Law & Policy

To All Real Estate Brokers, Authorized Officials and Salespersons
Province of Manitoba

February 28, 2001

The Manitoba Securities Commission is informing registrants of some important matters.

Mandatory Continuing Education ("MCE")

Registrants were informed at the beginning of the year that individuals will be required to take six credit hours of MCE annually to maintain their registration. MCE will be a condition of licensing. Registrations issued on, from and after April 1, 2001 will be conditional on the individual completing six credit hours of MCE. For example, an individual whose registration is renewed on April 1, 2001 will have until March 31, 2002 to complete the necessary MCE. An individual whose registration is renewed on January 18, 2002 would have until January 17, 2003.

(Keep in mind that renewal applications must be submitted to the Registrar at least 30 days prior to expiration. It is therefore recommended that registrants complete the required MCE at least 30 days prior to their next renewal date to allow sufficient time for the MREA to notify the Registrar of the completion and allow the renewal to be processed without delay or lapse in registration.)

The MCE courses will be offered by The Manitoba Real Estate Association ("MREA"). The designated course for the first MCE year is Understanding Agency. A schedule of course offerings from April to November of this year is enclosed. Registrants are encouraged to register for MCE with the MREA as soon as possible to assist with scheduling and to avoid lapse in registration that could result by waiting until the last minute to take the course. The cost for the course at this time is $45 plus GST.

The schedule of course offerings for the remainder of the first MCE year will be available in the fall, when the MREA will have a better sense of the demand for additional course offerings.

One point of clarification: New salespersons registered after January 1, 2000 under the revised salesperson's educational requirements whereby they are required to complete two certificate courses (Real Property Law and Principles of Appraisal) within two years will be exempt from MCE during this period as the certificate courses will be recognized in lieu of MCE.

(Next year at this time information will be available as to the designated course and schedule for the next MCE year.)

Web Page

The Commission is informing real estate practitioners of information available from this web site.

E-Mail
The e-mail address for the Real Estate Section is: realestate@gov.mb.ca.

Internet Guidelines
The Commission and MREA recently adopted guidelines for registrants to follow when advertising on the Internet. A copy of the Guidelines is attached. The Guidelines can be viewed or printed off the Commission's Web Page and MREA members can access the Guidelines on the MREA's Web Page: www.realestatemanitoba.com.

Registrants should be aware that the provisions of The Real Estate Brokers Act and Regulations respecting registration and advertising apply equally to the Internet, web sites, e-mail and other on-line activity. The Guidelines suggest that registrants should:

  • disclose their name and name of their broker and office address
  • ensure advertising material is current and accurate
  • immediately remove expired listings from web sites
  • ensure property information is accurate and up-dated when changes occur
  • not advertise other registrants' listings on their web site without permission
  • state the jurisdiction(s) where they are registered and not give the impression they are registered in a jurisdiction where they are not registered

While the guidelines do not specifically state, the Commission recommends that brokers adopt similar policies for their employees regarding the Internet.

Application Forms
A number of applications for registration received by the Commission are not properly completed by applicants. This results in them having to be returned for completion or correction which creates extra work and delay in processing the application.

Registrants are requested to exercise diligence in completing application forms. The registration process is monitored constantly and every effort is made to provide forms and questions that are clearly laid out to minimize confusion and provide the necessary information. Comments or suggestions as to how the application forms might be made more user friendly are welcome.

The Commission is requesting brokers provide a copy of this notice and enclosures to all registered employees.

J. W. Storsley
Registrar
The Real Estate Brokers Act