In a letter to RECO President Katie Steinfeld and CEO Brenda Buchanan Friday morning, Crawford said he has appointed veteran communications and government relations professional Jean Lepine as RECO’s administrator, effective Monday.
“Over the past three months I have heard from consumers, boards, real estate agents and brokers who have lost confidence in Ontario’s real estate regulator,” Crawford said in a post on LinkedIn.
The decision comes after Crawford’s review of a damning audit by Dentons Canada LLP of RECO’s handling of the $10 million iPro Realty Ltd. fraud scandal.
“Ultimately, Dentons’ final report raises concerns about RECO’s ability to restore public confidence in the real estate services industry and protect consumers during one of the largest purchases of their lives,” Crawford’s letter said.
The announcement comes as hundreds of committed officers, some of whom are on six-man committees, prepare to march on Queen’s Park in Toronto.
There’s more to come.
Courtney Zwicker is a digital reporter and associate editor for REM. Based in Atlantic Canada, she has more than a decade of experience covering daily business news.
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