The Canadian Real Estate Association’s (CREA) volunteer committees serve as invaluable resources to our Board of Directors and CEO, while also providing an opportunity for members to voice their opinions and actively contribute to the advancement of the industry. Through collaboration and collective expertise, these committees work closely with REALTORS® from diverse backgrounds and regions across the country.
Earlier this year, CREA invited interested REALTOR® members and board or association staff to apply for a position on one of these 10 committees. After careful consideration, CREA’s Board of Directors recently announced the makeup of each committee, for the year.
For Larry Cerqua, CREA’s Chair, these committees play an instrumental role in the success of our industry.
“We appreciate all the REALTORS® who put their name forward for consideration and are excited to hear the valuable feedback and recommendations these committees will provide. Their open and genuine insights and recommendations will be instrumental in guiding board members and operational teams in making informed decisions that positively impact our industry,” said Cerqua.
Here’s a quick overview of the purpose and volunteers serving on each of CREA’s 2023/2024 volunteer committees:
Governance & Bylaws Committee
Chair: Valérie Paquin, REALTOR®, Broker, and Co-Owner of the Via Capitale Partenaires brokerage and CREA Vice Chair
Purpose: Develop and implement an annual work plan for the improvement of the Board of Directors’ good governance policies and practices.
Members: Anthony Bastiaanssen, Steven Bobiash, Kourosh Doustshenas, Tehreem Kamal, John Dempster, Sheri Willick, Bill Duce, Keith Soper, Linda McCallum, Kristie Kruger
Finance Committee
Chair: Darin Germyn, REALTOR® and CREA Director-at-Large
Purpose: Develop and implement an annual work plan to review, monitor and provide guidance and/or recommendations to the Board of Directors, related to the financial stewardship of CREA.
Members: James Mabey, Georges Gaucher, Stewart Elston, Logan Morse, Hazel Tan, Krista Gionet, Wendy Bell, Robert Wood, Colette Gerber
Audit and Risk Management Committee
Chair: Georges Gaucher, REALTOR®, General Manager of Royal LePage Village, and CREA Regional Director, Quebec
Purpose: Develop and implement an annual work plan to appoint an external auditor and oversee the audit process.
Members: David Oikle, Winson Chan, Alexandra Goseltine, Raveen Seran, Michael Barrett, Parvesh Kumar
Federal Affairs Committee
Chair: James Mabey, REALTOR®, Broker with Century 21 Masters, and CREA Chair-Elect
Purpose: To provide strategic direction on federal policy, programs and initiatives that promotes ownership and investment in real estate and protect the interests of home buyers, property owners and REALTORS®.
Members: Kimberly French, Garry Bhaura, Barb Sukkau, Jennifer Lucas, Lori Roberts, Brandon Reay, Gopal Sahota, Mathieu Filion, Anu Joshi, Trevor Koot
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Committee
Chair: Phil Moore, REALTOR® and CREA Director-at-Large
Purpose: Be a resource to CREA’s Board of Directors on environmental, social and governance (ESG) related matters, providing strategic direction on policies, practices and programs through which CREA may address prioritized ESG issues, risks and opportunities.
Members: Winson Chan, Darcy McLeod, Stacey Evoy, Marina James, Brian Santos, Tamer Fahmi, Pauline Aunger, Amar Badh, Reuben Tucker, Paige Hoveling
REALTOR® Code Committee
Chair: Costa Poulopoulos, REALTOR®, President and Broker of StreetCity Realty
Purpose: To monitor the implementation, organization, and application of the REALTOR® Code across the country, and to make recommendations to ensure the continuing relevance of the REALTOR® Code and the strength of the REALTOR® trademark.
Members: Jill Oudil, Chris Peters, Angela Evennett, Laura Leyser, Angie Tsai, Maya Day, Paul Czan, Lynn Chipley
Marketing and Communications Committee
Chair: Kimberly French, REALTOR®, and CREA Regional Director, Atlantic
Purpose: To provide high level strategic direction and feedback to CREA’s marketing and communications activities in support of achieving this mission. The Committee will help to ensure that CREA’s communication products address the needs of audiences who are strategically important to CREA and that CREA’s marketing and advertising strategically addresses the needs of members.
Members: Chris Peters, Eileen Stewart, Mike Lalonde, Tanya White, Tim Ayres, Mani Ayatollahi, Amandeep Gill
Association Executives Committee
Chair: Roger Boutilier, Chief Executive Officer, Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS®
Purpose: To be a resource to the CREA CEO in promoting and encouraging the highest standards among Association Executives Network (AEN) affiliates and the organizations they administer.
Members: Larry Westergard, Nicole Marshall, Kim Mantle, Jennifer Lynch, Darla Lindbjerg, Jeff King, Guillaume Labarre
Technology Committee
Chair: Matthew Dauphinee, REALTOR®, Managing Associate Broker at Domus Realty, and President, Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS®
Purpose: To be a resource to the CREA CEO in matters related to technology initiatives.
Members: Valérie Paquin, Cliff Stevenson, Jason Stephen, Kat Newel, Mya Qi, Xi Yao, Brin Werrett, Tej Thakor, Jennifer Aunger-Ritchie, Sam DeBord
Broker/Manager Committee
Chair: Kimberly Fairley, REALTOR® and Broker at Royal LePage Northern Advantage
Purpose: To be a resource and sounding board for services and support targeted to the brokerage community.
Members: Luc Woolsey, Kourosh Doustshenas, Edwin Kwok Yu Yan, Janice Briffett Butt, Karen Grunlund, Tim Otitoju, Louay Kadri, Karen Yolevski, Matthew Honsberger
To learn more about the committees and the application process, please visit CREA.ca. If you’re interested in volunteering on one of these committees, stay tuned for our committee application period in early 2024.
