Upcoming Area Meetings
Across the province, area meetings are taking place and I will be in attendance. These meetings are an opportunity for the board leaders to get together and discuss current industry-related issues. The Northeastern area meeting was on September 13th. Others are scheduled for:
Northern area – Sept 18
Southern area – Sept 28
Western area – Oct 11
Central area – Oct 16
Eastern area – Oct 22
2012 Political Affairs Conference
As a former Chair of OREA’s Government Relations Committee I know first-hand that OREA’s annual Political Affairs Conference (PAC) plays a crucial role in carrying the REALTOR® voice to Queen’s Park. I have seen in the past that when members speak in unison about issues that impact home owners and the housing industry, elected officials listen. Most recently, this has been evident from OREA’s Home Ownership Matters Campaign and our successful lobbying against mandatory home energy audits.
This year’s PAC will be held from November 20 to 22 at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Toronto. PAC is designed to give OREA member boards the tools and information they need to advance REALTOR® concerns. Once again, board delegates from across Ontario will travel to Toronto to meet with their local MPPs to discuss various issues of importance to the Ontario real estate industry.
This year, three issues will dominate the discussion. First, the delegates will continue to lobby for an amendment of the Electronic Commerce Act, 2000 to facilitate usage of electronic agreements of purchase and sale. Second, Ontario REALTORS® will keep fighting for the right to form personal real estate corporations. Finally, OREA is to continue pushing for a province-wide registry for former marijuana grow operations.
The conference will feature prominent politicians and public figures, including: Tim Hudak, Ontario Progressive Conservative Party leader; David Caplan, former Ontario health minister; Robert Fisher, a political analyst and broadcast journalist; political pundits Ezra Levant of SunTV and Stephen LeDrew of CP24; and many others.
I am pleased to be part of OREA’s most important advocacy event of the year, where a strong REALTOR® voice makes a difference.
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