After being on the market for more than a year, the former residence of Canada’s consul general in New York has still not sold and is now listed with over $2 million taken off the asking price.
The now empty 12-room, five-bedroom apartment on Park Avenue was listed in August 2024 at more than $13 million. It is now featured on multiple New York real estate websites for $7.9 million US, or about $10.9 million Cdn.
Last summer, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) bought a new apartment to serve as the official residence for Canada’s consul general to New York, a position that has been held by veteran journalist Tom Clark since February 2023.
The purchase of that new residence, located on “Billionaires’ Row” near Central Park, cost about $9.1 million.
Since the purchase of the new luxury apartment became public in July 2024, the acquisition has been criticized by opposition MPs as overly lavish in light of the cost of living challenges facing Canadians.
The Liberal government defended the decision to get rid of apartment 12 E at 550 Park Avenue, saying it was no longer fit for its purpose and its sale would more than cover the cost of the new residence.
Before the federal election, MPs on the House of Commons government operations and estimates committee said it was wasteful to drop millions on a new luxury condo for the prime minister’s “media buddy” while sticking Canadians with the bill.
The committee has heard from real estate experts, GAC staff, then foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly and Clark, who has appeared twice.
In June, MPs on that same committee voted to reopen their probe into the purchase of the new residence and the sale of the old one.
CBC News has reached out to GAC and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand’s office for comment but has yet to receive a response.
Old residence no longer suitable: GAC
GAC officials told the committee last year that the new condo is smaller and more suitable as an official residence that has to host diplomatic functions.
Robin Dubeau, GAC’s official responsible for real property and infrastructure, told the committee last year that the old property was purchased in 1961 and had not been updated since 1982.
He said it no longer met accessibility standards and much of the infrastructure in the unit was nearing the end of its lifespan — with upgrades to the electrical, heating, ventilation and plumbing needed.
Beyond the structural issues, the committee heard that 550 Park Avenue was a co-operative and members of the board wanted to restrict the use of the apartment for official functions.
Dubeau said that GAC looked at three possible solutions: renovating the current residence at a cost of $2.6 million, leasing a suitable apartment or purchasing a new one.
Dubeau said GAC employed local real estate agents, viewed 21 properties in Manhattan and chose a property on the 11th floor of 111 West 57th Street that he said will cost $115,000 less annually to operate than the 550 Park Avenue residence.
The new apartment, he said, was more flexible in terms of the events it could host and, because it’s new, requires no renovations.
The committee also heard that GAC officials can acquire official residence property outside of Canada without ministerial approval for up to $10 million.
Both Clark and Joly told the committee that they had no say or influence when it came to the decision to buy a new official residence.
