April 11, 2017 -- On Tuesday, May 9 and Wednesday, May 10 TREB will host a two-day Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR®) course at a special, discounted price.

Taught by Hugh Foy, this course is sure to sell out quickly, so please register through TREB e-Commerce at your earliest convenience to ensure you reserve your spot!

About the Course:
Becoming skilled at Buyer Representation will help you change the way you do business and cater to clients at every stage in the home buying process. As an Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR®), you will gain a unique understanding of home buyers' needs and how best to serve them, specialized information to stay on top of home buying issues and trends, and exclusive resources to share with your clients and give you even more of a competitive edge.

Topics Include:

• Building a Buyer Representation business
• Valuing the services you perform on behalf of buyer clients
• Increasing confidence to work toward a signed Buyer Representation Agreement
• Gaining methods, tools, and techniques to provide the support and services buyers want.

Important Notes:

Dates: Tues., May 9, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. & Wed., May 10, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Location: Sutherland Room, Toronto Congress Centre, South Building, 650 Dixon Road

Attendance: You must be in attendance for the entire 2-day course to receive the designation

Cost: REALTOR® QUEST Special Price for the 2-day designation course is $169.50 (HST incl.)

Registration: TREB Members (TREB/BREB/DRAR/BDAR) must REGISTER through TREB e-Commerce

Non-TREB Members (licensed REALTOR®) must REGISTER through TREB Member Services at 416-443-8148. Registration for the ABR® Designation course includes access to May 10 – Day One ONLY of the REALTOR® QUEST Trade Show and Conference. If you wish to attend on May 11 – Day Two, the cost is $25.00 (click here for the registration form), or $30.00 at the door.

(Note: Regular Learning Quest sessions do not require pre-registration.)

About REALTOR® QUEST

REALTOR® QUEST is Canada's largest real estate trade show and conference. This year, it will take place on Wednesday, May 10 and Thursday, May 11 at the Toronto Congress Centre (650 Dixon Road, map). For more information about REALTOR® QUEST, visit realtorquest.ca

Don't forget to join the conversation on social media. Find us @TREBhome and join in by using #RealtorQuest. Talk soon!

On April 10, 2017, the Ontario government announced that it passed Bill 59, also known as the Putting Consumers First Act, which includes licensing home inspectors and regulating the home inspection industry.

Although the legislation has been passed, the government still needs to work through the details regarding home inspectors' mandatory licensing and qualifications, as well as minimum standards for contracts, reports, and disclosures before this Bill is implemented. Details on licensing and regulations will be coming in the future, but this announcement represents a great step towards regulating this profession and increasing consumer protection.  

TREB welcomes this announcement, as REALTORS® have been advocating for such legislation, and TREB looks forward to continue working closely with the government as it moves to develop regulations before implementing this Bill. TREB will keep Members updated.

April 18, 2017 -- On Wednesday, April 26, 2017 from 6:00pm-11:30pm, The Toronto Region Board of Trade's (TRBOT) Young Professionals Network will host a Spring Networking event at Leña Restaurante (CF Toronto Eaton Centre, 176 Yonge St.) and, as a TREB YPN Member, you're invited!

Join us after work at Oliver & Bonacini's newest restaurant, Leña. Sample South American cuisine and enjoy the cozy Bar Lala lounge while making new connections with likeminded professionals.

Partnering with TREB, the TRBOT has extended an offer of discounted pricing ($30 per ticket) for TREB Members interested in attending.

Should you wish to attend (and to ensure member pricing is applied), send your request via email to events@bot.com, and simply quote TREB/TRBOT YPN Partnership.

Full Event Details:

Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Time: 6:00pm-11:30pm
Location: Leña Restaurante, CF Toronto Eaton Centre, 176 Yonge St. (map)

Member Price: $30

Click here to view the event flyer for more info.

For more information on the TRBOT YPN, visit: http://www.bot.com/YPN

Back at REALTOR® QUEST by popular demand, you won't want to miss Dan Riskin of Discovery Canada's Daily Planet, as he hosts two Emerging Technologies sessions. You'll learn about advances in 3D Printing, the Internet of Things Connected Home Technology, and 4D Virtual Experiences as well as the impact these exciting innovations have on real estate and the real world.

