REIBC Honorary Members
The purpose of Honorary Membership is to recognize and celebrate non RI's that have made exemplary, distinguished and outstanding contributions to the real estate industry.
This honorary distinction recognizes those people who have made noteworthy contributions to the real estate industry; provincially, nationally or internationally and may or may not reside in BC.
About Honorary Members
Honorary Members are individuals; no companies or organizations may qualify as an Honorary Member.
The distinction is a lifetime one and remains subject to the discipline process currently in place for existing memberships. The honour continues to be bestowed when the individual is deceased.
Honorary Member's do not receive the RI designation.
Nomination an Honorary Member
Know someone that stands out in the BC real estate community and should be considered as an Honorary Member? Fill out the form below to nominate someone.
Current Honorary Members
The purpose of Honorary Membership is to recognize and celebrate those individuals for their distinguished and outstanding service or contributions to the real estate industry.
Peeter Wesik
2015
Peeter Wesik is the President of Wesgroup Properties, a long term holder and developer of industrial, commercial and office properties.
Wesgroup was started as a family business in British Columbia more than 50 years ago. Today they are one of Western Canada’s largest private real estate organizations with a diversified portfolio spanning residential and commercial real estate in most asset classes. They own and manage over 2.2 million square feet of commercial property and they have built more than 6,000 homes in 100 communities.
Wesgroup has also invested in the equipment sales and service business under the brand names Williams Machinery and Westerra Equipment, with 8 branches located throughout British Columbia.
Peeter has over 30 years of experience in corporate law, corporate acquisitions, real estate investing, mortgage lending, and structuring and negotiating complex transactions. He has a BA. and a B.Law from UBC and previously practiced law as a partner at Russell & DuMoulin (now Fasken Martineau DuMoulin).
Peeter is involved in numerous industry associations including the Urban Development Institute where he served as Director and Past President and is a current Director of the Royal BC Museum.
Avtar Bains
2014
Avtar founded Premise Properties in 2012 and is responsible for its overall business including the origination and execution of long-term investment strategies and objectives.
Prior to establishing Premise Properties, Avtar spent over thirty years with Colliers International, most recently as Executive Vice President, National Investment Team. During his tenure, Avtar represented clients with particular focus on investment properties and successfully brokered over $9 billion in transactions.
In addition to leading his new venture at Premise Properties, Avtar currently holds four Board and advisory positions with British Pacific Properties, Morguard North American Residential REIT, UBC Properties Trust and Aspen Properties respectively.
Avtar lives in Vancouver, BC with his wife and four children.
Bill Phillips
2014
Bill has been involved in real estate in BC for over 34 years. He is the Program Head, Professional Real Estate Studies, BC Institute of Technology School of Business, a past director of the Canadian Real Estate Association multiple Listing Service Technology and was elected to the Real Estate Council of BC in 2008 for a two year term which has extended to six and he will be leaving council at the end of this month. He has also been a member of the education advisory group for a number of years and his dedication to the real estate profession is second to none.
REIBC has been quite involved with the BCIT Real Estate Association over the last eight years and we are privileged to work with such great students and students that have such high respect for their instructor. Bill is spoke about by every student and always in a kind and respectful manner. The students understand that there is always something that can come up in the real world and Bill teaches them that in his courses.
As a personal and business coach for over a decade. Bill has been coaching award winning executives, realtors, athletes and business owners and he is considered to be one of Canada’s first professional coaches. Ladies and gentlemen we are honored to present Mr. Bill Phillips as our newest Honorary member.
Michael Goldberg, R.I.(B.C.)
1999
Michael A. Goldberg is the Herbert R. Fullerton Professor of Urban Land Policy in the Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration at the University of British Columbia. He was Dean from 1991 to 1997, and at UBC since 1968 when he finished his Ph.D. in Economics at the University of California at Berkeley. He also: served as Chair of the Real Estate Foundation (1988-91) and as a governor (1985-92); was a Commissioner of the British Columbia Housing Management Commission (1989-92); is a Governor of the Vancouver Maritime Museum (1991-present); was a member of the Deposit Insurance Advisory Committee created by the federal Minister of Finance (1992-94);is a member of the investment Committee of the B.C. Workers Compensation Board; is or was on the Boards of Directors of Redekop Properties (1994-2000), and also served on Boards of Catamaran Ferries International (1996-97; Imperial Parking Ltd... (1991-94); and Vancouver Land Corporation (1991-93). He was the Chair (1992-94) (Vice-Chair 1991-92) of the Canadian Federation of Deans of Management and Administrative Studies, and on the International Marketing Committee of the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (1993-97).
His research has continued to focus on cities and real estate markets, increasingly in an international setting as in his book The Chinese Connection: Getting Plugged in to Pacific Rim Real Estate, Trade and Capital Markets, (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1985) which examines real estate investment behaviour of Southeast Asian ethnic Chinese. He has also worked widely in housing and property markets and policy, advising businesses, trade associations and governments at all levels around the world on housing and real estate. In sum, he has wholly or partly authored 9 books and more than 200 academic and professional articles largely dealing with facets of real estate and urban analysis.
A. George Oikawa, FRI, AACI, R.I.(B.C.)
1996 (Deceased)
George entered real estate in June 1956, first residential sales and two years later in ICI sales and leasing. In 1962 he started his career as a real estate appraiser/consultant. In February 1969 he obtained his RI(BC) designation and in 1971 was elected a Governor or the Real Estate Institute of B.C. George subsequently served as governor for 25 consecutive years and during this period he served as chair of numerous committees including Professional Conduct, Admittance and Membership, Publication, Finance and other committees. He was elected president of the Institute in 1992. The Real Estate Institute of B.C. recognized George's dedicated work as Governor of the Institute, guest lecturer and respected real estate practitioner and established a bursary in George's name at the University of B.C. for students in Urban Land Economics who has good scholastic ability and demonstrates financial need.
