Meet Three REALTORS® Helping Bring Housing Solutions to Ottawa
Each October, REALTORS® from across Canada travel to Ottawa, Ontario, for the Canadian Real Estate Association’s (CREA) annual Political Action Committee (PAC) Days where they meet directly with Members of Parliament (MPs) and their staff to discuss the housing challenges their communities are facing, and offer expertly-researched policy recommendations.
One of the things that makes this event distinctive from other advocacy conferences happening in Ottawa is the people leading the charge. CREA works with REALTORS®, PAC reps, to embolden them to share what they see first-hand with key government stakeholders, and equip them with the tools they need to do so.
These are not professional lobbyists or paid political advocates looking to help shape public policy. These are the REALTORS® like you who are on the front lines of Canada's real estate industry in every community across the country; and one of the best resources government stakeholders have to hear about what their constituents are facing day-today.
Housing advocacy is about more than just houses
Devin Glowinski, a REALTOR®, salesperson, and PAC rep based in Toronto, Ontario, says he came to real estate after a career in public policy and government, so participating in advocacy felt like a natural fit. He has served as a PAC rep for three years, melding his policy background with what he sees on the ground every day.
Glowinski says he became a PAC rep because housing is about so much more than real estate.
“It’s about how we build cities, how we finance them, how we tax housing and how we make room for people at different stages of life,” he says. “Being a PAC rep gives me an opportunity to connect those dots and bring the experience of REALTORS® and our clients into the policy conversation.”
It’s about how we build cities, how we finance them, how we tax housing and how we make room for people at different stages of life.”
Devin Glowinski, REALTOR® and salesperson
Housing problems are complicated and don’t fit neatly into one policy box. Having homes both available (supply) and attainable to own are challenges that can, and must, be addressed with an all-hands-on-deck approach across all levels of government. CREA leads national, federal policy recommendations, while regional and provincial partners focus on policies that are affected by other levels of government.
“Even something as technical as single-stair egress can affect what kinds of homes we can build,” says Glowinski. “We need cross-disciplinary solutions because housing, transportation, finance, taxation and the built environment all shape the same city.”
REALTORS® provide a necessary unified voice
Anu Joshi, a REALTOR® and broker based in Brampton, Ontario, first learned about CREA’s federal government advocacy work through her local real estate board’s government relations committee, and has been involved in the CREA Federal Affairs Committee in previous years. She quickly saw what housing advocacy could accomplish.
“Housing is something central to our lives and having policy that reflects the needs and requirements of our communities is important,” she says. “The only way that politicians can know about housing-related matters is if the experts tell them.”
CREA has developed a reputation for more than 40 years as a trusted authority on housing, and PAC reps bring their expert knowledge coupled with the trust built by CREA together to impact real change, she adds.
The only way that politicians can know about housing-related matters is if the experts tell them.”
Anu Joshi, REALTOR® and broker, CREA Federal Affairs Committee member
Combining firsthand experience with research-backed recommendations
That perspective is echoed by Alex Down, a REALTOR® and salesperson in Newcastle, Ontario, who became involved in advocacy through the Central Lakes Association of REALTORS®. There, she served as chair of government relations committee and later as president-elect, before transitioning into federal politics to serve as chief of staff to an MP.
Having now sat on both sides of the advocacy table, Down says REALTORS® bring something particularly valuable to policymakers: firsthand examples of how housing policies affect people and communities.
Effective advocacy, she says, means combining those experiences with credible evidence, building relationships with elected officials and proposing realistic solutions.
“The most effective advocates are the ones who understand that policymakers are dealing with competing priorities and limited time,” she says. “If you can clearly explain the problem, support it with evidence and offer a realistic solution, you can make a meaningful contribution to the conversation.”
The most effective advocates are the ones who understand that policymakers are dealing with competing priorities and limited time.”
Alex Down, REALTOR® and salesperson
Last year, more than 400 REALTORS® held a record number of meetings with government officials, all with a central message: Canada isn’t just suffering from a shortage of homes; it’s building the wrong mix of housing types.
The gap between small condos and expensive detached homes has been so wide that young families looking to own their first home and seniors looking to downsize face too few attainable choices, often competing for the same supply.
This year, PAC reps renewed that message with two recommendations.
REALTOR® Recommendation No. 1: Expand Mortgage Loan Insurance to Address Middle Housing Supply and Ownership Options
Add a fourth scoring category to MLI Select for missing-middle rental supply, and establish a new sibling program, MLI Select–Ownership, applying the same proven points-based model to ownership-tenured housing, with a mandatory pillar for missing-middle supply.
REALTOR® Recommendation No. 2: Reform Income Verification Rules to Reflect how Canadians Actually Earn Money
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) should set clear rules so lenders can verify and count real income, however it's earned, so self-employed, contract and multi-source borrowers aren't forced into a paycheque-shaped box.
Advocacy is impactful, and meaningful to those who participate
“REALTORS® have a unique window into how housing policy actually works in people’s lives,” says Glowinski. “We see the first-time buyer who can’t quite make the numbers work, the family searching for a missing-middle home and the newcomer trying to find a place to rent. PAC advocacy takes those experiences beyond individual transactions and uses them to inform better public policy.”
“For me, that’s what makes the work so meaningful: A city is built one policy decision, one building and one household at a time.”
Advocacy at this level works, Joshi adds. “If you're considering becoming a PAC rep, or you are one, know that the housing advocacy work done by PAC reps matters and makes a real difference in the lives of Canadians when it comes to housing.”
To express interest in becoming a PAC rep, reach out to your local board or association.
