Nine names appointed to Real Estate Council of British Columbia

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The new government-regulated Real Estate Council of British Columbia is being recast to include a former news man and other professionals outside the industry.

The first nine of an expected 16 appointments have been made.

Finance Minister Michael de Jong says this will be board made of mostly non-real estate professionals.

“It will be led by Robert Holmes, who’s a former head of the BC Civil Liberties Association, who understands the notion of protecting the little guy. Someone like John Daly, a reporter who’s asking the tough questions.”

De Jong says the council and superintendent Michael Noseworthy, a former lawyer, will be responsible for discipline and sanctions for real estate professionals and licensees.

Some penalties have been raised from $10,000 or $25,000 to as high as $500,000 in order to curb practices.

Sweeping changes come after the premier in June declared the council could not self-regulate due to failure to control aggressive practices by some realtors.

There are two people returning to the council; Gerry Martin is the managing broker of B.C. Farm and Ranch Realty Corp., and Elana Mignosa, the chief financial officer for British Columbia Clinical  and Support Services.

A list of the nine members appointed to Real Estate Council of British Columbia:

“Robert D. Holmes, chair

Robert Holmes is a litigation and arbitration lawyer with over 32 years of experience. He has appeared in all levels of courts in Canada and practices with Holmes & King in Vancouver. Holmes has lectured, written and appeared on radio and television on a wide variety of legal and public interest matters, including while serving as president of the Trial Lawyers Association of BC, president of the BC Civil Liberties Association, and chair of the Vancouver Civil Litigation Section and on Provincial Council of the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association. Holmes has served as a member of the Vancouver Coastal and Provincial Health Services Patient Care Quality Review Boards since 2008 and has been appointed chair of those boards for 2016-2019. Holmes holds his bachelor of arts and bachelor of laws from the University of British Columbia and received his master of laws from Yale University. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in December 2010.

John Lawrence Daly

John L. Daly was a news reporter for Global BC from 1980 to 2016. Daly has taught interviewing techniques and investigative reporting at BCIT and UBC Continuing Education, and is frequently an invited speaker for professional organizations and conferences on the demands of the news media, and where news is headed. A recipient of numerous awards, Daly was awarded the very first Webster for the best reporting of the year, in any medium, placing his cameraman, editor and himself against all other TV, radio, magazines and newspapers.

Robert Gialloreto

Rob Gialloreto is president and CEO of Consumer Protection BC, which promotes a fair marketplace for B.C. consumers and businesses. Prior to this role, he was the president and CEO of Tourism Victoria, the destination marketing organization for Greater Victoria. Gialloreto has experience on a number of boards, including serving as a director on the Tourism Industry Association of Canada board of directors. He specializes in organizational leadership, business development, strategic media relations, marketing research, coaching/mentoring, financial management/accountability and public speaking.

Sandra Lynn Heath

Sandra Heath is semi-retired as the president of HTD Inc., an international training and human-resources consulting firm that focuses on developing leadership capacity. Heath has held senior management positions in both the private and public sector. She chaired the Providence Health Care Board and served on the board of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority for seven years, chairing two different committees. Most recently she chaired the board of directors of the Portland Hotel Society for one year. She has also served on the boards of community arts organizations.

Gerald Lawrence Martin

Gerry Martin is the managing broker of B.C. Farm and Ranch Realty Corp. Martin was a member of the Real Estate Council of British Columbia from 2006-12, including a one-year term as chair. Martin was re-elected to council in May 2016 and served from July 1, 2016, to Sept. 30, 2016, as a broker member from the County of Westminster (south of the Fraser River). He is also a past director of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board and past chair of its broker council. Martin has been licensed for 38 years.

Elana Valerie Mignosa

Elana Mignosa was first appointed to council in September 2015. She is now being reappointed with her new term ending October 2017. Mignosa is the chief financial officer for British Columbia Clinical and Support Services. Mignosa was previously the vice-president of finance (imaging and workflow solutions) for McKeeson Technology Solutions, a FORTUNE 500 health-care IT company. Prior to her role at McKesson, she was the chief financial officer and chief information officer for HealthCare Benefit Trust, and the vice-president of trust administration for the Alderwoods Group. In her community, Mignosa is a board member for Aunt Leah’s Place and past treasurer for the Dunbar Community Association.

Sukhmander S. Sidhu

Sukh Sidhu is a real estate agent with RE/MAX Little Oak Realty. Previously, Sidhu was a real estate agent with Block Bros. Realty Ltd. Active in his community, Sidhu serves as a director with Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, a board on which he served as president from 2011-12. He was a president of the Indo-Canadian Business Association in Abbotsford. Sidhu continues to serve on Abbotsford Police Board. Sidhu holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Guru Nanak College and a master of arts degree in political science from Khalsa College in Amritsar, Punjab, India.

William Thomas Styffe

W. Tom Styffe is semi-retired after a career in construction-project management, which spanned over 30 years, and included projects ranging in scope from the $25-million Douglas College New Westminster campus, to the construction of schools, hospitals, commercial projects, and 1,500 units of residential construction. Styffe served on the board of Okanagan College for six years, most recently as chair. Styffe is also an active member in the Southern Interior Local Government Association, the Union of BC Municipalities, and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

Maili Wong

Maili Wong is first vice-president, investment advisor and portfolio manager with CIBC Wood Gundy with 15 years of international investment experience, including five years in New York City, during which she helped manage over $5 billion in assets for a global investment fund. Wong has also worked in Toronto on the investment team for a global insurance company in 1999, was a member of the UBC Portfolio Management Foundation (PMF) from 1999-2001, and was elected to serve on the UBC Board of Governors from 2000-2001. Wong is known for her commitment to delivering complete confidence in her financial advice and client relationships. She and her team are proud to be recognized as being catalysts for building client wealth.”

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today