A Changing Climate Requires an Evolving Role for REALTORS®

There are close to 900 wildfires burning across Canada. Stretching from nearly the Arctic Ocean to Lake Superior, through the Northwest Territories, through northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, into northern Ontario, in the British Columbia interior, across northern Quebec and reaching the shores of Labrador, Canada is burning. The smoke from these fires is drawing international coverage as it produces some of the worst air quality in the world. 

It’s a story that has become all too familiar. But it’s also deeply personal. 

This is not just about forests struggling against a changing climate, or how they impact geopolitics. While natural disasters dominate headlines, the impacts are felt far closer to home. They devastate lives, destroy communities, and have a lasting negative impact on our society and our neighbourhoods. 

I remember welcoming evacuees into our home while we lived in Kelowna, British Columbia, during two major wildfires. From 2004 to 2010, we experienced multiple neighbourhood evacuation alerts and had to pack up our most precious belongings and be ready to flee on a moment’s notice. We watched helplessly from across Okanagan Lake as a fire raged down the mountain towards a home we planned to move into later that month. 

Climate change is not a distant story we only see in the news; it’s a reality we live in and it’s become impossible to ignore. 

In conversations with REALTORS® across the country, I'm hearing that more clients are asking about flood and wildfire risk, while more homeowners are navigating rising insurance costs and, in some cases, the possibility they may no longer be able to obtain insurance coverage. By 2030, the Canadian Climate Institute estimates 750,000 new homes could be built in areas at high risk of flooding and wildfires. As climate-related risks become a greater consideration in real estate decisions, REALTORS® are increasingly helping buyers and sellers understand the factors that may affect a property’s long-term value, resilience and insurability. Homeowners in these areas face growing challenges, from physical damage and increased maintenance costs to potential impacts on property value and access to affordable insurance—even for some whose properties have never been directly affected. 

Increasingly, these challenges are influencing how Canadians think about buying, selling and owning a home. These decisions have always involved more than a transaction. It’s about where families put down roots, where communities grow, and where generations build their lives. Now, these decisions mean factoring in climate change, whether your family home is in a flood zone, near historic wildfires, or ill-equipped to handle the next major hailstorm. REALTORS® are often among the first professionals Canadians turn to when navigating these important decisions. As Canadians’ needs change, so does the role of REALTORS®.  Today, that role includes helping clients navigate a changing climate and the challenges that come with it. 

To help REALTORS® respond to these changing conversations, CREA introduced the Canadian Certified Green Representative (CCGR) certification in 2025. The program provides REALTORS® with practical, Canadian-specific knowledge and tools intended to help navigate conversations around climate resilience, energy efficiency, renewable energy, environmental hazards, and sustainable housing. In communities increasingly affected by climate risks, REALTORS® are helping clients incorporate climate considerations into their decisions. That could mean referring clients to local flood maps, identifying wildfire-resilient features for properties in high-risk areas, or raising questions about how recurring hazards may affect insurance, maintenance costs and property value. As climate risks become an important part of homeownership, CREA is committed to providing REALTORS® with the resources they need to help families on all sides of the homeownership journey. 

The future of housing will require collaboration across governments, industry, communities and housing professionals to ensure we’re protecting our communities and our homes as best we can. As professionals Canadians rely on, REALTORS® will continue to play an important role. 

By providing REALTORS® with additional knowledge and tools to help understand the evolving housing landscape, they can help Canadians make informed decisions and support safer, more resilient homes for generations to come.