Meet a Member

Whether you have years of experience or are new to the industry, REIBC is your key to career advancement and connection with the real estate industry.  Professional members have achieved the RI designation, which provide employers and clients with instant confirmation of advanced levels of education and experience.

Vance Leschuk, RI
Vance began his career back in 1994 as a Commercial Realtor with Goddard & Smith International Realty. He is currently Director at Ryan ULC, a global tax recovery firm, as part of a division focused on real estate tax recoveries, primarily through property assessment appeals. He loves finding creative solutions to his clients’ issues – mainly by reducing their operating expenses. One of the most rewarding aspects of his work is working with his numerous clients in the non-profit industry, including hundreds of social housing operators. 

Prior to joining Ryan ULC, Vance worked for BC Housing in their Real Estate Department.  There, he discovered that there was a substantial error in how most social housing properties were being valued and taxed. Through his work in the Public Sector followed by his subsequent position at Ryan, him and his team were able to fundamentally change the way these properties were valued and taxed, saving this industry millions of dollars annually.
Vance wanted to achieve the RI designation as he has always respected the professional values and diversity of the members. He lives in Port Moody with his wife, three children and their beloved dog Hunter. In his free time, he loves cycling the (easier) trails, playing tennis and golfing (poorly) at nearby Westwood Plateau. 

Vance is looking forward to networking with his fellow RI’s!

Welcome Vance.  

Member News

A member of our Institute has been elected as the new global Chair of one of the world’s most prestigious real estate organizations.  William McCarthy became Chair of the Counselors of Real Estate this September in Boston.  He will serve until the end of 2023.  With his election, McCarthy became the first individual to lead major real estate organizations at provincial, national and international levels.  In 1993 he served as President of the B.C. Chapter of the Institute of Real Estate Management.  From 2009 – 2010 he was the President of the Real Estate Institute of Canada.

The Counselors of Real Estate, founded in 1953, has 1,000 members worldwide practicing in 60 disciplines.  Membership is by invitation.  https://cre.org/  

McCarthy is a private property owner, developer and consultant.   He also does extensive high level pro bono work globally. He holds nine university degrees and ten professional designations.  He and the Counselors of Real Estate will be profiled in an upcoming edition of our journal.

He has been a member of the Real Estate Institute of British Columbia since 2001.

REIBC Grapevine

RI Medal of Excellence Award Recipients

Our Awards Gala and Diamond Anniversary has come and gone and what a wonderful night it was! The Institute celebrated its 60th anniversary in style – with lots of sparkle and excitement – and presented the inaugural RI Medal of Excellence awards. The recipients of the awards were:

RI Medal of Distinction – Andre Gravelle, RI
RI Medal of Excellence for Leadership – David Podmore, RI
RI Medal of Excellence for Ingenuity – Rudy Nielsen, RI
RI Medal of Excellence for Emerging Leader – Ashley Bellwood, RI

Keep an eye out for our next edition of the Input magazine for more pictures and details about the event.

Register Now for the 2022 Presidents’ Luncheon

Our annual Presidents' Luncheon is taking place on Thursday, December 8th, 2022. This is an opportunity to meet and reconnect with some of the industry's most prominent leaders and professionals. The luncheon will feature speaker Chief Clarence Louie, CM, OBC, Chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band. Chief Clarence Louie will be speaking to us about business, as he believes “aboriginal people and government must make Economic Development - self-sustaining job creation and business growth an everyday priority". Register Now!

New ProSeries featuring Graham Allen, RI

A new ProSeries has been added to our website. This time, featuring Graham Allen, RI. Through incredible storytelling of personal struggles and gritty victories, Graham presents a history of both his astounding career and the rise of the Real Estate Institute of BC as we know it today.

Graham Allen has enjoyed three separate but intersecting professions. He started his career as a Chartered Valuation Surveyor, then enhanced his appraisal qualifications with a M.Sc. in Urban Land Appraisal. He later became a lawyer, practising from 1979 until his retirement from law in 2013. He holds LL.B., J.D. and LL.M. Degrees. Graham has a long relationship with the Real Estate Institute of British Columbia. He first became a professional member in 1972, and served as President from 1978 to 1982. He was honoured to receive the Institute’s 2017 Award of Excellence for “outstanding leadership and contribution within the real estate industry, the community and the broader society.” His sole practice today is as a Chartered Arbitrator, focusing on land valuation disputes, particularly rent reviews and lease renewals. He has worked as an arbitrator and mediator for over 30 years, being involved with over 160 arbitrations and a dozen mediations.

Graham Allen has served in all capacities in arbitration proceedings during the past 30 years, as counsel, sole arbitrator, nominee and Chairman of the panel. During this period, he has been involved in more than 160 arbitrations, 90% of which were concerned with rental or land valuation disputes. He has also been involved in more than a dozen mediations.

As with all other ProSeries, this course is an immersive online learning experience that was designed and delivered by an RI-designated professional. Learn from experience and gain valuable insights by taking this ProSeries course.

Webinars

What First Nations are Telling Canada about Reconciliation – October 6

On October 6, 2022 REIBC hosted a webinar with Stewart Muir of Resource Works.  Stewart spoke about the Indigenous Partnership and Success Showcase that was held last year and the discussion that took place. The take away from the webinar was that First Nations would like transformational change, to have partners and to get their land back as the land empowers them and it is a solution to a number of the issues we hear about today.   The next Indigenous Partnership and Success Showcase will be held in 2023, May 31, June 1 and 2nd.  REIBC will keep you posted on what is transpiring and have it posted in our Weekly Bulletins.  You can watch the IPSS 2022 at www.indigenoussuccess.ca

Thank you to Stewart for sharing the information with us.

The Private Lending Regulatory Overhaul – October 20, 2022

On October 20, 2022 REIBC was honored to have Samantha Gale, CEO and Cofounder of Canadian Association of Private Lenders discuss with the us the Private Lending Regulatory Overhaul.  Samantha talked about a number of Acts that are being created and changed and how they intersect with one another. Of course, when all these changes intersect there are unintended consequences that arise.  She believes that all the changes are to bring the cost of housing to an affordable level, although she is not sure that the changes will have that effect on the market. Is there is so much change that people have zoned out?  A great webinar and we are grateful to Samantha for taking time to share her thoughts with us.

REIBC Events

Civil Litigation in BC
Thursday, November 17, 2022 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Register Now

Three Brokers and an Assessor
Thursday, November 24, 2022 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Save the date – More information coming soon!

2022 Presidents’ Luncheon
Thursday, December 8, 2022 – Doors open 11:15 a.m.
Register Now

Career Postings

Building Management Officer II - Vancouver Parks Board

Property Officer Specialist - City of Kelowna

Property Agent - BC Housing

Managing Broker - Coldwell Banker Kamloops Realty

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