Meet the Hon. Glen Murray, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change

This week we are profiling the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC), the Honourable Glen Murray.

Glen Murray was first elected as the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Toronto Centre in 2010. Murray previously served as the Minister of a number of portfolios, including: Infrastructure; Transportation; Training, Colleges and Universities; and Research and Innovation. Prior to provincial politics, Murray was the Mayor of Winnipeg from 1998 to 2004. He attended Concordia University, majoring in Urban Studies, and has held various positions within the urban planning industry.

MOECC is a Ministry that will have a significant impact on REALTORS®. Last month, the Ontario government and the MOECC introduced the Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP). Included in this plan is a home energy rating and disclosure program (HER&D) which would require a mandatory home energy audit before a homeowner lists their home. The energy rating would then be included in the real estate listing.

OREA has been a vocal participant in discussions surrounding mandatory energy audits. In September 2015, OREA wrote a submission in response to the province’s consultation on the proposed HER&D program. HER&D was also an issue that REALTORS® spoke to their MPPs about during OREA’s 2015 Political Affairs Conference.

OREA will continue to advocate on behalf of REALTORS® and consumers to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change on HER&D, which is scheduled to take effect sometime in 2019. Please stay tuned for further updates on this issue over the coming months.