In 2017, the Ontario Real Estate Association celebrates its 95th anniversary. The current membership consists of almost 79,000 brokers and salespeople who are members of the province’s 37 real estate boards across Ontario. OREA serves its members through a variety of publications, educational programs, and special services. The association provides all real estate registration courses in Ontario. The OREA mission is to help Ontario REALTORS®, brokerages, and associations succeed.

Timeline

Here’s a timeline of key events through the decades in the history of OREA:

In 1922, a handful of volunteers formed the Ontario Association of Real Estate Boards (OAREB), with a vision to organize real estate activities province-wide and to bring higher standards to the profession.

After 8 years of lobbying, this small association of fewer than 200 members scored a major victory when the provincial government passed the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act in 1930. This pioneering act required salespeople and brokers to obtain a licence. It marked the start of ongoing efforts to bring standards, respect, and public trust to an emerging profession.

In 1972, the association was renamed the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) and, today, it has almost 79,000 members across the province. However, our mission to focus on professionalism and standards continues to be the driving force behind our progress.

Over the years, the association has faced many challenges and achieved great successes in raising the bar for the profession, protecting consumers, fighting for the rights of REALTORS®, and embracing technology.

Today’s association delivers registration education courses on behalf of the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), represents the interests of members through government relations activities, and promotes the value and professionalism of REALTORS® through communication and public relations initiatives. In addition, we produce standard forms used by members daily in real estate transactions, and we support charitable causes and communities through the OREA Foundation.

Thanks to the commitment of OREA’s founders and the dedicated efforts of volunteers, Ontario real estate professionals are now recognized as among the most knowledgeable and best educated in the world.

OREA has grown from the small group of the 1920s to an association of 79,000 members and 38 real estate board.

Milestones through the decades:

1920s – OAREB is founded to bring province-wide standards to an unregulated, emerging profession.

1930s – The new Real Estate and Business Brokers Act requires salespeople and brokers to obtain a licence simply by registering their name.

1940s – The Canadian Association of Real Estate Boards is established. The issue of rent control, seen as curtailing housing for those engaged in wartime efforts, was on OAREB’s agenda.

1950s – OAREB makes education courses available and basic examinations for registration become law.

1960s – To become a member of any of Ontario’s 42 real estate boards, prospective salespeople must attend 16 lectures and pass a 2½ hour examination. Mandatory education is established.

1970s – OAREB’s mandatory registration education program is extended to include 150 hours of course study. OAREB becomes OREA.

1980s – Mandatory articling is introduced and members are required to complete continuing education within the first two years after registration. OREA begins lobbying for self-regulation.

1990s – OREA publishes a universal agreement of purchase and sale. Written agency disclosure that specifies the persons for whom the salesperson or broker is working is included in the REALTOR® Code of Ethics. OREA and the provincial government sign an historic agreement granting the profession the right to self-management.

2000s – Mandatory continuing education for salespeople and brokers becomes law. Landmark changes are made to the REBBA for the first time in 50 years. Revisions include tougher consumer protection regulations that promise to elevate respect for the real estate profession.

2010s – OREA pushes for amendments to legislation that would require home sellers to provide buyers with home energy audits, secures an exemption for real estate brokers from having to take mortgage brokerage educations courses, and successfully lobbies for better protection of property owners from mining claims.

OREA Presidents

Leaders of OREA have come from all corners of Ontario – from Thunder Bay to Windsor to Ottawa. Here is a list of OREA's leaders from 1922 to 2021: