Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect additional information provided by TRREB after publication. Specifically, TRREB clarified that the proposed dues increase would help offset a $6.5-million decreases in revenue and was intended to address broader financial pressures rather than directly fund the PropTx platform.
Members of the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) have voted against a proposed $60 increase in membership dues for 2025, according to sources.
The decision followed a virtual vote during TRREB’s annual fall meeting on Wednesday morning.
In an email to members obtained by Real Estate Magazine, the proposed dues increase came alongside the launch of TRREB’s unified MLS database. In 2025, TRREB says its expanded PropTx platform will allow members to access a system that consolidates historic and active listings from most of Ontario’s real estate boards.
Proposed dues increase
TRREB outlined the rationale behind the proposed increase. The board cited significant financial pressures, including an 8 per cent membership decline at the start of 2024—the largest since 1991—largely attributed to Realtors no longer needing multiple memberships to access TRREB’s MLS data.
Additional challenges included a slowing pace of new member registrations, reduced revenue from interboard listings (projected at a loss of $500,000 annually), declining interest income and other factors related to a slower market.
TRREB President Jennifer Pearce later clarified that when combined, these factors represent a potential $6.5-million loss in revenue.
Fee increase would have generated $4.5-million for the TRREB
With a membership base of over 75,000, TRREB remains the largest real estate board in Canada. The proposed fee increase would have generated a $4.5-million for the organization.
Last year was inflation, what will next year’s reason be? How many members attended the virtual meeting and how many voted? Was discussion allowed this year?
Important insight in that of the 74,000 members, less than 400 members represented the vote to reject the proposed $60 fee increase. Most attribute the reduction in membership to the imposed mandatory health benefit plan (no dental or vision care) members were forced to pay with no ability to opt out. On principal, members felt this to be excessively undemocratic and in many cases compromised their existing health care plans. After all, Realtors are independent contractors/business operators and being forced to pay for unwanted services in very difficult economic times cost TRREB loss of members.
PropTx should use its own profit to pay for the tools they force upon members.
There are factors whey the TRREB membership reduction. Last year the fee increased for so called ORWP Healthcare Insurance program was useless and it was forced to buy and pay for the useless program. Which I think didn’t benefit to anyone other than who created it.
Attendance of 300-400 at a Virtual (easy to control the microphone) Fall Annual meeting is an indictment of “engagement” with members.
Yes, defeat of Dues Increase is a repudiation of Management (with Board of Directors’ consent) direction and objectives.
NO ONE asked members for agreement on creation of a separate private entity to own the TRREB database – during the Kovid Lockdowns
NO ONE asked TRREB to abstain a portion of its vote at the OREA SGM (thus permitting the approval of the OREA Wellness plan) last year
NOT ONE of the Slate of Recommended Directors was elected last year and the (newly-instituted) Nomination Slate was suspended this year.
NO ONE thinks the “new” REALM access to the Database is intuitive (to Stratus or Matrix users) nor easier-to-use than it’ predecessor.
Many members with over 15 years membership agree that “something is wrong” at TRREB – but they do NOT have a platform to express themselves when controversial topics are dealt with as “omnibus motions” at not-in person Annual Meetings and find it increasingly difficult to get included on Standing Committees and Member Rosters.
Who/ what has gone wrong?
When did TRREB become ‘woke’ (diversity R us and climate change R us)?
What do you want to do about it?
Wow, someone finally telling it like it is, but my friend a won’t matter.
Trib, does what they want?Yes the new computer system of realm is an absolute shameful disgusting program.
Decline in membership may have been largely fueled by this ‘mandatory insurance’ specially in the older demographic of experienced realtors that got less benefit from it due to age. Why is a Real Estate board now in the Insurance business?
1000% tue
Absolutely correct. Realtors in general have had their worst year..income wise. Stands to reason that low income and higher costs to remain a member will encourage Agents to leave. The new health plan was the nail in the coffin.
I wonder what else the TRREB members would vote against if they only had the opportunity.
8 per cent membership decline is more likely caused by mandatory OREA Wellness plan. Let’s see how much increase this plan will cost this year. In my opinion, the $60 increase is much more valuable than OREA and its mandatory wellness plan.
It wasn’t OREA that caused this… look at TREB who forced it through in an effort to get rid of their member life insurance liability… ORWP had to be mandatory so that they could off their mandatory life insurance policy to someone else, despite having more money that OREA.