George served as a consultant in all matters relating to real estate including sales, appraisals, property development and management, marketing studies and feasibility studies. He is an accredited appraiser of the Appraisal Institute of Canada (AACI) and has appeared as an expert witness before arbitration boards, assessment appeal boards, the Supreme Court of British Columbia and the Federal Court of Canada. He has also served as a member and Chairman of numerous arbitration boards.
The Real Estate Institute of B.C. recognizing George's outstanding contributions to the real estate profession, elected him to Honorary Membership in December 1996.
Robert J. Mikitka, AACI, R.I.(B.C.)
1994 (Deceased)
I was licensed as a Real Estate salesperson in the spring of 1965. Within one year I realized that this was to be my career and I needed more education. In 1966, I enrolled in the Urban Land Economics program at UBC and graduated in 1970. In 1986, I was elected Governor for the Real Estate Institute of BC. I served three years as President. From 1992 to 1997, I was appointed as Governor of the Real Estate Foundation serving two years as chairman.
P. Dermot Murphy, R.I.(B.C.)
1992 (Deceased)
Real Estate Council of B.C.
- Assistant Secretary 1959 - 1964
- Secretary 1964 - 1995
Real Estate Institute of B.C.
- Assistant Secretary 1959 - 1964
- Secretary 1964 - 1970
B.C. Association of Real Estate Boards (Non B.C. R.E.A.)
- Assistant Secretary 1959 - 1964
- Secretary 1964 - 1970
Honorary Member
- Real Estate Institute of B.C.
- B.C. Real Estate Association
- Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver
- Vancouver Island Real Estate Board
- Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board
- Cariboo Real Estate Association (now has new name)
- Kootenay Real Estate Board
- Powell River Sunshine Coast Real Estate Board
- Association of Real Estate License Law Officials
Jean R. Nicol, CAE, R.I.(B.C.)
1991
After seven years as Executive Officer for the Real Estate Institute of B.C., Jean Nicol, CAE, retired in 1990.
"I began work with the Institute in 1983 during a period of rebuilding. It was both a financial and organizational challenge, but working together with the outstanding Board of Governors, at the time, great strides were made in gaining the recognition which the Institute so justly deserved."
Philip D.P. Holmes, FRI, R.I.(B.C.)
1982 (Deceased)
Stanley W. Hamilton, R.I.(B.C.)
1977
The Sauder School of Business honoured Dr. Stan Hamilton at a retirement celebration on October 18, 2004. Stan was the Philip H. White Professor of Urban Land Economics and Senior Associate Dean, Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration, University of British Columbia. Guests honouring Stan included members of the Real Estate Council, the Real Estate Institute of BC, the Real Estate Foundation of BC and the BC Real Estate Association, as well as former Deans of the Sauder School, past and present colleagues, and of course, Stan's family. Although Stan has retired, he has not slowed down. He is currently teaching in the MBA core, and is working with the School on a number of special projects.
Stan completed his Ph.D. in Real Estate and Finance at the University of California at Berkeley in 1971. His research interests include real property price indexes, the role of real estate in institutional portfolios, real estate valuation and the real estate brokerage industry. He is the author of several books and monographs and numerous articles relating to real estate.
Colin C. Gourlay, R.I.(B.C.)
1975 (Deceased)
I first became associated with the Real Estate industry in the early 1950's. At that time the Real Estate Board approached the University of B.C. asking for help in developing educational programs which U.B.C. would control. These would become part of the basis for licensing salespeople and agents involved in the business. Members of the Faculty of Commerce under Dean E. D. MacPhee, and I as his assistant, met with leaders from the industry to sort out the problems. Prominent during these discussions, representing the business side, were such members as Co. H. Fullerton, Col. H.B. Bell-Irving and Mr... Charlie Brown. The Faculty at the time had no courses in Real Estate and it was necessary to find a faculty member with a background in the subject. Searching for a potential candidate from American and Canadian universities led the Faculty to realize they had to search elsewhere. Contact was made with Professor Philip White who came to Canada from Britain to accept the position. He set up the required programs for the industry and introduced an acceptable academic program for the Faculty.
I continued my contribution with the industry by establishing part of the first courses and by teaching some of the night school courses for candidates in licensing.
In March, 1975 I was privileged to be awarded an Honorary Life Membership by the Real Estate Institute, and Hold Certificate #5.
Philip White, R.I.(B.C.)
1961 (Deceased)
Philip White joined the Faculty of Commerce & Business Administration, University of British Columbia, in 1958 in order to develop the program in Urban Land Economics. Undergraduate and graduate courses quickly achieved wide acceptance as well as the research projects of the Urban Land Economics Division. Professional education included the new licensing courses for salespersons and agents under the Real Estate Act of 1958, and the UBC Diploma Courses in Real Estate and Appraisal. The diploma was immediately adopted as a major educational qualification for membership in the Real Estate Institute of B.C.
In further recognition of his work in urban land economics, Philip White was awarded honorary membership in the Real Estate Institute of Canada and The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. There is an Endowed Chair in the Faculty of Commerce & Business Administration named the Philip H. White Chair in Urban Land Economics.
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