The upcoming by-election is a great opportunity to review how our association works. In fact, how we operate is based on legislated requirements and a proven governance framework.

All organizations like CREB^® are authorized to exist based on the government’s approval of our bylaws. The legislation sets out the required elements in the bylaws, which establish the Board of Directors' role as the organization's stewards on behalf of its members.

The bylaws impose a series of clear duties and obligations on the Board of Directors and set out methods of operation and accountability. This ensures that the Board of Directors can collectively pursue and monitor its compliance and performance responsibilities by adopting policies that provide clear and supportive structures.

Events like Director Elections are structured somewhat in the bylaws, and the policy provides the next layers of detail. As an example, Bylaw 6.5 states:

“An Individual Member shall be accepted for nomination for election as a Director if:

c) that person has successfully completed, prior to the Board election, any such course as deemed as required by the Board”

In other words, the Board decides what course must be taken, which is set out in the policy, but according to bylaw 6.5 c) the course must be successfully completed before the election.

Policies such as the requirement for all candidates to have achieved the CREA 100, 200 and 300 Leadership Program (in the CREB^® Governance Manual (CGM), which is available here on page 13) to be elected are the product of the work of our Governance Standing Committee (GSC) who makes recommendations on policy amendments to the Board of Directors for their approval. In addition, in matters surrounding the Director Elections, our Board Development and Leadership Standing Committee (BCLSC) also makes recommendations to ensure our election process is sound.

The requirement for a candidate to invest a few hundred dollars in some high-quality governance training has been well and truly assessed, reassessed, and evaluated again by the GSC, BDLSC and the Board of Directors. On the other hand, something like our Director Code of Conduct is a part of the policy that has not been amended much over years. All our policies are reviewed on a revolving 3-year schedule, but the key elements of the Director Code of Conduct have been in place for many, many years.

It's important to note that the requirement for a code of conduct for Directors is a standard feature in most bylaws. This ensures the efficient operation of the Board of Directors and maintains the confidence of an organization’s membership. These standards typically cover rules that must be followed, confidentiality, the role of the Chair as spokesperson and that the code of conduct be effectively enforced to safeguard the membership’s interests, supporting that a higher standard of behaviour is required by those privileged to serve as a Director.

I’ll go into the Director Code of Conduct in more detail in another CREB^® Chat next week. In the meantime, watch for more information on nominations opening for the Director by-election at 9 a.m. on April 13, 2023, and closing at 4 p.m. on April 20, 2023.

The Board of Directors is hopeful that whoever runs for the position is excited to be part of something bigger than themselves. Being an elected steward of the Calgary Real Estate Board is an absolute honour. The membership requires candidates to approach the role with enthusiasm, a desire to learn and demonstrate servant leadership.

The CREB^® Governance Manual is available here for all members to reference. If you have any questions about the CGM policies and documents, please get in touch with CEO Alan Tennant or me.