October 2014

REIBC News

UBC Real Estate Club Executives

From left to right: Danielle Lim - VP Marketing, Ivy Li - Creative Director, Adrianne Erdman - VP External Affairs, Bayne Vardy - VP Events Coordinator, Grant Cheng - President, Hovy Qiu - VP Finance, Rachel Chan & Sandra Lin - First Year Representatives.

Message from the CEO of  Make-A-Wish^® BC & Yukon

REIBC would like to share another message received  from Ross Hetherington, CEO of Make-A-Wish^® BC & Yukon.

Dear Friends of Make-A-Wish,

Here is our latest Circle of Joy wish story with our heartfelt gratitude for helping us share the magic of a wish with so many inspiring kids throughout our province. It is our hope that you will share it with your groups, teams, employees & friends.

We are on target to grant over 120 magical wishes this year – which will be the most of any chapter in Canada and we could not do this without your support. Some of the many wishes we are currently working on are – I wish to have a home entertainment center, I wish to drop the puck at a Canucks game, I wish to swim with dolphins and I wish to meet the cast of Supernatural.

From all of us at Make-A-Wish, but especially from our wish kids,  our best wishes and thank you for helping us share the power of a wish.

Ross and the Make-A-Wish BC&YK Team

2014 Joint REIBC North Fraser Chapter and IRWA Lunch Event

The North Fraser Chapter and the International Right of Way Association hosted their first joint lunch event on Oct. 9^th, 2014 at the Grand Villa Casino with our own Past President Mandy Hansen as the guest speaker.  

The topic was: Issues & Challenges with Density, Growth & Development.  The presentation started off in a general sense and then focused on the Arbutus Corridor which opened the floor up for some lively debate, banter, and opinions and all walked away with some new information and perspectives.  

They had a good turnout of both memberships and look forward to future joint events. 

BCIT Meet the Pros - Residential

The BCIT Real Estate Association held their annual Meet the Pros  on October 16, 2014. Professionals representing a variety of occupations in Residential Real Estate were invited. Students were excited for the opportunity to learn and ask questions. It was a busy evening of mentoring and learning for both professionals and students.

Ryan Jensen, president of BCIT REA expressed his gratitude on behalf of all  students that attended. The students look forward to this event year after year, Part 2 off the BCIT Meet the Pros - Commercial will be held in February. 

We thank all professionals: Troy Abromaitis, Tom Garvey, Philippe Joubert, Mandy Hansen, Andrea Fletcher, Brent Morgan, David Nishi-Beckingham and Judi Whyte for sharing their time, knowledge and experience to students of BCIT REA.

We also thank our Sponsors : Judi Whyte - Prudential Sussex Realty and Campbell & Pound Real Estate Appraisers for their support of this great event!

E&O Insurance

Member News

Mercedes Wong is running for City of Vancouver Council!

Mercedes is running for council because she believes in equal opportunity and to ensure that all groups in society are heard - especially those who can't advocate themselves.

Mercedes joined REIBC in 2000.  Mercedes have been very active in the Real Estate Industry; participating in a variety of organizations. She has held numerous board positions throughout her career and currently serves as Director of Real Estate Institute of Canada Greater Vancouver Chapter, Director of the Aboriginal Mother Centre Society, Treasurer of the Rotary Club of Vancouver Fraserview, Past Executive Vice President of Eco Realty, Past Chair of the Strata Council for the Yaletown Galleria, and Past Director of G & F Financial Group.

She is also Creator and Executive Producer for Real Estate 101tv, a reality television series currently broadcast on the KVOS network in the US and Canada.

Industry News

Real Estate Foundation Land Awards Gala

On Friday, October 17, 2014 the Real Estate Foundation held their 5th annual Real Estate Foundation Land Awards.

Once again this year the MC was David Beers, the founding editor of the Tyee. David did a great job. Keynote speaker Peter Mansbridge shared a few stories about his travels and answered the age old question "What is a Canadian?" Peter notes, "A Canadian Cares." Simple isn't it.

It was a great event!

Congratulations to the following winners:

1. Public Sector Finalists: Sustainable Land Care Education - Gaia College    
Gaia College is a small enterprise that teaches eco-friendly landscape design and gardening through more than 20 delivery partners in 25 communities.

2. Public Sector Finalists: Agricultural Land Use Inventory Program - Ministry of Agriculture    
The Strengthening Farming Program is working to inventory agricultural land to help government agencies understand how land is being used, and develop policy around important activities like water management.

3. Non-Profit Sector Finalists: The Station - Cowichan Green Community Society    
Cowichan Green Community transformed an old motor inn to create a zero waste, mixed use building that includes 20 affordable housing units, a community kitchen and food forest.                             

4. Land Champion Award Recipient: Gary Runka (1938 - 2013) had a distinguished five-decade career in land use planning and natural resource management and was highly respected as a facilitator, teacher and mentor. As the first general manager of the BC Land Commission, he played a pivotal role in establishing the Agricultural Land Reserve.

