Ontario REALTORS® gather in Toronto for Annual Ontario REALTOR® Party Conference

REALTORS® all across the province congregated in Toronto yesterday for the 2017 Ontario REALTOR® Party Conference (ORPC) hosted by the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA), to stand up for home ownership and property rights, and meet with their local MPPs. The annual conference was renamed to reflect OREA’s latest initiative, the Ontario REALTOR® Party, an initiative created to advance OREA’s advocacy efforts.

“While the name, Ontario REALTOR® Party, sounds political, it isn’t,” says Ettore Cardarelli, OREA’s 2017 President. “The Ontario REALTOR® Party is a nonpartisan program that will support all political parties and politicians that support the Canadian dream of home ownership,” says Cardarelli.

The party is an innovative initiative to rally and mobilize OREA members to have their voices heard at Queen’s Park. It focuses on recruiting and offering training to REALTORS® who are interested in being more engaged in politics and their local communities. So far, over 2,000 REALTORS® have been recruited and agreed to participate in advocacy efforts in support of REALTOR® and consumer causes.

“OREA has already doubled down on its provincial lobbying efforts, and having the Ontario REALTOR® Party will only make us stronger and our voice louder,” says Cardarelli. “As we’ve seen from our previous successes, like with the Municipal Land Transfer Tax for example, when we work together anything is possible.”

In addition to the Ontario REALTOR® Party launch, conference attendees discussed key provincial policy issues about home ownership and property rights to raise professional standards, modernize the code of ethics, and improve education and continuing education. For example, attendees discussed:

• The Home Energy Rating and Disclosure (HER&D) program, currently being reviewed by the provincial government.
• The Real Estate and Business Brokers Act (REBBA), 2002, reform; a consultation process undertaken by OREA to make member-influenced recommendations to the Ontario provincial government about the future of the Act and the real estate profession.

To learn more about the Ontario REALTOR® Party visit www.ontariorealtorparty.com.
For more information on OREA’s lobby issues, visit the Government Relations section of orea.com.

About the Ontario Real Estate Association
The Ontario Real Estate Association represents 70,000 brokers and salespeople who are members of the 39 real estate boards throughout the province. OREA serves its REALTOR® members through a wide variety of professional publications, educational programs, advocacy, and other services.

About the Ontario REALTOR® Party Conference
Formerly known as the Political Affairs Conference (PAC), the annual Ontario REALTOR® Party Conference (ORPC) offers Ontario REALTORS® a unique opportunity to connect with their MPPs, enhance their understanding of provincial issues, exchange ideas and create dialogue on matters that affect the real estate industry. This year’s three-day event (Nov. 19, 20 and 21, 2017), was held at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Toronto.