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There is a certain mad genius in the renovation “plans” for the Centre Block. The estimates of time — 10 years — and cost — $1 billion — are not even that. Not estimates in the sense of what a contractor might provide to bid on a contract. Rather, they are more like an official minimum, with promises from Public Works that they won’t know what needs be done until they rip the building apart.

There are plenty of old buildings in Canada, many of them quite a bit older than the Centre Block. It was completed in 1920, four years after the original was destroyed in the fire of 1916. It is quite likely that four years will pass before Public Works even knows what it plans to rebuild.

Across the land, Canadians entrusted with the care of historic churches, heritage homes and grand public buildings face the same challenges of keeping them safe and bringing their wiring, heating and cooling up to date. It’s never an option to suspend operations for more than a decade to begin exploratory work. It’s never an option to embark on such foolishness without an actual budget.

The Parliamentary renovation is already a grand fiasco. Which arises partly because no one in particular — including members of Parliament themselves — is in charge of the project. And who would want to be, given that it is planned to run overtime and overbudget, even without a schedule or a budget?

The Palace of Westminster in London, rebuilt in 1834 after its own fire, will also be extensively renovated, requiring the House of Commons and House of Lords to meet elsewhere for six years. The Westminster plan though already faced a vote in the Commons last January, and will require an act of Parliament before proceeding some years hence.

Public Works officials have given assurances that it will still be possible to visit the empty buildings. Good. Such a visit may now be more illustrative than in the past.