Four lucky teenagers were rewarded with scholarships from the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) for sharing their thoughts on the current state of home ownership in Canada.
Now in its 12th year, TREB’s annual Past President’s Scholarship program awards scholarships on behalf of REALTORS® to graduating high school seniors pursuing post-secondary education. Two $5,000 first place scholarships and two $2,500 second place scholarships were awarded this year to Greater Toronto Area students who answered the following topic choices:
- In April 2017, the Ontario government released its Fair Housing Plan, which included the imposition of a 15% Non-Resident Speculation Tax in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area. In your opinion, was it wise to implement this tax on foreign buyers of homes? Why or why not?
- Governments at all levels have announced changes or proposals to address affordability issues when it comes to both ownership and rental housing across the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Do you think recent measures such as a possible Toronto vacancy tax, the new OSFI mortgage stress test for uninsured mortgages, the Ontario Fair Housing Plan, and short-term rental (home sharing economy) regulations in Toronto are adequate to address affordability concerns?
The first place winners are Kristina Miller and Tega Aror, and the second place winners are Alex Hu and Milen Negash.
“Their thoughts on the current state of home ownership include their concern over the imbalance of supply and demand and the resulting high price of housing, that the measures brought in by all levels of government are not working well enough to improve the situation,” said TREB President Garry Bhaura. “However, they all want to believe that solutions can be found and that home ownership can be attainable now, and in the future.”
The scholarship was created in 2007 following the recommendation of TREB’s Education Committee.
Congrats to the winners of TREB’s 2018 Past President’s Scholarship worth $5,000 (two) & $2,500 (two) based on essays on the Ontario Fair Housing Plan, & essays on ownership & rental housing affordability issues in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Details: https://t.co/AS4f1CbN5Q pic.twitter.com/0rlMDvqhJl
— TREB (@TREBhome) August 1, 2018
