Each of these leaders shares a genuine commitment to the practitioners they serve and recognizes the essential services REALTORS^® provide to clients every day, even though their organizations have different roles in the industry.

In Alberta, we have layers of organized real estate: the local boards like CREB^®, the Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA), and the Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA). The creation of these layers occurred at different times for different reasons. The Calgary Real Estate Board was officially formed in 1943 (although our history dates back to the 1920s). Its purpose was to set professional standards for real estate practitioners to follow.

AREA came next in 1947. According to its website their mandate is to “provide strategic leadership and advance the Alberta real estate profession through member-focused services, advocacy, and professional development”.

The newest entity, RECA, was formed by the government of Alberta in 1996. In its own words, RECA “sets, regulates, and enforces standards for residential real estate, commercial real estate, property management, condominium management, and mortgage brokerage licensees in Alberta.”

Although each organization has a different reason for being, whether it is providing products and services, education, licensing, rules enforcement or advocacy; each organization is concerned with “professionalism.” The other recurring theme is accountability, which is ever present.

CREB^®’s strategic plan has included increasing professionalism within our membership for as long as I can remember. Each year, CREB^® improves our education offerings, reviews and revises our rules based on member input, and looks for ways for our members to continue to serve clients and colleagues with integrity, skill, and respect.

Like in other provinces, the structures of organized real estate in Alberta continue to evolve. While each organization defines professionalism within its mandate, progress requires both collaboration and cooperation, coupled with a commitment to accountability across our layers.

Each organization plays a unique role, but we’re all accountable to one another in shaping a system that works for everyone—REALTORS^®, consumers, and the public. That’s why transparency and trust matter so much. As one organization undergoes scrutiny, it’s a reminder that evolution isn’t just structural—it’s relational. How we show up for each other, especially during times of change, defines the strength of our collective progress.

Working together, we can elevate professionalism within our membership and within our mandate—enhancing how REALTORS^® engage with one another and improving the services we deliver to consumers.

At CREB^®, we believe in the concept of self-regulation, and we know that our members expect us to be strong contributors in raising the bar of professionalism. Together with AREA and the other Alberta real estate boards we need to continue holding each other to account. In this way, we will remain accountable to you and represent your interests.

So, I’ll leave you with this question: what does accountability in professionalism mean to you?