I’d like to use this opportunity to raise a topic that I have a very strong opinion about. As you may be aware, last month, as part of Step 3 of Ontario’s Roadmap to Reopen, the real estate industry has been given permission to resume public open houses.

In my opinion, this is the wrong decision, and as a company, we will be holding off. There are times when you don’t need to be the first to do something, and this is one of them. By and large, we are moving in the right direction from a public health standpoint. Last month, Canada overtook the United States on a per-capita basis for both first and second vaccinations. By the end of summer, we will surpass them by a long margin on second doses.

However, we remain in a race between the Delta variant and a fully vaccinated population, and I don’t want our sales team or our clients to be in a public open house where a breakout could occur. It is simply irresponsible.

We know from experience how difficult it will be to effectively manage crowds in this kind of environment, where people are out and about, walking in and out of homes without a scheduled appointment. Who’s wearing a mask, have they travelled, what’s the size of the group, are children with them, what if more than one party shows up at the same time, can the home allow for social distancing? There are too many variables.

Now is not the time to push the boundaries or to prioritize sales and marketing over public health. Now is the time for patience. We are headed in the right direction. None of us want to see a fourth wave. None of us want to see another lockdown.

So, regardless of what the government or OREA have to say about public open houses, Harvey Kalles Real Estate and its agents will not be holding open houses. We have all the resources in the world to effectively sell and market homes for top dollar, without the need for an open house. Let’s stay the course, we’re almost there.