost $2.6 million and left “fundamental issues,” so the government bought a new $8.8-million condo on “Billionaire’s Row” instead, according to Global Affairs Canada.
New documents filed by GAC to the Commons Government Operations Committee (OGGO) reveal that the department considered 21 luxury properties — including a 47th floor penthouse listed at over $21 million — before settling on the condo it purchased for just under $9 million in Steinway Tower. In late July, MPs from all parties on the committee voted to summon top government officials and Canada’s consul general in New York, retired journalist Tom Clark, to explain GAC’s decision to buy the luxury condo on Manhattan’s “Billionaire’s Row.” The price tag of the new residence has been criticized by opposition parties, with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre even promising to “fire” Clark if elected prime minister.
In a letter to committee members, GAC associate deputy minister Sandra McCardell said concerns about the condition of the current consul general’s residence — located at 550 Park Ave. in Manhattan — were first raised in 2014. The letter does not detail the concerns but notes that it took seven years for the department to finally approve a $1.
8-million renovation project in May 2021, which was then delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years later, the department said the costs .