Queen's Park is falling apart — literally.

That was the message from a Tuesday committee meeting where legislative staff outlined just how decrepit and dangerous the 129-year-old building has become. Lead pipes mean the water is undrinkable. Fire safety systems are "aging," "deficient" and "hazardous." Ancient steam radiators are inefficient and prone to failure, and parts are scarce. And the walls are full of asbestos.

A "full replacement of all major systems" is needed, said Jelena Bajcetic, the director of the legislative assembly's Precinct Properties Branch.

MPP Mike Harris clarified that staff were recommending a "down to the studs" reno.

"Would it be safe to say that we really, really, really need to get this planning started and done now and get moving on things, so that when the time does come, we're not left with a building that we, quite frankly, can't use?" he asked.

"Right," Bajcetic said.

"Yes," said Trevor Day, the executive director of legislative services and deputy clerk.

Do you remember how bad the ceiling in our office was peeling and falling down?

Or that time a whole light fixture fell on your desk?

— Suze Morrison (@SuzeMorrison) November 29, 2022

The project is estimated to take eight years, Day said. The legislature and all of its business — like question period and passing bills — will have to move during that period.

NDP MPP Jessica Bell asked if staff had a cost estimate, ideas for where the legislature will go during the renovations, and when that eight-year period might be.

"At this point, no," Day said.

Government House Leader Paul Calandra's spokesperson, Owen Macri, told QP Briefing there's been lots of talk about where to move, but nothing that's ready to be made public.

Calandra will be the point man for the new renovations and gets a handsome salary bump for doing so.

MPPs have to figure that stuff out — even though "you are going to take flak" for spending millions of dollars on yourself, Day said.

"It’s gonna cost a lot of money. There’s no easy way of saying that. And it's going to take a considerable amount of time," he said. "And there very well may be times when the public is not happy with how that money is being spent."

The scale of the renovations needed has been known for some time. Bajcetic read from a 1991 report: "Life and fire safety systems and accessibility conditions are inadequate to meet today's standards. The roof leaks and the mechanical electrical systems are both inefficient and hazardous. Clearly, the building is showing its age."

The pink palace isn't the only legislative building in need of an overhaul. The federal parliament building's massive renovations are expected to take until 2030.

"This is something that parliaments around the world are looking at," Day said.

MPPs also took the opportunity to ask the experts some questions about Queen's Park.

Liberal MPP Ted Hsu asked who actually owns the building and the land it sits on.

The answer: it's unclear. But it involves the University of Toronto (which predates Confederation), two levels of government and a 999-year lease.

"I think there's some debate over that. And I would default to the government," Day said.

No matter who owns it, the Speaker is legally responsible for the land and building — so there won't be any surprises when they get to work on the renovations, Macri said.

PC MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy was concerned about asbestos.

"Is it to the point of concerning — the longer you're in this building, the more hazardous it can be on us?" she asked. "I don't even know if you're in a position to respond to that, but automatically, when I hear asbestos, I get very nervous. So I'm very nervous right now."

The asbestos is in the walls, so nobody's exposed to it, Bajcetic said. But staff do have to check for asbestos before they fix a leak or paint an office, Day said.

Brampton North PC MPP Graham McGregor asked about parking.

"I'm a suburban member. I think there's a few of us here. One of the things that I've always puzzled me about the building — it's in the heart of downtown Toronto. Many places around here have underground parking. They go underground in order to have more spaces to make it more accessible for people who drive cars. We don't do that at Queen's Park. Could you just explain, just give me a bit of a methodology of, if that's ever been considered, why we have done it, why we haven't done it, what the challenges are there?"

"There's a subway under us," Day said.

"That makes sense," McGregor said, laughing along with much of the room. "I took the GO train today. I did, I did."

Underground parking actually has been considered, but things like electrical systems and fire safety have taken priority, Bajcetic said.

Harris and Treasury Board President Prabmeet Sarkaria were heard razzing McGregor in the hallway after the meeting.

With files from Charlie Pinkerton.

Editor's note: This story was edited after publication to clarify Sarkaria's title.

‘Hazardous’ Queen’s Park needs a multi-year gut job, legislative staff tell MPPs

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