Chair’s Message – May 2019

Welcome to this spring edition of the Regulator newsletter. A lot has been happening at RECA. You’ll be able to read information about Council initiatives in the Council Highlights section of this Regulator and read Council’s January, 2019 meeting minutes on the RECA website. I’d like to draw some important Council news to your attention.

Chair-Elect

I’m pleased to announce that Council elected Stan Mills as its Chair-Elect. Stan is an Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA) appointee to Council from industry members who are members of real estate boards outside Edmonton and Calgary. Stan is the real estate broker with Sun City Realty Ltd. in Lethbridge. He brings many years of real estate industry experience and industry knowledge to Council. In addition to being Chair-Elect, Stan also currently serves as Council’s representative on the REIX Advisory Board, and as Chair of RECA’s Hearings Committee. Congratulations, Stan.

Council Committee Chairs

I’m also pleased to announce that the Chairs of all Council committees are in place. You can read more about the Chairs in the Council Highlights section of this Regulator. Congratulations to all Committee Chairs.

Real Estate Act s.76 Review Update

Last fall, the Minister of Service Alberta advised RECA that Service Alberta would conduct a review of RECA under Real Estate Act s. 76. In early 2019, the Minister appointed KPMG as the reviewer. KPMG is reviewing RECA’s governance and operations. Council has been advised that the reviewer has concluded the governance portion of the review and KPMG’s report was submitted to the Minister. The operations review is taking place at this time. Council will provide future updates about the review as information becomes available from Service Alberta.

Inaugural Annual Meeting Webinar

On Monday, May 13, 2019, on behalf of the Council, I’ll be hosting an online event—RECA’s inaugural Annual Meeting—for industry professionals and members of the public. This will be an opportunity to learn about RECA and RECA’s accomplishments this past year. Time will also be set aside for you to ask questions. The Annual Meeting will be a key opportunity for industry professionals to participate in the self-regulation process. We know self-regulation is a privilege. It’s a privilege I appreciate greatly as I’m sure you do, too. I’m looking forward to your interest, support, and participation in this event.

Council will be very interested in your feedback about RECA’s first Annual Meeting webinar. We will contact you for your feedback after the Annual Meeting.

Consultation in Action

In this newsletter you’ll read an update about RECA’s consultations during the past months. As you’re likely aware, Council approved its Consultation Policy in 2018. In all consultations, RECA seeks feedback from industry, consumers, organizations or stakeholder groups. I believe you’ll find the information in the RECA consultation update interesting and helpful. The input RECA receives from its public consultations is very important and is an integral part of RECA’s advancement. The consultation responses and feedback are invaluable to Council’s decision making processes and ultimate decisions. RECA is committed to sharing updates about its consultations with you to show you we are open, transparent and accountable. For information about RECA’s commitment to openness and transparency see RECA’s Statement on Openness and Transparency.

Council appreciates and thanks everyone who has taken the time and energy to respond to its consultations. We will continue to keep you informed.