Emerging Technologies for Real Estate and the Real World
Wednesday, May 10, 1:30 p.m.–3:00 p.m., Hall B
Thursday, May 11, 9:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m., Hall B

PLUS: Don't miss the Innovation Centre

The Innovation Centre, last year's popular addition to the Trade Show floor, will feature emerging technologies, including 3D Printing, the Internet of Things Connected Home Technology, and 4D Virtual Experiences.

And, new this year, the TELUS® Connected Playground, which features the latest and greatest tech that TELUS® has to offer. Inside you'll find interactive displays from top brands such as Samsung, Nest, Fitbit, Beats, and more! Outside the trailer, guests can demo the new Samsung Gear VR and Google VR as well as charge their phone, use complimentary Wi-Fi, and have their phone cleaned by a team of friendly TELUS® Brand Ambassadors.

About REALTOR® QUEST

REALTOR® QUEST is Canada's largest real estate trade show and conference. This year, it will take place on Wednesday, May 10 and Thursday, May 11 at the Toronto Congress Centre (650 Dixon Road, map). For more information about REALTOR® QUEST, visit realtorquest.ca

Don't forget to join the conversation on social media. Find us @TREBhome and join in by using #RealtorQuest. Talk soon!

Voting is now open in the 2017 RECO Board of Directors Election. If you have not received an email to vote, please email to election@reco.on.ca and include your RECO registration number, your name, and the email address to send the link.

To meet the candidates in your region, visit www.reco.on.ca/election. Voting closes April 24, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. ET.

The provincial government has announced a 16 point plan intended to improve housing affordability, including a Non-Resident Speculations Tax, and a commitment to review the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act. Click here for Government Background Document, or see "Details" below.

TREB Statement from CEO John DiMichele

The Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) is encouraged that all levels of government are making the state of the housing market a priority; however, TREB strongly believes that public policy decisions with regard to the housing market should be evidence-based and supported by empirical data. In this regard, it is not clear that the issues targeted by the policies announced today are fully understood at this point, nor is it clear how effective these policies will be, or if they will have unintended outcomes.  TREB continues to believe that more empirical evidence is needed to fully understand the issues that governments are attempting to address. TREB has participated in discussions with policy makers and has taken the initiative to conduct research that has contributed valuable data, and we will continue to do so.

With regard to REALTOR® practices as it relates to the home bidding process or representation of sellers and buyers, TREB welcomes a review of the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, which REALTORS® are currently obligated to comply with and is administered by the Real Estate Council of Ontario. The rules are specific in terms of what REALTORS® are required to do and TREB Members follow the rules as set out by REBBA and RECO.

Details (Click here for Government Background Document)

The provincial plan includes the following actions:

• Introduction of a 15 per cent Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST) on the price of homes in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) purchased by individuals who are not citizens or permanent residents of Canada or by foreign corporations.  The proposed tax would apply to transfers of land that contain at least one and not more than six single family residences. "Single family residences" include, for example, detached and semi-detached homes, townhomes and condominiums. The NRST would not apply to transfers of other types of land including multi-residential rental apartment buildings, agricultural land or commercial/industrial land. The NRST would be effective as of April 21, 2017, upon the enactment of the amending legislation. Binding agreements of purchase and sale signed on or before April 20, 2017 are not subject to the NRST. Refugees and nominees under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program would not be subject to the NRST. Subject to eligibility requirements, a rebate would be available for those who subsequently attain citizenship or permanent resident status as a well as foreign nationals working in Ontario and international students. Click here for government's technical bulletin on this tax. 

• Expanding rent control to all private rental units in Ontario, including those built after 1991. Rental costs will only rise at the rate posted in the annual provincial rent increase guideline. Over the past ten years, the annual rent increase guideline has averaged two per cent. The increase is capped at a maximum of 2.5 per cent. Under these changes, landlords would still be able to apply vacancy decontrol and seek above guideline increases where permitted. Legislation will be introduced that, if passed, will enact this change effective April 20.‎

• The government will introduce legislation that would, if passed, strengthen the Residential Tenancies Act to further protect tenants and ensure predictability for landlords. This will include developing a standard lease with explanatory information available in multiple languages, tightening provisions for "landlord's own use" evictions, and ensuring that tenants are adequately compensated if asked to vacate under this rule; prohibiting above-guideline increases where elevator work orders have not been completed; and making technical changes at the Landlord-Tenant Board to make the process fairer and easier for renters and landlords. These changes would apply to the entire province.

