The most central piece of promotion in the real estate industry is the simple real estate ad. They haven’t changed much over the years – in fact, if you simply removed the prices from these postings from the 1970s, they could be mistaken for today’s ads.
Category: The Rise of Corporate Toronto: 1970–2000
The Rise of Corporate Toronto:
1970–2000
Toronto Skyline
A photograph of the Toronto skyline in the 1980s.
Opening of City Hall
A photograph from the opening of City Hall in 1970.
Toronto’s Rising Population
For Canada’s first 100 years, Montreal was Canada’s biggest city. By the 1970s, however, Toronto had surged ahead. In 1971, the Greater Toronto Area’s population reached 2.7 million, surpassing Greater Montreal’s 2.6 million people. The main factors in Toronto’s growth included the increasing size of the auto industry in Southern Ontario, due to the signing of the Auto Pact with the United States in 1965; and strong, sustained immigration from around the world. As the years passed, amalgamation brought neighbouring municipalities into the Greater Toronto Area. By 2019, the GTA reached 6.5 million people, a 15.8 per cent increase from 2009, continuing to surpass Greater Montreal’s 4.3 million people, a 10.5 per cent increase from 2009.
Civic Night
REALTORS® know real estate and how the market can be affected by decisions at City Hall. While REALTORS® work hard to maintain good relations with all levels of government, decisions at the municipal level – property taxes, development proposals, land use, zoning and transit planning – have a major impact on the everyday realities of people buying, selling, and maintaining their homes. From its beginnings, TRREB has been a voice for REALTORS® and a source of good quality data and advice on the state of housing in Toronto.
TRREB’s Newspaper Committee
For many years, Real Estate News (REN) was a vital part of TRREB’s promotional activities. It seemed as if the REN boxes were on every street corner throughout the GTA. A combination of ads and news on Toronto’s real estate community, REN was the primary method that Members directly spoke with their communities in the pre-internet days. Pictured (left to right) are Editor Jim Adair, Giselle Caron, George Burger, Janet Connell, Myron Chabursky, David Rossi, Gayle Nisbet, Martti Hyhko, and Chuck Ruttan. Pictured in front are Len Cassidy (left), Vice Chair and Robert Case (right), Chair.
Travelling with TREB
TRREB was not all work, no play. From the very outset of the organization, travel for business and personal reasons was a part of TRREB’s commitment to collegiality. In the ’60s and ’70s, organized trips to various international locations were a part of Member benefits, including trips to the Caribbean and Asia.
TRREB’s Public Relations
Depicted here are two examples of promotional materials for TRREB’s trade shows.
Women’s Division
In 1960, the Women’s Committee was established to “encourage its Members to take a more active part in all real estate functions, to promote attendance and to stimulate a wider interest in Board affairs generally.” Sadie Moranis, the first female TRREB President, was a past Chairman.
The Women’s Division was dissolved in 1985, much to the chagrin of its Members. At that time, a petition was gathered of more than 500 signatures to keep the group intact. Though the Board of Directors at the time felt that there should not be any committees based on “sexual biases,” the Women’s Committee Members disagreed. Ms. Moranis stated that, “Women need the help of other women who have been up the ladder. When women have 38 per cent of the director positions, then we might be willing to give up our division.” (September 21, 1985, Globe and Mail).
Listings Magazine
Over the years, TRREB has benefited from a strong Member communications heritage. Monthly magazines, (e.g., Listings, REALTOR®), reports and even daily newsletters (TREB Reporter) have won numerous real estate industry and public relations industry awards. TRREB has been at the forefront of providing board news, industry statistics, and best practices for all of its 100 years.