2025 Board Director Election

A recording of the January 7 webinar entitled “So you want to be a RECO board director?” can be found below:

At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in May 2024, RECO’s by-laws were amended to reflect recommendations from the Auditor General as implemented through several Minister’s Orders. The intention is to evolve into more of a “balanced” or “skills based” board, which we know some local real estate boards and associations are also contemplating. Primarily, this resulted in:

• The reduction of the overall size of the board from 12 directors to nine.
• The decrease in the number of directors who are registrants from nine to three (now called sector directors).
• The implementation of competencies required by applicants to be considered for the RECO board, along with an assessment process, with a focus on consumer protection (more on this in the Candidate Profile for Sector Directors).
• The establishment of a Nominations Committee to identify suitable candidates to present to members for election at the AGM.

At the 2025 AGM, all three sector director positions will become vacant due to the simultaneous conclusion of the current sector directors’ terms.

More information can be found in By-laws, policies & other documents

The RECO Policy on Director Recruitment outlines how directors are selected and elected to the board.

As a result of the structural changes mentioned above, the following adjustments are required:

• The elimination of candidacy and voting by regions.
• The elimination of the two-step election process, so that now one election takes place at the actual AGM. Note that proxy and advance voting have never been permitted at RECO AGMs, and this continues to be the case. In other words, if a member wishes to vote, he or she must be in attendance at the AGM.
• A new policy — the RECO Policy on Director Recruitment — has been introduced, which establishes a nimbler process than was originally defined in RECO’s now repealed By-law No. 2.
• For 2025 only, the terms of the new sector directors will be two, three, and four years, respectively; this will ensure that, in future years, only one sector director’s term will conclude at each AGM, and there will be an election for only one sector director at the AGM in 2027 and beyond.

Following application and prior to being selected to stand for election, applicants will be screened by RECO, with the assistance of an external consultant, to ensure alignment with established competency criteria in the Candidate Profile for Sector Directors.

Following this process, a final list of candidates will be identified to be presented to the members for election at the AGM in 2025. Note that only the most suitably qualified applicants, as established by the competency criteria, will be put forward as candidates for election.

Those eligible to vote who are in attendance at the AGM will be asked to vote in one single ballot for up to three candidates. Each vote will carry the same value, and there will be no ranking of any candidates by voters. The candidate with the most overall votes will be elected for a four-year term, the candidate with the second-most votes will be elected for a three-year term and the candidate with the third-most votes will be elected for a two-year term.

Members will be able to submit their application for consideration between January 13 and February 3, 2025. If you are interested, please take the following steps:

• Review the applicable materials on this webpage.
• Complete the application form fully and accurately, including the conflict of interest disclosure. Failure to do so may result in your application being ineligible.

In order to be considered as a candidate for sector director, applicants must review, and complete where necessary, the following:

• Candidate Profile for Sector Directors
• RECO Policy on Director Recruitment
• Webinar (please see “January 7 webinar: So you want to be a RECO board director?” section above)
• Application form (includes a skills self-assessment; bio; resume; conflict of interest disclosure; nominators)

The applicant review process will take place between early February and mid-March.

Step 1: Each application will be reviewed for eligibility to stand for election.

Step 2: Eligible applicants will undergo a pre-screening interview, conducted by an independent firm, who will assess them against the established competency criteria as laid out in the Candidate Profile for Sector Directors. The pre-screening process will take place in early February, following the close of the application period.

Step 3: Those eligible applicants who have demonstrated that they meet the established criteria will be presented to the Nominations Committee. Those applicants will then be interviewed by the Nominations Committee and a final list of candidates will be established to be put forward to the members for election at the AGM.

The process for the 2025 elections will unfold as follows:

Notification of successful candidates who will stand for election at the AGM in 2025

• Each successful candidate will be notified in early April 2025.
• Successful candidates will be requested to submit a headshot and two videos by April 18, 2025. Details on specific requirements will be provided to successful candidates and posted on RECO’s 2025 Board Director Election web page.

Campaign period

• Candidates are eligible to campaign in support of their candidacy between April 28 and May 28, 2025.
• During this time, candidates can seek support from fellow members on social media, and/or through their personal or professional networks.
• Successful candidates will be provided with RECO's Campaign Guidelines, which will also be posted on RECO’s 2025 Board Director Election web page.

Election at AGM

• Only those eligible to vote who are in attendance at the AGM can cast a vote.
• There will be one single election.
• Eligible voters will be invited to vote for up to three candidates (one vote per candidate).
• The candidate with the most votes will be elected for a four-year term, the candidate with the second-most votes will be elected for a three-year term, and the candidate with the third-most votes will be elected for a two-year term.

January 13, 2025: Applications open (9 a.m.)

February 3, 2025: Applications close (2 p.m.)

By April 7, 2025: Board of directors confirms list of candidates to stand for election

April 18, 2025: Deadline for candidates to submit to RECO their photo (headshot and videos)

April 28, 2025: Members are notified of the final list of candidates; Campaign period begins

May 28, 2025: Campaign period ends

May 29, 2025: Annual General Meeting — those eligible can cast their vote at the meeting

The following table provides an overview of the changes.

Why is this change taking place?

• RECO has made changes to the composition and size of its board of directors due to by-law changes following Minister’s Orders received in 2024.
• The Minister’s Orders also required RECO to establish a Nominations Committee to recommend candidates to stand for election based on an established set of competency criteria, including a willingness to champion consumer protection.

• The Candidate Profile for Sector Directors identifies the criteria that the Nominations Committee seeks in applicants in order to determine their eligibility to stand for election.
  • These criteria align with current best practices in governance and include gender, ethnic, geographic and cultural diversity; previous board or committee experience; absence of previous or ongoing disciplinary actions by RECO or other regulators; and other factors as deemed necessary or beneficial by the committee.
  • The Minister’s Orders require that candidates support proactive consumer protection.

• The 2025-26 chair and vice chair of the board of directors will be elected by the board at the first meeting following the RECO Annual General Meeting (AGM).

• Yes. All applicants, including existing sector directors considering submitting an application for election at the AGM in 2025, will be treated in the same manner and will be screened through the same process.
• Current sector directors who may consider putting their names forward as applicants are not permitted to participate in any discussion or review of any materials related to the sector director election.

• RECO is committed to facilitating a fair process for all members.
• The competency criteria will be applicable to all applicants. RECO will confirm eligibility while an independent external firm will assist in identifying those who best match the criteria.
• There will be a vote for sector directors at the AGM in 2025. All members in attendance at the AGM will have the opportunity to vote, and each vote will be weighted equally.
• Any current sector directors who are considering submitting an application for one of the vacancies in 2025 will be recused from any activity relating to the election.

• There is a clearly defined and transparent process available to all applicants, and the Candidate Profile for Sector Directors identifies the criteria that the Nominations Committee seeks in applicants in order to determine their eligibility to stand for election.
• As such, the decision of the board is final.

• The election at the AGM in 2025 will only be for sector directors, as there will be no vacancies for non-sector directors.

• Three sector directors will be elected in 2025 for four-, three- and two-year terms, respectively.
  • The candidate with the highest vote count will be elected for a four-year term, followed by the candidate with the second-highest vote count (three-year term) and third-highest vote count (two-year term).
• Beginning in 2027, there will be one expiring term, and subsequently one elected candidate, for sector director per year.

• No. RECO’s by-laws do not permit proxy or advance votes. Members must be in attendance at the Annual General Meeting in order to vote.
• Please note that RECO’s AGM in 2025 will be virtual, to provide participants with flexibility that they may need to attend.