Michel Labbé, President and C.E.O., Options For Homes. BES ’75, Urban and Regional Planning.
As president and CEO of the non-profit organization Options for Homes, Mike Labbé has helped over 3700 families achieve home ownership. Labbé is an Urban and Regional Planning graduate who believes home ownership should be available to everyone, and he is dedicated to providing high quality homes to families with annual incomes as low as $20,000.
Options for Homes recently expanded its business model to include green energy and car sharing, giving Options homeowners access to solar hot water heating, heat recovery ventilation systems, and a cooperative car-sharing program.
Since its founding in 1993, Options for Homes has expanded across Canada, the United States and several developing countries. The organization has been recognized for a variety of achievements, including: 2002 CMHC Housing Award – Finance and Tenure; Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation 2004 Co-operative Innovator Award; Ontario Co-operative Association 2007 Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year (finalist); Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship 2007; Tides Top Ten for 2007: Social Justice; Tides Canada 2008 Local Hero Award; Canadian Urban Institute 2009 Pickering Civic Award for Sustainability; and City of Pickering 2010 Affordable Housing Champion , City of Toronto.
Mike Labbé is a nominee for the 2012 Faculty of Environment Alumni Achievement Awards.