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Toronto-area, Canada - Some real estate brokers in the Toronto area have been accused of making offensive comments about the Hamas-Israel conflict, but some argue that asking them to lose their real estate licenses is going too far.
Hamas' attacks on Israel on October 7 and Israel's increased attacks on Gaza have sparked debates online, leading to actions being taken by various companies and public organizations across Canada against numerous diverse professionals, ranging from politicians and teachers to doctors and pilots.
Online petitions and social media campaigns against some brokers have resulted in complaints being filed with the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), the government-appointed regulatory agency responsible for overseeing 96,000 registered real estate professionals in the province.
In late October, Re/Max Realtron terminated its relationship with broker Vadim Vilensky after he posted pictures of destroyed buildings in Gaza with the caption "Coming to the market." Vilensky later apologized and went on to establish his own real estate company. Vilensky declined to comment for this article.
Many of the 19,000 individuals who signed the petition on Change.org targeting Vilensky are requesting that RECO not only investigate him but also revoke his license.
Similar demands have been made regarding other brokers in the province.
Another Re/Max Realtron broker, Leon Klaiman, has said he was shocked by the threats he received after a screenshot of what is purported to be his private message about the Middle East conflict appeared on social media. In the screenshot, Klaiman referred to "vermin" and their tunnels, although he stated that the image had been manipulated.
Klaiman mentioned that he has been notified by RECO and the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) that they are investigating the complaints, but he said his current focus is on dealing with the personal threats he has been receiving.
"With the amount of threats I have received over the past two weeks," he said in an interview, "TRREB and RECO are not my main concern."
Realtron's CEO and General Manager, Cam Forbes, stated that the company did not sever ties with Klaiman, distinguishing his situation from Vilensky's because he believed Klaiman's words had been taken out of context. "Two different situations, two contrasting points of view in handling," he said.
Furthermore, Forbes argued that RECO's role in investigating offensive language is limited and should focus on whether it affects real estate transactions or not. "If someone has a conversation with someone else and they happen to be a registrant, and someone says something that could be interpreted as offensive or discriminatory, I don't think RECO has a role," Forbes said.
RECO declined to comment on specific investigations but issued a statement: "At RECO, complaints are taken seriously and we have processes in place to investigate them. RECO implements legislation that considers the public interest and supports sufficient regulation to change behavior."
The Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, which grants authority to RECO, does not address offensive language issues, although it has broader warnings that brokers cannot "in the course of trading in real estate, engage in any practice or omission...that is disgraceful, dishonorable, untrustworthy, or unprofessional."
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Barry Lebow, a seasoned Ontario real estate expert with 50 years of experience, resigned from his Re/Max Ultimate company on November 6 after his Facebook comments about Gaza went viral.
"When this war is over and Israel is victorious, my wish – Gaza is never built again," Lebow wrote in October, advocating for the displacement of the Palestinian Territory's population to other countries.
In another post, he used derogatory language to describe his impression of Gaza when he visited it in 1967, agreeing that it has "been built and modernized... My wish now is to return it [to its previous condition]." He also wrote, "It has become a 'nature preserve' since 1948."
In an interview with The Globe, Lebow confirmed that a complaint had been filed with RECO regarding his comments, and he has received death threats from strangers as well as personal criticism from some who are considered friends and colleagues. "I've been humiliated, and I admit I am afraid," he said.
Lebow asserted that he was not "miscreant" with these comments and maintained that his words were not offensive. "Should I have censored myself properly?" he said, "Should I have regretted posting? Now I do, truly."
In a statement announcing Lebow's resignation, his former brokerage owner, Tim Syrianos, described the social media posts as "personal opinions [that] do not reflect the ethics, values, and standards of Re/Max and Re/Max Ultimate."
Lebow mentioned that he had tried with multiple brokerages before finding a company willing to take him in. Lebow's new boss, Michael Weiss, a managing broker for Weiss Realty Ltd., disagreed with those calling for RECO to revoke Lebow's and other accused individuals' licenses.
"Revoking someone's license is usually reserved for serious offenses like fraud," he said. "Revoking someone's livelihood for making a comment? Unless it is a comment praising genocide, even then, is that within RECO's jurisdiction? Unless there is a specific call to murder, in which case RECO should say 'That's not our jurisdiction,' and the matter should be referred to a criminal court."
While the industry awaits RECO's decision in these cases, some long-time brokers want to see a clear example established.
"No one in our diverse communities deserves to endure some of the offensive language we've seen," said Desmond Brown, head of a sales group at Re/Max Hallmark and the host of the real estate podcast "Sold in the 6ix." "It would be good if RECO had specific regulations to deal with offensive language. If one of our members is convicted of this, regardless of whether they are involved in real estate transactions or not, they should be severely penalized."
