Canadian Embassy repair cost in Haiti could hit $5M

[grammafreddy]

Embassy repair cost in Haiti could hit $5M

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/02/2 ... bassy.html

Last Updated: Thursday, February 25, 2010 | 4:56 PM ET
The Canadian Press

It could cost as much as $5 million to fix the Canadian embassy in Port-au Prince, which was badly damaged in last month's earthquake.

Diplomats have been working out of makeshift offices in the garage and the few other parts of the building untouched by the quake.

Hasty renovations have already been undertaken to allow embassy staff to treat the enormous demand for entry into Canada.

The federal government has put out a call for tenders to conduct more extensive repairs, and it pegs the value of the work at $1 million to $5 million.

It hopes to award the contract early next month.

The project could include setting up semi-permanent housing for staff who lost their homes.
© The Canadian Press, 2010

Right - spend $5M on an embassy in the poorest country in the world.

Cripes - how stupid.

Send them some container homes and offices. Spend the money on the people that need it. We don't need to impress them with that kind of crap thinking.

[Captain Awesome]

So, you're against fixing buildings destroyed by earthquakes?

[grammafreddy]

So, you're against fixing buildings destroyed by earthquakes?

No - I am against stupidity.

[nolanrh]

This is a long term decision. The embassy will need to rebuilt eventually. Why not now, when the country could most use a proper headquarters for our presence in the country?

It's not about impressing them, embassies are required for efficient international relations between countries. It's about a base of operations for immigration, the resumption of trade, the distribution of government aid. Do it out of a tent some people say, I say set 'em up with what they need to best do their job. May as well be an embassy.

[BVulgaris]

just a question.... is this 5M estimate including marble wall construction? or something more functional?

I havent been in tooo many embassy's but i'll say.... they're quite fancy pancy.

Just wondering.

[Captain Awesome]

Well, let me just say that. I've never been to an embassy located inside of a garden shack. Most of them are located in solid buildings that house numerous people, security personnel, quite a lot of technical gizmo's and tons and tons of paperwork. It would hard to accommodate all of it under a simple tent that Gramma is proposing.

[BVulgaris]

more than understandable that it needs to be a secure building.... the US embassy in Singapore is quite impressive with its glass shards cemented into the top of the 12ft or so tall wall. I also beleive it has an underground bunker in case of emergencies.

Im wondering why a facility like that requires 5 million... the building alone should only be a fraction of that.

Im not for or against at this point, just gathering info

[Lady tehMa]

I wonder how much of that will go to the local economy.