Why prestige buyers are eyeing Ontario, the province with English-style manors and no Brexit baggage

Fancy an English country mansion without all the messy Brexit uncertainty? Oakville, one of Canada’s prettiest towns, offers an impressive alternative.

Chelster Hall is set on four hectares on the Lake Ontario waterfront, within commuting distance of central Toronto.

With its classic architecture and old-world craftsmanship, the luxurious six-bedroom home looks like it has been standing for 100 years.

In fact, it was built in 2006 – with all the mod cons of a contemporary prestige home and none of the pitfalls of an actual historic home.

Inside, find a billiards room, dance floor, bowling lane, home cinema, pub-style wet bar, indoor pool and – our favourite spot – a two-storey library with elegant spiral staircase.

Sotheby’s International Realty Canada has hopes of CAD$59 million or about $65.5 million.

Oakville is 40 kilometres south-west of Toronto. The picturesque town is known for its rich maritime heritage, excellent shopping and dining options and vibrant arts scene.

One of its parks was even used for filming The Handmaid’s Tale.

Current market

For Australians, there’s something familiar about recent headlines describing Canada’s property market.

“Canadian Real Estate Bubble Blowing Up North,” declared Forbes last year.

Property prices have soared since the early 2000s, up more than 300 per cent in some cities.

The 2018 UBS Global Real Estate Bubble Index listed Toronto as the third most overvalued housing market out of 20 developed market financial centres.

Sotheby’s reports that prices in Toronto city have remained stable or still rising, while the suburbs have taken a hit from stricter lending rules.

Can Australians buy in?

“Foreigners, including our much-loved cousins in Australia, enjoy the same level of ownership as Canadians,” says Paul Maranger, one of the agents handling the sale.

Overseas buyers who aren’t planning to obtain permanent residency face a 15 per cent tax on property purchases in the greater Toronto area.

There’s also a land transfer tax of about 4 per cent for all buyers.

What you can buy for …

$24.4 million

Saddle up at Kelynack Farm, a world-class equestrian facility on 83 hectares near Lake Ontario, including a renovated Georgian-style residence, rustic cottage, barns, paddocks, racetrack and sprawling grounds.

$21.6 million

Less is more at an Asian-inspired minimalist home in Toronto. The five-bedroom property on about 8000 square metres of land features striking facade screening that moves in the breeze, a resort-style pool and spa area and tennis court.

$11.4 million

Fit for royalty, a 1998-built Queen Anne-inspired home overlooking Lake Ontario offers lashings of classic details, from the limestone and cherry hardwood flooring to mahogany bookcases and vaulted ceilings. Includes a coach house.