Former Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and his wife are at odds with the Ontario government after it refused to reimburse them $697,500 in foreign-buyer tax they paid on their $4.65 million Mississauga home.
According to a notice of appeal filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on July 6, the couple argues that they were legally entitled to a rebate of the Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST). According to their appeal, they were denied because the Ministry of Finance told them they failed to meet residency requirements (somehow).
Essentially, this tax was designed to discourage foreign speculation within Ontario’s real estate market. The notice says that Nurse and his wife Roberta “were not the type of real estate speculators the Legislature aimed to address.”
The appeal also notes that the home was the primary residence of the former Raptors head coach from 2021 to 2023.
Interestingly, the notice also mentions that although he was a foreign national with a work permit, he was employed by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment for nearly 10 years.
“Mr. Nurse brought significant economic and social value to the province,” the notice of appeal argued.
Nurse first joined the Raptors in 2013 as an assistant coach under then-head coach Dwayne Casey, where he was in charge of the offence. Nurse took over as head coach following Casey’s firing in 2018 and led the team to the 2019 NBA Finals, in which they won the championship in six games (good times). Nurse was fired in 2023 and later joined the Philadelphia 76ers as their head coach.
Now, as noted by CBC, a foreign national can qualify for the NRST rebate by initially paying it, becoming a permanent resident within 4 years of the purchase date, and using the property as their primary residence. The notice of appeal states that the Nurse’s application was rejected because the house was not their primary address at the time of application. The appeal was filed in March 2024, and the Nurse’s sold their home in September 2023.