• Establishing a program to leverage the value of surplus provincial land assets across the province to develop a mix of market housing and new, permanent, sustainable and affordable housing supply. Potential sites under consideration for a pilot project include the West Don Lands, 27 Grosvenor/26 Grenville Streets in Toronto, and other sites in the province. This builds on an agreement reached previously with the City of Toronto to ensure a minimum of 20 per cent of residential units within the West Don Lands are available for affordable rental, with an additional 5 per cent of units for affordable ownership.

• Introducing legislation that would, if passed, empower the City of Toronto, and potentially other interested municipalities, to introduce a vacant homes property tax to encourage property owners to sell unoccupied units or rent them out, to address concerns about residential units potentially being left vacant by speculators.

• Ensuring that property tax for new multi-residential apartment buildings is charged at a similar rate as other residential properties. This will encourage developers to build more new purpose-built rental housing and will apply to the entire province.

• Introducing a targeted $125-million, five-year program to further encourage the construction of new rental apartment buildings by rebating a portion of development charges. Working with municipalities, the government would target projects in those communities that are most in need of new purpose-built rental housing.

• Providing municipalities with the flexibility to use property tax tools to help unlock development opportunities. For example, municipalities could be permitted to impose a higher tax on vacant land that has been approved for new housing.

• Creating a new Housing Supply Team with dedicated provincial employees to identify barriers to specific housing development projects and work with developers and municipalities to find solutions. As well, a multi-ministry working group will be established to work with the development industry and municipalities to identify opportunities to streamline the development approvals process.

• The province will work to understand and tackle practices that may be contributing to tax avoidance and excessive speculation in the housing market such as "paper flipping," a practice that includes entering into a contractual agreement to buy a residential unit and assigning it to another person prior to closing.

• Working with the real estate profession and consumers, the province is committing to review the rules real estate agents are required to follow to ensure that consumers are fairly represented in real estate transactions. This includes practices such as double ending. The government will modernize its rules, strengthen professionalism and improve the home-buying experience with a goal to make Ontario a leader in real estate standards.

• Establishing a housing advisory group which will meet quarterly to provide the government with ongoing advice about the state of the housing market and discuss the impact of the measures in the Fair Housing Plan and any additional steps that are needed. The group will have a diverse range of expertise, including economists, academics, developers, community groups and the real estate sector.

• Educating consumers on their rights, particularly on the issue of one real estate professional representing more than one party in a real estate transaction.

• Partnering with the Canada Revenue Agency to explore more comprehensive reporting requirements so that correct federal and provincial taxes, including income and sales taxes, are paid on purchases and sales of real estate in Ontario.

• Making elevators in Ontario buildings more reliable by establishing timelines for elevator repair in consultation with the sector and the Technical Standards & Safety Authority (TSSA).

• Working with municipalities to better reflect the needs of a growing Greater Golden Horseshoe through an updated Growth Plan. New provisions will include requiring that municipalities  consider the appropriate range of unit sizes in higher density residential buildings to accommodate a diverse range of household sizes and incomes.

On April 20, we email broadcast April's edition of the monthly, electronic Across The Board Member newsletter to all TREB Members. This issue features:

• New/Changed Fields in Stratus and a New Data Information Form
• Your Board, Your Vote
• Get Involved at TREB – Make a Difference!
• Just One Week Until TREB FEST! Don't Miss This Event!
• Spring Build Days – Habitat for Humanity GTA
• REALTOR® QUEST Special Insert
• Demographic Maps in the Condo Corner
• Let Us Show You the Personal Touch Advantage
• Privacy Reminder to Members
• And more!

If you can’t find the email link to Across The Board in your Inbox, or you’ve accidentally deleted it, you may click here to open the newsletter.

If the link to open Across The Board doesn’t work on your computer, there is an alternate method to read the newsletter. To access Across The Board from within TorontoMLS/New Stratus:

1. Log into TorontoMLS/New Stratus.
2. Click Your Resource Centre near the top of the home page. The Your Resource Centre page appears in a separate window. 
   
3. Click Across The Board Newsletter. The current edition of the newsletter appears.
   
4. To print or download the current issue, select Click here to download current issue in PDF. To read a previous issue, select CLICK HERE FOR ARCHIVES, then select the issue you want to read.
   
   

To print Across The Board:

1. Follow the steps above to open the PDF version of the newsletter.
2. Click File, then Print.

Did you know that you can cast your vote online to elect the 2017/2018 Board of Directors?

Starting May 2, 2017 at noon, you'll be able to cast your vote, and polls will stay open until May 8, 2017 at noon.

