The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) is launching what it’s calling the most “ambitious” member consultation in its history, inviting each of the 70,000 real estate professionals it represents for their candid opinions on how it can do better.
Recently, the board announced the Your Voice, Our Future campaign, comprised of a membership-wide survey, with focus groups and town halls scheduled for early 2026. Pollara Strategic Insights will conduct the consultation.
In a letter, TRREB president Elechia Barry-Sproule writes that “it has become clear to all of us in TRREB’s leadership that the time has come for a more thorough, scientific and representative understanding of what our Members think.”
She said TRREB will analyze the findings and release an interim report in late winter, followed by a final report in the spring.
“If you have concerns about how we communicate, our professional development programs, our government advocacy, our systems or how TRREB does business in general, this is your opportunity to tell us. Your feedback will help guide the path ahead,” writes Sproule. “We want every Member to know they have a voice, and we want to draw on that collective wisdom as we shape TRREB’s future.”
Q&A with Barry-Sproule
On Nov. 26, Real Estate Magazine requested an interview with Barry-Sproule or another TRREB representative to dig deeper into the intent behind the consultation. Live conversations give reporters the opportunity to ask follow-up questions and have a more meaningful discussion. REM was told that questions would be responded to by email.
Below are Barry-Sproule’s written responses to REM’s questions.
REM: You say it has become clear that TRREB needed a thorough understanding of what members think. How did this become clear?
EBS: Over the past year, I’ve made it a priority to personally respond to Members and to stay close to the issues they are facing day to day. When you do that consistently, patterns emerge. Members were asking more questions about TRREB’s direction, about how decisions are made and about how value is communicated. At the same time, we were seeing an evolving industry with regulatory pressure, new standards for professionalism, and rapid advancements in technology. These shifts affect everyone differently, and we recognized that to lead effectively, we needed more than anecdotal feedback. It became clear that with more than 70,000 Members, we needed a structured, independent and scientific process to fully understand the views across such a diverse community. This consultation is about ensuring that we are listening in a deliberate and meaningful way.
REM: What specific concerns or themes have you heard that signaled a more formal consultation was needed?
EBS: The conversations and emails I’ve had with Members have been incredibly consistent, and several themes stood out. Members want greater transparency, not just about decisions, but about how priorities are set and how TRREB is working on their behalf. They are also navigating a period of intense regulatory change, and many feel the increasing pressure to elevate professionalism and adapt to new requirements. Technology has also been a significant theme, and Members, in addition to wanting key tools, want clarity about where we’re heading. When you put all this together, it reinforced that the moment had arrived for a comprehensive effort to hear from our Members in a structured way.
REM: What concrete changes do you expect this process to influence in 2026 and beyond?
EBS: This engagement will directly shape the next chapter of TRREB’s evolution. The insights Members share will feed into the development of TRREB’s 2026-2028 Strategic Plan and will inform where we invest, how we modernize, and how we prioritize our advocacy work. It will also influence how we communicate value throughout the year, how we strengthen our governance and accountability practices, and how we support Members with the tools and data they need to succeed. This isn’t simply a consultation exercise. This is the foundation for the decisions that will define TRREB’s future direction.
REM: Where do TRREB’s operations or governance structures need improvement to better serve members?
EBS: Members have already given us important signals in past town halls and through direct conversations with the Board of Directors. They want more transparency in how decisions are made, clearer explanations of why priorities are set, and more consistent communication about outcomes. We also know Members want to see a stronger connection between their fees and the value they receive throughout the year. While we’re not pre-determining the results, we are entering this process knowing that strengthening transparency, accountability and communication will be essential.
REM: How will Members be able to track how their feedback is being implemented?
EBS: Transparency is one of the core commitments of this initiative. We will publish an interim report in late winter, sharing what we’ve heard so far. In the spring, we will release a final What We’ve Heard report that outlines both the findings and the specific actions TRREB will take in response. This is the start of a more open, ongoing dialogue about how their voices shape TRREB’s work.
REM: How will you ensure adequate participation from a historically disengaged membership?
EBS: We are taking a fundamentally different approach than in past consultations. By partnering with Pollara Strategic Insights, one of Canada’s leading research firms, we are ensuring this process is methodologically sound, unbiased and inclusive. Beyond the surveys, we are offering multiple participation channels, including focus groups, town halls and virtual sessions. This multi-layered approach gives Members several ways to engage, allowing them to choose the format that best suits their preferences and ensuring historically disengaged voices are heard.
REM: Can members expect more transparency about PropTx’s business plan, leadership and finances?
EBS: PropTx plays a significant role in supporting our Members through MLS services and innovation, and we want to ensure Members understand that work more clearly. As part of this engagement process, we will share more information about PropTx’s priorities, how it supports the MLS ecosystem, and how it works in partnership with TRREB. Members are also encouraged to raise PropTx-related questions in the surveys, focus groups and town halls.
Courtney Zwicker is a digital reporter and associate editor for REM. Based in Atlantic Canada, she has over a decade of experience covering daily business news.
After two consecutive defeats of two consecutive policy initiatives at two consecutive AGM’s … it IS indeed true that the time has come to look behind the curtain.
Another of these sculpted Q&A sessions and $1.05 will get me a McCoffee. Of course, all of the processes will be transparent, inclusive, thoughtful, and so on.
What do members want? How about a board that stops adding features that may not be useful (subjective, but part of our dues) and stops giving information away to for-profit 3rd party services that compete against the members? The information members collect is not used to provide charity to non-members. I can spend a solid hour sculpting a properly thought-out CMA (or CMV, whatever you call it in your corner), and a seller will go to one of many 3rd party sites to quote me the “proper” market price. Does TRREB charge for the stats and sales information used? If they do, let me know how much.
TRREB will spend the money on an expensive survey. Then what? They will do what they want regardless of any member feedback. A “for profit” entity will not work in favor of a member, it works “for profit” at the expense of a member or user.