September 30, 2000

Real estate body insults its members

Conference Scheduled for Rosh Hashanah.

Today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and one of the holiest celebrations on the Jewish calendar. It is also the annual conference of the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), the parent organization of the Toronto Real Estate Board.

The scheduling of the CREA conference in Toronto on a religious holy day has infuriated appraiser Barry Lebow. Last month, he fired off an angry letter to the CREA board, accusing it of insensitivity in scheduling the conference on a day when an estimated 2,000 Toronto-area real estate agents, brokers and others could not attend for religious reasons.

In a letter to Lebow explaining the scheduling, CREA said the association tries to avoid major relious holidays, but the Metro Convention Centre bumped it from its original convention dates and today is the only date available.

Lebow is right. By scheduling its convention to insult a significant portion of constituency, CREA has forfeited the right
to speak for  the real estate industry in Canada.

Bob Aaron is a leading Toronto real estate lawyer.
Please send your inquiries and questions to bob@aaron.ca or call 416-364-9366.