Well, you know, "contrition" starts with "con," and that's bad. "Attrition" starts with "a," as in "bring your a-game," and that's good -- or maybe he just doesn't know the con-word...

As for the building, unless it's haunted, it's no longer an outpost of the American empire, so that bit of the argument doesn't wash. Maybe it can be a drop-in centre, like the old bank building at the corner of Bathurst and Queen in Toronto; or did that one become a Starbucks?