Earlier this week, RAHB President Jack Loft, CEO George O’Neill, Government Relations (GR) Chair Nic von Bredow, GR Vice-Chair Margaret Reid, and GR Staff Liaison Wendy Stewart attended the Ontario REALTOR® Party Conference in Toronto.

The delegates enjoyed talks/presentations from:

  • Nik Nanos, who spoke on a snapshot of the numbers for Ontario and Canadian Politics
  • David McNaughton, Ambassador of Canada to the United States
  • Three Doug Ford insiders: Melissa Lantsman (Hill & Knowlton), Michael Coates (Rubicon Strategies) and Mike Diamond (Upstream Strategies).
  • Queen’s Park Media Panel: Marieke Walsh (iPolitics), Robert Benzie (Toronto Star) and Alan Carter (Global News)
  • A political pundits panel: Warren Kinsella (Daisy Consulting Group), Kathleen Monk (Earnscliffe Strategy Group) and Char Rogers (Chestview Strategy)
  • The Honourable Doug Ford, Premier and Leader of the PC Party
  • Andrea Horwath, Leader of the NDP
  • John Fraser, Interim Leader of the Liberal Party
  • Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario
  • A panel of new MPPs: Stan Cho (Willowdale), Bhutila Karpoche (Parkdale- High Park) and Stephen Lecce (King-Vaughan)
  • The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Canada’s 22nd Prime Minister

 

The conference also included meetings with MPPs to talk about the issues:

Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002 (REBBA) Reform for:

  • Enforcement
  • Better consumer protection
  • Cutting real estate red tape

 

Tax Fairness for real estate professionals because:

  • The current system is unfair to REALTORS®
  • There is a need to cut additional red tape
  • There will be minimal revenue implications
  • It strengthens consumer protection

Delegates from RAHB met with:

– Paul Miller, MPP for Hamilton East – Stoney Creek

– Effie Triantafilopoulos, MPP for Oakville North – Burlington

– Monique Taylor, MPP for Hamilton Mountain

– Jane McKenna, MPP for Burlington