Membership fees in our associations need to reflect the value of the services and resources provided. If fees remain artificially low, the quality of services will inevitably decline, and the entire membership will feel the impact. This isn’t just about cost; it’s about the value we receive in return. A $60 annual increase represents a modest investment in ensuring that our associations continue to provide the support, advocacy, and tools that help us thrive in an increasingly competitive industry. In my view, that’s a small price to pay for the benefits we all enjoy.
Like any organization, if there is a decline in revenues one must ask if there is a decrease in workload/ volume.
Most organizations would cut cost on personnel.
There are way too many layers in the real estate industry.
There should be one board across each province. If that was implemented it could take on the mandate of OREA and eliminate that as well.
An outside study should be conducted to eliminate redundancy.
This is another get rich and the hell with Realtors.
Realtors WILL PAP PAY PAYYYYYYYYY.
AND T. R. E. B. IS ONLY “ONE” OF THE ASSOCIATIONS, BOARDS, GOVERMENT CONTROLLED ENTITIES that should be chopped at the knees
Realtors fees coul be cut in half if the right people were in those positions.
They are all make work and pentions for ALLLLL of these burocrtic entities.
About 15 years ago OREA proposed dues increase of a mere $10 failed to pass muster at its AGM. Why? A delegate rose to argue the increase was unnecessary given the tens of millions of dollars in OREA balance sheet retained assets. Fortunately, the cards were not dealt in advance on the subject such that local association delegates were mandated to support the proposal.
It is common among NPO’s the directors lack experience as stewards of millions of dollars in assets in relation to risk and reward; indeed, most NPO directors are directed to not take risks. Hence financial operating decisions ignore the balance sheet wealth in favour of revenue increases from members who cannot go elsewhere for services. Such an approach is insensitive. A reality check is much needed, yet unlikely to manifest. ORE lacks the degree of accountability its revenues and assets demand be given.
Governance of multi million dollar revenue generating and substantial balance sheet asset rich ORE is not aligned with the revenue or asset realities. Unlike share capital corporation directors accountability for share value, who among the ORE elected directors have any accountability or skin in the game? Shareholders have regulated rights of ownership and voting, these do not exist in NPO structured ORE.
And too much of member angst is driven toward increasing the items members should decide. This would be utter chaos. Critical decisions ought to be based on substantive factual data and member input about that data assessed by competent and experienced governors. It is not possible for a committee of 75k members to collectively, adequately, understand the foundations for a decision. Nor is it possible for the narrowly experienced collective of REALTORS® who are elected based more on popularity than a skill assessment to demonstrate adequate decision making about significantly outside their experience matters.
The foundation of future success is a fundamental change in structure. Not fundamental changes in the products and services; those changes come from the best in practice decision making. You cannot get right the latter without the former being corrected, IMO.
Board Directors are frankly powerless here. A wholesale change in upper management would be required to liberate members from the deeply ingrained “establishment” elites that run the show.
It is pretty sad that only about 350 members attended the meeting when there are 74,161 members. Questions were asked and several members reported that their question was not answered. I asked how much TRREB is charging each of the other boards for use of their proprietary PropTx services…surely that is offsetting some of the revenue loss?
Nobody attends them any longer because even if they do …No one listens… why waste your time when they’re gonna do whatever the hell they want anyway?
All these associations and boards have been doing this for years … cares.
REALTORS GET WHAT THEY DESERVE. SIT BACK AND WATCH AND THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS
I attended the virtual and had several questions in que waiting for approval which was never given. They only answer questions that they choose. The only time there were several thousand attend a virtual meeting was last year when everyone wanted to vote down ORWP which no one listened to and did what they wanted anyway.
Look what happens when you give realtors a choice! They make smart decisions. Looking at you ORWP.
I find it odd that the mandatory health care plan that most of us didn’t need, majority of members polled said it should be optional & the extra $700/year to maintain your membership with organized real estate wasn’t at least mentioned as a reason for the loss of membership…. Stop brushing the real issues in organized real estate under the rug!
The AGM attendance is clear evidence of the growing disconnect between the board and its members. As a former president of TRREB, it grieves me to see this decline. TRREB has joined the current tendency to favour convenience over communication by having virtual rather than in-person meetings. Lack of real connection leads to mistrust, to the point where board leadership can’t convince the handful of attendees at an AGM to vote in favour of a measly $60 fee increase. The fact is that the vast majority of members only want access to MLS, and that won’t change. Lets create as many opportunities as we can for the members who do care to have their voices heard by the staff and directors of TRREB.
In response to Bill Johnston’s comment it is actually sad that a handful of members at the AGM vs the convenience of TRREB to push forward a fee increase of $60 might be the reality of the whole operating mechanism at TRREB that needs to be reviewed. With 75K members you certainly cannot use a sample of 300-400 members’ opinion as accurate.
