By Alex McCuaig

Real estate

Local real estate board welcomes changes after provincial council turfed

Oct 10, 2019 | 5:12 PM

Medicine Hat, AB – The signs of dysfunction within the agency tasked with overseeing the real estate industry in Alberta were clear, according to the president of the Medicine Hat Real Estate Board (MHREB).

On Wednesday, Service Alberta Minister Nate Glubish executed the primary recommendation of a report commissioned to review the Real Estate Council of Alberta and dismissed its members.

The provincial council develops and enforces industry regulations but spent the vast majority of its time working on internal governance issues rather than developing relationships with industry, according to a KPMG report commissioned by the Alberta Government in January.

Norbert Klaiber, president of the MHREB, said the recent attempt by the provincial council to change regulations pertaining to font sizes in real estate advertising earlier this year was an example of it not being in touch with the industry.

Young minds, big ideas: Elementary students learn about urban planning with 'Box City'

2h ago

HERE'S WHAT TO KNOW

Summer pool hours extended and discounts applied as Big Marble Go Centre upgrades start

Apr 18, 2024

Medicine Hat company drawing in clients with witty signage

Apr 16, 2024

“They were such drastic changes that there was a lack of common sense there,” said Klaiber of the move. “It was fantastic that the minister did step in and corrected that because it certainly would have been a lot of money out of most of our jeans.”

Shortly following the announcement by the council in August regarding new regulations governing , Glubish directed the council to quash the proposed changes.

Klaiber echoed the KPMG report in stating the council wasn’t listening to the concerns of stakeholders.

“We weren’t actually heard at times. People did not understand the situations. Therefor, there was no accountability,” he said. “There are standards and guidelines that just weren’t enforced and we just saw the ball being dropped and so we are just looking forward them being accountable to the government now, new and fresh administrator so we see things moving up to another level.”

If passed, amendments to the provincial Real Estate Act will see the council officially dismissed and have an administrator temporarily run the agency until a new council can be appointed in the spring of 2020.