Statement from Tim Hudak on Ontario Fair Housing Plan

“Our goal as Realtors is to keep the dream of home ownership within reach for millennials, first-time home buyers and young families. We had over a dozen meetings with Premier Wynne, Finance Minister Sousa, the Honourable Tracy MacCharles, Housing Minister Chris Ballard and other senior staff to bring our ideas on home affordability forward. We’re pleased to see that the government has listened. For one, increasing the supply of homes is the best way to give buyers a better shot at home ownership and the government has committed to working with municipalities to remove the barriers to getting more new homes and listings on the market faster. 

Secondly, since I became CEO of the Ontario Real Estate Association, I’ve worked with my board and Ontario Realtors to call for an overhaul of REBBA, the legislation that sets the rules for Realtors, to raise the bar on professional standards. Since the Act was first implemented in 2002, the real estate world has changed tremendously, therefore the legislation must be updated to catch up with the times. We look forward to working with the government to modernize the rules governing the profession, to help strengthen the sector and make Ontario a leader in real estate transactions and standards. 

Education standards for Realtors must also be improved to ensure that Ontarians are working with highly skilled professionals when buying and selling their home, the biggest financial move most people will make in their lives.”