However also as Mr. Johnston mentioned that the vast majority of members really want a smooth viable MLS system. I don’t imagine that they ever wished for much more then a platform for practising their trade in real estate. I imagine most realtors would endorse the rule of ‘KISS’ and we are not getting this.
Thank you Bill Johnston for your comments.
TRREB’s Executive Council should feel embarrassed that they could only gather less than 200 votes of support for their motion of increasing dues $60 a year per member. That’s less than 0.3% of the membership to support this motion. I guess they failed to read the roster!!!
I believe the vote result was a direct reaction to the Silencing of the membership over the past year and a half.
In the fall of 2023, TRREB’s actions on the ORWP vote should have lead to a prediction of a large number of members not renewing their 2024 associations membership.
If TRREB had an 8% drop in membership in January 2024, why did they not adjust their expenses to reflect the drop in revenue?
If fact, in September of 2024 they created an Associate CEO position when they should have known that revenues had dropped.
The creation of a “For Profit” entity should have been predicted that their would be further revenue losses as members with dual membership in multiple Boards would be able to opt out of one of the boards and given the way many TRREB members feel, they will be dropping out of TRREB in 2025.
TRREB’s Executive Council needs to recess their priorities for 2025, where they make listening to the members their mandate.
Too many members have questions and concerns and are being SILENCED by the TRREB executives.
ORWP is the main reason and TRREB/RECO/OREA should give us more clarity of why we can’t opt out. REALM is creating issues , system is having lots of issues.Skyslope is another pain, when our old system was fine and working fine , why so many new changes when Realtors are still coping with TRESA and new forms and rule.please someone explain What Realtors are suppose to do with declining sales/income and so much new stuff to handle . Till today MERE posting and payment to c.b has not been explained while form form 202 is gone.So much confusions ?????
Very true: Realm is nightmare. Stratus was a much better system. I honestly don’t understand why a Board would switch a better system with an inferior one.
ORWP should have been an option to chose rather than mandatory. Doesn’t look like TRREB cares much about its members.
Yes there was a decline in membership which was totally TRREBs doing by pushing through a health and wellness plan that wasnt wanted or needed. Furthermore they also gained many members to pay for their PROPTX which is also making someone a lot of money. Also they plan on taking over the whole province and be one board where they will make even more money. In my eyes the fees should be lowered because really what are they doing for us. Everything is for themselves – just like this REALM – we didn’t ask for that and still don’t want it. It is useless – takes so much more time to even find a listing – and that is progress – I don’t thinks so.
A lesson learnt hopefully. This provided an opportunity for some redress by a faction of the several thousand unhappy members for TRREB’s contribution to the imposition of the OWRP……them’s the breaks folks!
I would gladly pay $60 or even $160 more if OREA wasn’t stealing so much for the OWRP. Perhaps its time for TRREB to sell PropTx and use the funds to compensate for OREA’s folly.
TRREB is flush with reserve funds – using it for shortfalls is what it’s for, so what are they doing with it?
On top of the $100 or so they retained in 2023 after ditching the life insurance, they are billing fees to all those boards who agreed to sign up to Proptex – a non-transparent for profit. That newly retained fee, about $67 million, is certainly far more than the $500k they lost and should have anticipated losing through those board members no longer needing to pay for listings. That they want an extra $4 million from the TRREB members for the loss of non-member revenue seems odd as TRREB staff and management have been around long enough to know how to properly budget.
There is no proper financial disclosure on Proptx or for what purpose the very large tech expense that’s still being allocated directly to and not Proptx, is for.
TRREB members are so disconnected with what is going on with their governing bodies, they’re lucky a mere 300+ was engaged enough to vote down the increase this year. Last year they gullibly passed the increase.
TRREB is the first one MANDATING participation in Life Insurance then followed suit by ORWP. Now TRREB members are paying for 2 life insurances.
Whenever there is not enough revenue, the membership fee is increased. If the government does not BAN the boards and associations from selling insurance products via MANDATORY option, there will be more insurance products members have to buy!
It is unethical for these non profit associations to exploit the realtors. Contact you local and parliament member to ban the association from mixing insurance sales with real estates. Right now, the OREA due is 85.7% ORWP dues. It reflects OREA business focus is on administering ORWP because it is now the main stream of revenue. Un-ethnical! There should be a section in TRESA to govern the professionalism of the Local Boards and Associations, including CREA. Tell you MPs.
Correction to above:
“That newly retained fee, about $67 million,”
Should read $6.7 million