Not sure who to vote for? Click here to learn more about this year's candidates.

Also, please see the informative infographic below to learn more about how your Board serves YOU!

Are you a Commercial REALTOR® looking for Learning Quest sessions targeted to your needs? We've got a great lineup of commercial content, conveniently located in the Waxman Room (Toronto Congress Centre, 650 Dixon Road, map) throughout Day 2 on Thursday, May 11.

Check out this year's exciting commercial sessions below and, of course, visit realtorquest.ca for all the latest updates on Canada's largest real estate trade show and conference!

GTA REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FORUM, 8:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
For the first time ever, all five regions serviced by TREB Members will be together at REALTOR® QUEST! Hear from representatives of Durham, Halton, Peel, Toronto, and York who will present their economic update and share plans for commercial and residential real estate development.

ALTUS GROUP'S STATE OF THE MARKET OVERVIEW, 10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
With Matthew Boukall and Jason Mercer

The dynamics of property markets are being impacted by an ever-changing cross-section of drivers and stakeholders. What changes in residential and commercial real estate occurred in the Greater Toronto Area in 2016 and the first quarter of 2017, and what opportunities and challenges lie ahead?

Join us for key insights from Altus Group's industry-leading market data that will help you plan for a successful year.

METROLINX: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO PLACES, 12:45 p.m.–1:45 p.m. 
With Judy Pfeifer

Metrolinx is leading the building of new transit infrastructure across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Judy Pfeifer, Metrolinx's Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer, will share how this investment will be building new connections across our region, and what this exciting expansion program might mean for you, your clients, and the real estate industry.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE FINANCING, 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
With Randal Blackwood

As a commercial real estate professional, guiding your clients to purchase commercial real estate can be a complex process. The more you understand this process, the more effective you will be.

This information session will help you understand and navigate potential issues in commercial real estate financing with the ultimate goal of helping you do more business. Cases of real BDC commercial real estate deals will be discussed in the context of learning how to find the right financing and how to deal with environmental and legal issues. This will help you close your deals faster and increase your client satisfaction. 

Please note that we will not be discussing multi-unit residential in this seminar. 

About REALTOR® QUEST

REALTOR® QUEST is Canada's largest real estate trade show and conference. This year, it will take place on Wednesday, May 10 and Thursday, May 11 at the Toronto Congress Centre (650 Dixon Road, map). For more information about REALTOR® QUEST, visit realtorquest.ca

Don't forget to join the conversation on social media. Find us @TREBhome and join in by using #RealtorQuest. Talk soon!

The provincial government has announced the 2017 Ontario Budget, which includes numerous items relevant to REALTORS®.

What does the 2017 Budget mean for Ontario REALTORS®?

• Ontario's Fair Housing Plan: Budget 2017 reiterates components of the government's 16-point plan to address housing affordability. (Click here for details on the Ontario Fair Housing Plan.) Some highlights are:  

• Non-Resident Speculation Tax: Implementing a new 15 per cent Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST) on the price of homes in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) purchased by individuals who are not citizens or permanent residents of Canada or by foreign corporations.
• Upon the enactment of legislation, the NRST will be effective as of April 21, 2017. Binding agreements of purchase and sale signed on or before April 20, 2017 are not subject to the NRST.
• The province listened to REALTOR® advice on the NRST and will be providing rebates or exemptions to students, workers, refugees and people who acquire citizenship within four years.

• Housing Supply: The government is taking positive steps to bring more housing supply into the market. This was a focus of REALTOR® advocacy leading up to this announcement as a way to help make home ownership more affordable for Ontario families.
• Specifically, the province announced plans to look at streamlining the complicated approvals process which delays and prevents housing supply from coming to market. They will also support the building of "missing middle" housing in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and work with municipalities to encourage developers to build on vacant land that is serviced and ready for development.

• Review of REBBA: While a review of REBBA was not announced in Budget 2017, as part of the Fair Housing Plan, the government remains committed to conducting a broad review of REBBA including looking at practices like multiple representation and representing the buyer and seller. A full review of REBBA will be an opportunity to discuss multiple representation but to do so in a much more thoughtful/rational way. It will also be an opportunity to lobby for other changes to REBBA like PRECs, specialty designations, greater fines, higher education standards and other changes which will help REALTORS® do business better.

