Canadian High Commission prepares to move from wooden building

Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 July 2023, 17:46 by Denis Chabrol

The Canadian High Commission is preparing to move out from its decades-long location at Young and High Streets, Kingston to the Pegasus Corporate Centre but an official said on Wednesday no date has been set.

A Canadian High Commission spokeswoman said the colonial era wooden building was no longer safe for use. “We have relocated out of the main chancery building due to the presence of mould and other structural and functional challenges,” the official said, adding that other buildings in the compound were still being used.

The official said the Canadian High Commission’s operations are not yet working out of the Pegasus building because “preparatory works are underway to design the space to meet the High Commission’s needs.”

Canada’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Mark Berman said the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre would meet requirements such as accessibility and security and “offers room for expansion.”

Asked whether the main chancery building would be demolished or if there was a deadline for cleaning and rehabilitation, the Canadian High Commission official said “no decision has been made as yet on the plan for the current chancery” and “an analysis of all options is currently being done.”

Years ago, under the leadership of then Canadian High Commissioner Serge Marcoux, the mission had produced a booklet that features the history of the building.

Georgetown is increasingly losing its unique decades-old wooden buildings to huge concrete structures.