Advertising & Sponsorship

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REIBC Upcoming Events

REIBC 2014 President's Luncheon
December 4, 2014

Guest Speaker: Shayne Ramsay, CEO of BC Housing Title: "Where private and public overlap: innovative affordable housing partnership in B.C."
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Four Seasons' Hotel, 791 West Georgia St., Vancouver
Register Now

2015 REIBC Education Symposium: Embracing Diversity   
March 26, 2015

REIBC AGM/Recognition Dinner
June 11, 2015

AGM at 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Recognition at 6:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Four Seasons Hotel, 791 West Georgia St., Vancouver
Save the date!
Watch for registration 

REIBC Annual Charity Golf Tournament
June 24, 2015

Northview Golf & Country Club, 6857 168th St., Surrey
Save the date!
Watch for registration

Upcoming Chapter Events

North Fraser Fall Pub Night
November 20, 2014 - 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Cactus Club, 101 Schoolhouse Street, Coquitlam
Register Now

REIBC Fraser Valley: Hockey Night in Langley
November 21, 2014 - 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Langley Events Centre, 7888 200 Street, Langley
Register Now

REIBC Thompson Okanagan Chapter and AIC-BC Joint Dinner
November 26, 2014 - 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Kelowna Yacht Club, Water Street, Kelowna
Register Now

REIBC Vancouver Chapter Holiday Reception
December 10, 2014 - 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Terminal City Club, 837 West Hastings St., Vancouver
Save the date!
Watch for registration

Industry Events

MIABC

2014 Winter Holiday Social
December 9, 2014 - 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Terminal City Club, 837 West Hastings St., Vancouver
More info

January 2015 Luncheon - Helmut Pastrick, Central 1 Credit Union
January 20, 2015 - 11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Terminal City Club, 837 West Hastings St., Vancouver
More info

NAIOP

Fall Cocktail Reception - 2014
November 13, 2014 - 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Save the date!
More info

November Breakfast Meeting & AGM - 2014
November 20, 2014 - 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, 900 Canada Place Way, Vancouver BC
More info

December Lunch Meeting with an Icon Speaker - 2014
December 9, 2014 - 11:30 a.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, 900 Canada Place Way, Vancouver BC
More info 

PAMA

2014 Christmas Luncheon
November 26, 2014
The Italian Cultural Centre, 3075 Slocan Centre, Vancouver
More info

PHRN

The Pacific Housing Research Network Symposium
November 19, 2014 - 1:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel, 7551 Westminster Highway, Richmond
More info

UBC URBAN DESIGN PROGRAM
Urban Design Forum UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture

Urban Design Forum: Doug Saunders
November 4, 2014 - 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Council Chambers Surrey City Hall, 13450 104 Avenue, Surrey
Attendance is free but tickets are required

Urban Design Forum: 5! Five Crucial Decades of City Building
November 5, 2014 - 1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Telus Theater Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, 6265 Crescent Rd., Vancouver
Attendance is $40. Tickets are required

Urban Design Forum: 5! David Singleton
November 5, 2014 - 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Telus Theater Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, 6265 Crescent Rd., Vancouver
Attendance is free but tickets are required

For more information, please click Urban Design Forum

UDI 

UDI Breakfast - Real Estate Technology Forecast
November 6, 2014 - 7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Oceanview Suites, Pan Pacific Hotel, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver
More info

UDI Vancouver Lunch - Kim Baird: Relating to First Nations
November 20, 2014 - 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Park Ballroom, Four Seasons Hotel, 791 West Georgia St., Vancouver
More info

UDI Awards for Excellence 2014
November 26, 2014 - 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Regency Ballroom, 655 Burrard St., Vancouver
More info

ULI

ULI BC Speaker Series for Students
November 6, 2014 -  4:15 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.
Langara College, Room C408, 100 West 49th Avenue, Vancouver
More info

Gathering of Minds
November 14, 2014 - 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Blenz, Bentall 5, 550 Burrard St., Vancouver
More info

ULI BC Walking Tour of 745 Thurlow
November 21, 2014 - 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Bentall Kennedy, 1800 1055 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver
More info

Board Report

September Board Meeting Report:

The Board had its first full-fledged in-person board meeting in September.  The board generally alternates between tele-conference and in person meetings, thus the agendas for in person board meetings are very full and the resulting discussions lively and enlightening.

• The Board updated and approved its 2014/2015 Work Plan.  This document helps keep both staff and the board focused and spreads the workload out over the year.

• The Board dealt with tax deduction correspondence and determined that no action would be taken as the matter could best be addressed by the tax experts. 

• The Board considered an Honorary Membership Application.  It was determined that the nominee would be encouraged to write an article for Input and that the Board could further investigate ways to celebrate and communicate the wide variety of work conducted amongst our members, who come from many different walks of life.

• The Board approved the Marketing/Branding Task Force Terms of Reference.  A call for volunteers went out and the Board thanks those who expressed an interest; apparently this is a topic of great interest amongst the membership!

• The Board received an update on a potential legislative change to a Regulation of the Expropriation Act.  It is hoped that this may be closer to resolution by the New Year.

• The Board agreed to enter into a pilot project with the Real Estate Institute of Canada for six months.  This is an exciting partnership that will be re-evaluated at the end of the pilot project.

• The Board is investigating Strata Corporation governance training. There is a potential to fill a much needed gap as there are over 29,000 strata corporations in BC and almost a quarter of the parcels in BC fall into the residential strata title subclass. 

• The Board reviewed its financial statements.  The Institute continues to run in the black and there was much discussion as to how to address the retiring baby boom phenomenon and the subsequent impact upon membership levels. 

• The Board received the Golf Committee Report.  The golf tournament was a raging success and the annual donation has been made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  The committee took a short summer break and will resume its work for the next tournament, scheduled to take place on June 24, 2015.

• The Board received the various Chapter Plans from around the province.  Watch for email updates and notifications as these exciting networking and professional development events unfold.

• A reminder that the Presidents Luncheon is on December 4.  The Board looks forward to this annual event and reconnecting with members from far and wide.  The keynote speaker will be Shayne Ramsay, CAO of BC Housing.  Mr Ramsay will speak about innovative affordable housing partnerships.

• The 2015 Symposium will be at Robson Square on March 26, with the keynote speaker being Ryan Berlin from Urban Futures.

Respectfully submitted 

Cheryl Wirsz, RI, RPP
Governor, Vancouver Island

Career Opportunities

Land Project Manager - Ministry of Transportation