Realtors across the province have sent a clear message calling for more oversight of the Real Estate Council of Ontario.
On Wednesday, Ontario’s nine largest Realtor boards and associations, representing more than 95,000 of the 100,000 Realtors in Ontario, sent a joint letter to the Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement Minister Stephen Crawford.
The letter urges the government to make RECO subject to independent oversight by the Ontario Ombudsman, noting that the iPro Realty Ltd. case is part of a “troubling pattern” which has “highlighted the need for enhanced transparency and accountability at Ontario’s real estate regulator to improve public confidence and ensure professional integrity.”
The combined statement also endorses the Minister’s commitment to intervene directly, should RECO fail to fulfill its core mandate.
“As Ontario’s largest Realtor associations, we are committed to protecting the public’s confidence in real estate and promoting the highest professional standards in North America,” reads the statement.
The letter is signed by:
- Elechia Barry-Sproule, president, Toronto Regional Real Estate Board
- John DiMichele, CEO, TRREB
- Julie Sergi, chair, Cornerstone Association of Realtors
- Bill Duce, CEO, Cornerstone Association of Realtors
- Paul Czan, president, Ottawa Real Estate Board
- Nicole Christy, CEO, Ottawa Real Estate Board
- Bonnie Looby, president, OnePoint Association of Realtors
- Katrina Steffler, CEO, OnePoint Association of Realtors
- Christine Riley, president, Central Lakes Association of Realtors
- Wendy Giroux, CEO, Central Lakes Association of Realtors
- Dale Marsh, president, London & St. Thomas Association of Realtors
- Bill Madder, CEO, London & St. Thomas Association of Realtors
- Julianna Biondo, president, Windsor-Essex County Association of Realtors
- Krista Gionet, CEO, Windsor-Essex County Association of Realtors
- Lisa Taylor, chair, Niagara Association of Realtors
- Sarah Hart, CEO, Niagara Association of Realtors
- Ken Mazurek, president, Oakville, Milton & District Real Estate Board
- Lorraine McLachlan, CEO, Oakville, Milton & District Real Estate Board
Despite the overwhelming rare cooperation amongst the various Boards to send this message to the Ontario Government, I will point out I did not receive any communication for my opinion. This industry prides itself on consumer protection and advocacy yet rarely ask the members for their opinion on most published policies they engage in. So when the statement is made 90,000 Realtor’s support an action it’s typically less than 200 members who speak on behalf of 90,000 plus agents and brokers.
That letter is the industry scrambling to wash the stain of its direct lobbying influence over REBBA 2002, TRESA and all the years of its own past directors controlling RECO, from themselves.
An ombudsman will not fix the problem, they do not have oversight powers. They are only empowered to investigate complaints made by the public.
It would be shocking to think that this group of nine do not know this. Which is why this comes across as a self-protectionist move.
What is needed is for the industry to be placed under the FSRA or RECO to have the exact same stringent requirements as all FSRA bodies.
Then the premier needs to turn his attention toward regulatory legislation of the boards and provincial associations which in many instances are too authoritarian, fail to represent the members who pay the bills, enact codes that silence members and rewrite by-laws to usurp member rights.
Most of the signees to that letter ought to be sweeping their own house first.
And members ought not to be so gullible but sadly they are.
These boards sat silent for weeks, protecting friends and family, while it was realtors and the public who had to push the story into the media and demand the government intervene.
Now they show up with a joint statement and try to take credit. The gall.
Members don’t need press releases where the list of self/serving board ‘leaders’ is longer than the message itself; we need leadership.
If you’re serious about accountability, stop patting yourselves on the back and call for the CEO and board of RECO to resign. If you can’t do that, maybe YOU should all resign.
I’ll hold my breath.