• Rent Control: Expanding rent control to all private rental units in Ontario, including those built after 1991. This will ensure increases in rental costs can only rise at the rate posted in the annual provincial rent increase guideline. The increase is capped at a maximum of 2.5 per cent. Legislation will be introduced that, if passed, will enact this change effective April 20. 

• Vacant Homes Property Tax: Budget 2017 reconfirms the government's plan to give the City of Toronto the ability to levy an additional property tax on vacant homes. Amendments will also be made to legislation to give the Minister the ability, through regulation, to give other interested municipalities the opportunity to levy a similar tax.

• Paper Flipping/Assignments: The Budget outlines that the government will require a purchaser to declare at the time the transfer is registered whether they entered the agreement of purchase and sale through assignment or another similar arrangement.

• Revenue Tools/Hotel Tax: We are happy to report that Budget 2017 does not reverse the province's commitment to not give other municipalities MLTT powers. However, the government will introduce legislation through Budget 2017 which will amend the City of Toronto Act, 2006 and Municipal Act, 2001 to give all municipalities the ability to levy a hotel tax. TREB and OREA will monitor the legislative process to ensure no additional revenue tools are added to the legislation.

• Tarion Warranty Corporation: The 2017 Budget reconfirmed the government's plans to make changes to Tarion and the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act. The government has asked Tarion to introduce new deposit requirements to reflect current housing prices. 

• Syndicated Mortgages: The government will introduce new regulations to place investment limits on syndicated mortgages and require mortgage brokerages to document their assessments of the suitability of such products for their clients.

• Land Transfer Tax: Budget 2017 will amend the Land Transfer Tax Act to restrict first-time home buyers from claiming their spouse's interest from the first-time buyers rebate if the spouse is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada. 

• Pooled Registered Pension Plans: The 2017 Budget announced that Pooled Registered Pension Plans (PRPPs) are now permitted in Ontario as of March 31, 2017. Self-employed or independent contractors, such as REALTORS®, can now utilize this voluntary tool to help them save for retirement.

  
Other highlights from the 2017 Ontario Budget include:

• Deficit/Fiscal Outlook: The government is projecting a balanced budget for the current fiscal year. The budget will also remain balanced for the next two years.

• Infrastructure and Transit Funding: The Budget allocates $156 billion in infrastructure funding over the next 10 years. $56 billion will be invested in public transit and $26 billion will be spent to improve and build new roads and highways.

• Health Care: The government is going to be spending an additional $7 billion in health care over next three years to assist with the construction of new hospitals and decrease wait times. 

• OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare: Children and youth under the age of 24 will have access to universal drug coverage beginning on January 1, 2018.

• Seniors' Public Transit Tax Credit: On July 1, 2017, Ontarians aged 65 or older will be eligible for the Seniors' Public Transit Tax Credit which will provide a refundable benefit of 15 per cent for eligible public transit costs. 

• Increased Child Care Spaces: Budget 2017 announces funding for the creation of 24,000 more licensed child care spaces.

• Basic Income Pilot: The Budget announced the launch of a Basic Income Pilot in Hamilton, Thunder Bay and Lindsay to provide voluntary participants aged 18 to 64 with regular payments to help them afford basic needs like housing or food. 

• Natural Gas Expansion: The budget commits $100 million to be invested in a new Natural Gas Grant Program to expand natural gas access to rural, Northern and First Nation communities.

• Affordable Housing: The government announced that it would leverage provincial land for affordable housing by disposing surplus land below market value. In a pilot within the GTHA, Ontario will commit $70 to $100 million in land to develop up to 2,000 new housing units which will include both market and affordable housing. 

• Tobacco Tax: Budget 2017 announces a $2 per carton increase in the tobacco tax. This is part of a plan to increase tobacco tax rates by $10 per carton over the next three years.

• Drive Clean: While the Drive Clean program will continue, the government has eliminated the $30 fee that drivers pay for the Drive Clean emissions tests.

Polls to cast your vote online to elect the 2017/2018 Board of Directors are now open! Vote now as your elected Board of Directors acts to serve your interests and shapes the future of TREB.

Click here to vote online now! Or follow the link below:
http://profile.torontomls.net/election/election.jsp

You'll be able to cast your vote until May 8, 2017 at noon.

Not sure who to vote for? Candidate bios and video messages are available on the voting site.

A Note on Eligibility to Vote:

Also, please see the informative infographic below to learn more about how your Board serves YOU!

