Commercial Real Estate Broker and Commercial Property Manager Industry Council Update

Summary of activities since August from Terry Engen, Chair

RECA has successfully entered a new licensing year, and I would like to thank the commercial and agri-business licensees from across Alberta who contributed to the success of the renewal period. I know that commercial licensees take the professionalism of their industry seriously, and that they understand the benefits of regulation. I look forward to seeing that professionalism in action as the Industry Council goes about its work this year, and to seeing the industry thrive as we come out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

RECA’s Strategic Planning

The RECA Board has begun the strategic planning process that will ultimately result in a multi-year strategic plan for all of RECA. I urge all commercial and agri-business licensees and stakeholders to let the Industry Council and the Board know what issues, trends, and challenges you see in your day-to-day practice now, and what you anticipate will be issues in the future.

There are many ways you can let your voice be heard, but the most direct method may be the strategic planning form on reca.ca. You can also let the Industry Council know your thoughts by emailing us directly at commIC@reca.ab.ca.

RECA will also be hosting a Broker Forum for commercial and agri-business brokers from across Alberta in the coming weeks. If you are a broker or broker delegate who primarily works in commercial or rural real estate, and you have interest in attending, please send an email to commIC@reca.ab.ca, and we’ll make sure you are on the invite list. The input you can provide directly to RECA through these informal Forums will be used by the Board during strategic planning.

Education Divestment

As with the other Industry Councils, the Commercial Industry Council has been focused on education divestment. There is a lot of work that has already gone in to this major project, and there will be a lot more work to come to achieve the Minister’s deadline of December 1, 2022 to fully divest RECA from licensing education. The Commercial Industry Council has recently worked on and approved for consultation the competency profiles for real estate broker, commercial real estate associate, property manager associate, and rural real estate associate.

Thank you to all of you who provided feedback on these profiles. Some are complete, and others, including the commercial and rural associate profiles, are still available for you to provide feedback. I urge you to do so. These competencies will be used by third-party course providers when the develop their courses. What the competencies are will determine what areas those courses will focus on for creating competent, practice-ready licensees. The competencies will be what your future colleagues will be learning, so I urge you to do your part in self-regulation, and complete these surveys. I understand they are lengthy and at times require a good deal of thought. But in the end, they are the foundational competencies for your industry, and this is your opportunity to take part in self-regulation.