Advocacy

How REALTORS® Help Prevent Money Laundering in Real Estate: Identifying and Reporting Suspicious Transactions

| January 13, 2021

By: Ellen Baragon, guest contributor Brokerages, managing brokers, compliance officers, brokerage staff and REALTORS® are uniquely positioned to assess certain aspects of a real estate transaction that others may not have access to. By complying with your professional obligations to file a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) and share suspicious transaction information with the Financial Transactions …

BCREA Advocacy 2020 Year in Review

| January 8, 2021

2020 was an eventful year that required BCREA to adapt to many unexpected challenges. As with most British Columbians, the COVID-19 pandemic required changes how we conduct our practices. We have learned just how resilient and adaptable BC’s Realtors can be, showing leadership and coming together to help flatten the COVID-19 infection rate. Below are …

CleanBC Rebates Doubled

| December 22, 2020

To help BC’s economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, many CleanBC rebates are doubled until December 31, 2020. These initiatives will help homeowners save energy and will also help the province meet its new emissions target rate to be 16 per cent below 2007 levels by 2025. The increased rebates are available for: switching from …

New Cabinet Will Lead BC’s Economic Recovery

| December 17, 2020

After the BC NDP won a majority of legislative seats, Premier John Horgan has announced the new provincial cabinet. The BC NDP’s cabinet positions will play a key role in economic recovery and are an important conduit for BCREA to advance our advocacy issues. Below is a summary of ministerial appointments affecting real estate. Hon. …

Regulator Takes a Step to Curb Strata Insurance Costs

| December 3, 2020

Rising insurance costs are a major concern for many of the approximately one-quarter of British Columbia’s residents who live in strata properties. This issue was a significant advocacy point for BCREA during the recent provincial election campaign, and it will continue to be a key issue as we work with the new government. The recent …

Continuing Strata Insurance Issues

| November 30, 2020

Widespread, significant increases in the cost of insurance have plagued many BC strata corporations for more than a year. BCREA and other stakeholders have raised concerns and offered potential solutions to this complex problem. During the provincial election campaign, we educated candidates about strata insurance. These high costs are ultimately paid for by strata unit …

Climate Priority for BC Government

| November 30, 2020

Throughout the election campaign, all three main BC parties made promises to be leaders in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While all parties agreed incentives for retrofitting homes were important to meet climate change goals, BCREA knows the government needs to make significant improvements if it’s going to meet current carbon reduction targets. Government incentives for …

Solutions to Address BC Housing Supply

| November 30, 2020

As Canadians recognize the important work done by housing partners on National Housing Day (November 22), BCREA acknowledges that there is still much work to do to ensure affordable, appropriate housing. In spite of the BC housing market’s record pace in October, supply continues to be limited. Lack of adequate supply causes affordability issues, especially …

New Commercial Rent Assistance Program

| November 25, 2020

Canadian businesses, non-profits and charities experiencing financial hardship from COVID-19 may be eligible for a subsidy to cover part of their commercial rent through the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS). This program, in effect since November 23, replaces a previous commercial rent assistance program (CECRA) that had lower pickup than the government expected. The goal …

Finding Floodplain Maps

| November 24, 2020

While COVID-19 may pose the greatest risk right now, floods also do significant damage regularly in BC and across the country. Economic, social and environmental impacts can take many years to reverse and BCREA believes smart planning to avoid, or at least minimize, flooding is a better approach. Floodplain maps can support local government decision …

The Provincial Election’s Over – Now What?

| October 28, 2020

Well, wasn’t that an amazing election? OK, perhaps it wasn’t exactly a barn-burner result, and the degree of policy discussion was, shall we say, disappointing. While we don’t know the final results yet (an estimated 500,000 mail-in votes are still to be counted), we do know the NDP will form a majority government. There are …

UPDATE: Have Your Say on Changes to Administrative Penalties

| October 28, 2020

The new deadline for this consultation on changes to administrative penalties is November 13, 2020 (announced by the Office of the Superintendent of Real Estate and Real Estate Council of British Columbia on October 27, 2020). In mid-September, the Office of the Superintendent of Real Estate (OSRE) and the Real Estate Council of BC (RECBC) …

Webinar Recording: BC Real Estate and the Election on Our Doorstep

| October 21, 2020

On Wednesday, October 21, BCREA hosted a webinar and panel discussion to explore the impacts of the upcoming provincial election on the BC real estate sector. We discussed the key asks that BCREA and real estate boards will make of any new provincial government; the risks and opportunities for the real estate sector arising from …

Comparing Provincial Party Housing Platforms

| October 14, 2020

Below is a comparison of the three main party’s platforms’ impact on real estate and housing. COVID-19 Economic Recovery Green Allocate $300 million to create a six-month rent subsidy program for small businesses. Liberal Eliminate the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) for one year and then set it at three per cent for subsequent years. Permanently …

September Survey Results on Economic Impacts of COVID-19

| October 14, 2020

In mid-September, over 1,200 REALTORS® took BCREA’s third survey on the economic impacts of COVID-19. Many Realtors are still experiencing financial difficulties, with 16 per cent reporting no income from transactions in August and September. This number is down from 26 per cent of respondents who reported receiving no income from transactions from May to …

Webinar: BC Real Estate and the Election on Our Doorstep

| October 6, 2020

Join the BC Real Estate Association (BCREA) on Wednesday, October 21 at 10:00 am PT to explore the impacts of the upcoming provincial election on the BC real estate sector. During this 75-minute webinar and expert panel discussion, we will review the key asks that BCREA and real estate boards will make of any new …

Three Election Questions REALTORS® Can Ask Candidates

| September 30, 2020
BC voters go to the polls on October 24, 2020

As all parties focus on COVID-19 economic recovery in the lead-up to October’s provincial election, BCREA is advocating for market housing affordability to be a key part of the next government’s post-election plans. For BC’s REALTORS®, meeting with candidates is a great opportunity to ask questions and suggest that the next government focuses on these …

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