Hosted by Sangita Patel, ET Canada Reporter and Host of Home to Win, the Women in Real Estate panel will discuss what it means to be a woman in what is often considered to be a male-dominated industry.

The group will discuss how to address gender equality issues in the workplace, developing female talent, creating support systems and mentorship opportunities for women in Brokerages, and promoting the safety of female REALTORS®.

WOMEN IN REAL ESTATE, hosted by Sangita Patel 
Thursday, May 11 
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. 
Hall B

Panelists: 
• Debbie Cosic, CEO and Founder, In2ition Realty
• Pamela Alexander, CEO, North America, RE/MAX INTEGRA
• Samantha Brookes, CEO and Founder, Mortgages of Canada
• Tami Bonnell, CEO, EXIT Realty Corp. International

About REALTOR® QUEST

REALTOR® QUEST is Canada's largest real estate trade show and conference. This year, it will take place on Wednesday, May 10 and Thursday, May 11 at the Toronto Congress Centre (650 Dixon Road, map). For more information about REALTOR® QUEST, visit realtorquest.ca

Don't forget to join the conversation on social media. Find us @TREBhome and join in by using #RealtorQuest. Talk soon!

The Toronto Real Estate Board, as part of its contribution to the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation's Every REALTOR® Campaign, is proud to donate $150,000 to Habitat for Humanity GTA's latest home build project at 140 Pinery Trail. TREB's support will help a deserving GTA family, the Kabir-Akters, achieve their dream of home ownership.

TREB Members participated in four successful Build Days during the fall of 2016, and now, we're pleased to offer you the opportunity to register to participate in two more upcoming Build Days this spring.

We encourage all of our Members to consider volunteering for a TREB Build Day experience! Participating in a Build Day is a great way to give back to the community, while meeting some like-minded colleagues and connecting with TREB staff. Read on to learn more about how you can get involved this spring!

Spring Build Days

The dates and times for the Spring Build Days at the 140 Pinery Trail site (map) are below. Please note that there is a maximum of 20 participants per day.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

To register, please click here or visit one of the links below:

http://treb-hfhgta.habitatgta.volunteerhub.com/ or http://yhub.at/treb_hfhgta

About the 140 Pinery Trail Site and the Kabir-Akter Family 
The Kabir-Akter family, headed by Humayunn and Bilkis, currently live in a one-bedroom apartment with their two children Humayura (12) and Farhan (6). Despite working two jobs to provide for his family, Humayunn never thought owning a home in Canada would be a reality. With the safety and stability their new home will bring, many of them plan to pursue further education, with Bilkis aspiring to go to school as the kids grow older and both children planning to attend university in the future. The Kabir-Akter family also plan to introduce themselves to the other Habitat partner families once they've settled in.

About the Every REALTOR® Campaign 
At our May 2016 Spring Annual Meeting, GTA REALTORS® voted to participate in the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation's Every REALTOR® Campaign for the ninth consecutive year by donating $1 per Member per month. The Every REALTOR® Campaign helps to build a better Greater Toronto Area and has had amazing results for our communities. Click here to read about TREB's 2015/2016 contributions.
To read more about TREB's contribution to Habitat for Humanity GTA's Pinery Trail Build Site, click here.

If You Plan to Volunteer, Please Read This: 
Build Day Details:

• Upon registration, participants will receive complete Build Day details.
• Arrive promptly at 8:00 a.m., as Habitat for Humanity GTA cannot guarantee accommodation of late arrivals.
• Dress suitably for both indoor and outdoor work – long pants and socks are mandatory.
• Bring a refillable water bottle and sunscreen.
• Habitat for Humanity GTA will provide:
• All necessary personal protective equipment and tools.
• A lunch according to most dietary restrictions.

Participant Restrictions:
Participants aged 17 and below will be prompted to print a volunteer waiver that must be completed, signed by a parent or legal guardian, and brought along with the participant to the build site. Habitat for Humanity GTA regrets that per Ontario Ministry of Labour guidelines, they cannot accommodate build site volunteers below the age of 16. They require that for every five volunteers of age 16 or 17, there must be one adult volunteer, age 21 or above (e.g., 15 minors require 3 adults). Finally, Habitat for Humanity GTA cannot accommodate participant numbers in excess of 20 volunteers per day, as these requirements are critical to delivering a safe, productive and enjoyable Build Day. Habitat for Humanity GTA reserves the right to refuse admittance to those groups not adhering to these guidelines.