About Us

History

The present Calgary Real Estate Board has its roots in the late 1920s. Mr. Clair J. Cote, senior, was the first president in either 1927 or 1928. Information as to the year is contradictory; however, it is known that this original Board was registered under the Statutes of Alberta on March 20, 1929. The group met regularly for a limited number of years to exchange information and to socialize. During the 1930s the Board became inactive and its existence unknown to many of the new members of the industry.

In the early 1940s when Mr. Kennett Lyle began to pursue the possibility of starting a real estate board, his discussions with Clair Cote revealed that the Board was already in existence. This prompted the calling of a general meeting which was held January 26, 1943 in the Albertan board room. A provisional executive was elected with Mr. Clair J. Cote, senior, as chairman and Mr. Kennett I. Lyle as secretary. In addition a provisional committee of five was elected for the purpose of amending the constitution and by-laws to reflect present day conditions and the wishes of the members. A fee of $5 was charged to active members while associate members paid $2.

It has been said that the 1988 Winter Olympics officially marked Calgary’s coming of age on the international scene. In looking back over Calgary’s history it’s hard to say when the Calgary Real Estate Board Co-operative came of age. The real estate business has been here for over a hundred years and the Board, in its current form, has been around for nearly half of that time.

When a handful of men met in the Albertan board room on January 26, 1943, they had simple enough aims. They wanted to bring respectability to their industry, serve their customers in an ethical manner and to gather in the company of like minded businessmen. In doing so, they set a very firm foundation, and have handed down traditions and values for the Board that are followed to this day.