Last year, when the British Columbia government made knee-jerk decisions targeted at the real estate profession, the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) took action to ensure that this scenario would not happen here.
Our government relations team, led by CEO Tim Hudak, President Ettore Cardarelli and GRC Chair John Oddi, proactively held targeted meetings with key decision makers. In the 8 weeks leading up to the Ontario Fair Housing Plan, OREA held 16 meetings with Ministers and senior government officials to propose the modernization of the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002 (REBBA).
On April 20th, thanks in large part to the successful advocacy of OREA, Premier Kathleen Wynne committed to studying the professional standards of the industry and announced a full review of REBBA in the Ontario Fair Housing Plan.
Throughout this process, it was clear that the government viewed Ontario REALTORS® as partners in raising the bar of the profession. This was seen during the government’s announcement when Premier Kathleen Wynne said that “we are working with the REALTORS® right now to identify exactly what those practices are and review the rules.” A stark contrast to BC Premier Christy Clark who slammed the profession, immediately banned dual agency and ended self-regulation – all without consultation.
Today, OREA has released a video which highlights how similar concerns with the real estate profession in two provinces resulted in two very different results.
OREA is committed to working with the government during the review of REBBA to ensure that we raise the bar when it comes to education and enforcement, while advocating for the inclusion of specialty designations and personal real estate incorporation. The Association is also set to undertake a comprehensive consultation of the broader membership that will ensure that a modernized REBBA works for the modernized real estate profession. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.
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