Former Raptors coach fights Ontario over nearly $700K tax paid on multimillion-dollar home

Former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and his wife are embroiled in a legal dispute with the Ontario government over its refusal to reimburse the couple nearly $700,000 in foreign buyer tax they paid on their Mississauga home.

A notice of appeal dated July 6 and filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice alleges that the provincial government wrongfully denied Nurse and his wife a rebate for a non-resident speculation tax (NRST) they paid when they bought their home in 2021 for $4.65 million.

The provincial tax is applied to residential properties purchased by "individuals who are foreign nationals," according to the province's website.

The notice says Nurse and his wife Roberta "were not the type of real estate speculators the Legislature aimed to address."

The home was the principal residence for Nurse and his wife from 2021 to 2023, according to their appeal.

CBC News reached out to the Ministry of Finance for comment but has not yet received a response.

The notice says that during the time Nurse lived at the property, he and his wife were foreign nationals in Canada. But it also says that Nurse held a foreign national work permit and was employed by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment LTD., the entertainment conglomerate that owns the Raptors, for nearly 10 years.

"Mr. Nurse brought significant economic and social value to the province," the notice of appeal said.

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Nurse led the Raptors to their first-ever championship win in 2019. He was fired in 2023 following a disappointing season when they did not make the playoffs, and then went on to coach the Philadelphia 76ers.

The notice of appeal says that in accordance with provincial rules, Nurse and his wife were eligible for an NRST rebate on the home.

In an email Tuesday, the lawyer representing the couple, Mike Collinge, said the law firm has "no further comment at this time."

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According to the provincial government website, a foreign national can be eligible for an NRST rebate if specific conditions are met, which include: