Our Leadership Summit and Annual General Meeting (AGM) are fast approaching, and this year’s schedule is packed with elections, rule amendments, awards, discussions and presentations.
REALTORS® and board and association staff from across Canada will gather in Ottawa on April 8 and 9 at the Westin Ottawa for the important event that helps shape the future of how CREA operates on behalf of you, our members.
Voting delegates will elect CREA’s Board of Directors for vacant director-at-large positions and regional director positions before discussing rule changes, including the following:
Three-Way Agreement
The Three-Way Agreement is a foundational principle in the REALTOR® community that ties together REALTORS®, boards, associations and CREA. As CREA’s Bylaws and Rules have evolved over the years, most of the provisions of the Three-Way Agreement have been incorporated. There are only two provisions in the current contracts not included in CREA’s Bylaws and Rules, namely the requirement that:
- boards must include in their bylaws a requirement that all members must also be members of the provincial association and CREA; and
- provincial associations must include in their bylaws a requirement that their members be members of CREA.
The proposed revisions are intended to add those requirements.
REALTOR® Code
An amendment to Rule 3 has been proposed in order to let CREA withhold services and the REALTOR® trademark to those in violation of the REALTOR® Code.
This will allow CREA to build on the REALTOR® Code enforcement done by boards and associations and protect the reputation of REALTORS®. Allowing CREA to take action where there are breaches of the REALTOR® Code will strengthen the REALTOR® brand. A change to the way that the REALTOR® Code is enforced has also been proposed to increase consistency of enforcement across the country. The proposal involves shifting REALTOR® Code enforcement to a single entity in each province and territory, which will be responsible for processing both REALTOR® and consumer complaints.
Billing Practices
Collecting membership fees through local boards and associations is creating issues when it comes to reporting taxes. Current billing practices may contravene the Excise Tax Act. CREA will be proposing rule changes to current billing rules that will address these issues.
Other topics such as term limits for directors and REALTOR® member complaints will also be discussed.
However, it’s not all about governance and rule changes as we honour outstanding REALTORS® from across the country with the Association Executives Network Award of Excellence, the Canadian Commercial Network Merit Award and the National REALTORS Care® Award 2019 Proudly Presented by REALTOR.ca.
Prior to the AGM, a Leadership Summit will be held April 8 and is open to all members. The summit is designed to bring together industry leaders and stakeholders to discuss issues facing the future of real estate in Canada.
For more information and to register, please visit events.crea.ca.
