Uganda's high commissioner furious over vote to save damaged building

Uganda'shigh commissioner in Ottawa is outraged over a city committee's decision to forbid the demolition of a former consulate building in Sandy Hill that was once home to Lester B. Pearson.

"We are so disappointed by the decision made by the committee, and that ... does not enhance [a] good bilateral relationship between Uganda and Canada," said Joy Achengfollowing the committee's vote Thursday.

The building has cracks from the foundation up to the roof.- Ugandan High Commissioner Joy Acheng

The two-storey red brick building on Cobourg Street is owned by the Ugandan government, and was used as that country's high commission to Canada from 1985until 2014, when it was declared unsafe.

It's been sitting in an increasingly dilapidated state ever since, with serious foundation problems and mould resulting from water damage.

"The committee members were very unfair not to consider the technical report," Achengsaid following the committee's decision to save the building from the wrecking ball.

High commissioner confrontedcouncillor

Achengconfronted Coun. Mathieu Fleury, denying her government had willingly allowed the building to fall into disrepair, instead blaming the crumbling foundation on the unique soil conditions in Sandy Hill.

"The building has cracks from the foundation up to the roof," Acheng said.

The engineer's report pegged the cost of repairing the building at $1 million, far beyond earlier estimates.

"We recognize that maintaining properties, especially heritage properties, can be very costly," said Fleury, who represents the area."It's not an excuse to abandon them and not properly do the repairs that are needed to make the building structurally sound."

But JudahMulalu, the architect hired to design Uganda'snew high commission, disagreed.

"It's past the threshold of reasonable to try to rehabilitate the building," he said. "There has to be some kind of threshold of reason."

Former home of Lester B. Pearson

Committee chair Coun. Tobi Nussbaum and Coun. Marianne Wilkinson were the only committee members to vote in favour of demolition.

Though the building itself doesn't have much in the way of obvious heritage character,it was once the home of former Canadian prime minister Lester B. Pearson, who resided there in 1957, when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his role in the development of the UN's peacekeeping force.

The structure, while not individually designated as a heritage site, is officially designatedunder a section of the Ontario Heritage Act as part of the Wilbrod/Laurier Heritage Conservation District.

If the building is savedit will become part of a "street museum" dedicated to the lives of former prime ministers.

If the city'splannningcommittee and council uphold the sub-committee's decision, the Ugandan high commissionwillhire and lawyer toappeal,the high commissionersaid.