Industry highlights for January 2026

Each month, REM shares brokerage expansions and conversions, leadership appointments and other key industry moves. Have an announcement to share? Email your news to [email protected] by the 26th of each month, and don’t forget to include a photo!

Expansions and conversions

40-agent Remax team launches in Mississauga

Remax Canada has expanded its national network with the opening of Remax Optimum, a new brokerage in Mississauga, Ont., led by broker-owner Parveen Arora.

Arora has been affiliated with the Remax brand for more than 20 years, including time as a sub-brokerage owner. He said that experience, along with the company’s support systems and brand strength, led him to open his own franchise. Remax Optimum launches with a team of 40 agents.

“Congratulations to Remax Optimum on the successful opening of their office,” said Don Kottick, president of Remax Canada, in a statement. “We’re excited to see Parveen expand his business with the Remax brand and look forward to seeing his agents reach new milestones in the Toronto real estate market.”

Arora said he plans to support his agents by leveraging Remax tools, technology and resources, adding that he is proud to continue growing his business with what he described as an industry-leading organization.

Risi family becomes largest conversion in Remax history

Left to right: Justin Risi, Vivian Risi and Michelle Risi (source: Remax)

This month, Your Community Realty and Connect Realty of Ontario announced they would be joining Remax Canada after a longstanding history with Royal LePage.

According to Remax, it’s the biggest conversion in the company’s history across all of North America.

Led by Vivian Risi and her children, Michelle and Justin Risi, the operation comprises 17 offices and had 1,200 at the time of the announcement.

“When you’re responsible for a large group of people, you don’t get to stop evaluating,” Vivian Risi said in a recent interview with REM. “You’re always looking ahead.”

Top performer David Tardif joins eXp

David Tardif (source: eXp)

Montreal real estate leader David Tardif, who helped build Équipe Tardif into Royal LePage’s number one Canadian team in 2025 and top Québec team since 2019, is charting a new course with eXp Realty.

Équipe Tardif, co-founded founded by Tardif and his brother Maxime Tardif in 2006, recorded nearly $2 billion in sales since 2019 and over 600 transactions in 2025, also becoming the number one-performing team in Canada for Royal Page four times, including in 2024 and 2025, according to a press release from eXp.

Now, Tardif is emerging under a new brand called Endurance Groupe Immobilier (Endurance Real Estate Group), and will join a band of industry veterans to export a Québec-based model across Canada.

Ottawa brokerage joins forces with Wahi

Uppabe, an Ottawa-based real estate brokerage, recently announced that it has joined with Toronto-based digital real estate platform and brokerage Wahi Realty Inc.

Subhir Uppal, CEO and founder of Uppabe, will join Wahi as managing broker of the Ottawa Region. 

Uppal, a director on the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB), brings more than 20 years of real estate experience, including prior experience launching Redfin in Ottawa. 

“Subhir and his team have built a strong presence in Ottawa,” said Leonie Tait, managing director of Wahi Realty. “By joining forces, we’re combining strong local leadership with Wahi’s powerful tech platform and digital tools for agents, creating new opportunities for agents and clients as we expand in the region.”

Uppal said Wahi offers his team greater scale, support and opportunity. 

 “Wahi offers a powerful platform for growth, and I’m excited to lead the Ottawa team as the company expands,” he said.

Leadership appointments

LSTAR names 2026 chair

Robin Tiller (source: LSTAR)

The London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors has named Robin Tiller as its chair for 2026, the association recently announced. 

A native of Ailsa Craig, Ont., Tiller began her real estate career in 2011 and has served on LSTAR’s board of directors since 2022.

Tiller has held several leadership roles within the association, including chair of the finance, governance, and audit and risk management committees, and co-chair of the brokers issues advisory group. She is also broker of record for three offices in the LSTAR region and a facilitator in Ontario’s real estate education program.

Awards, accolades and other industry announcements

Montreal’s Martin Dumont again rated top agent

A selection of the top 100 agents from Rate-My-Agent

Rate-My-Agent.com has released its list of the Top 100 Canadian real estate agents for 2025, based on verified consumer reviews submitted to the platform.

Montreal-based agent Martin Dumont with Groupe Sutton-Synergie Inc. was ranked first overall, marking his fifth consecutive year at the top of the list.

The review website said its rankings are compiled by analyzing ratings and reviews across its platform, noting that agents cannot pay to remove negative reviews or to be included in the rankings. While the company does not disclose details of its review verification process, it says safeguards are in place to protect the integrity of the system and that agents found attempting to manipulate reviews are penalized.

Dumont received 108 reviews in 2025 and has also been recognized as a Top Giving Agent in Canada. Agents are evaluated on criteria including knowledge, professionalism, responsiveness, marketing reach and overall value of service.

Second place went to Patrick Fields of Real Broker in Edmonton, marking his sixth consecutive year on the Top 100 list.

Rental market research and data providers combine

Rentsync has acquired Toronto-based real estate research and consulting firm Urbanation, a move the company says will strengthen its data and market intelligence capabilities across Canada’s rental housing sector.

The acquisition brings together Rentsync, a software and data provider serving the rental and real estate industry, with Urbanation, a long-established source of market research for rental housing and condominiums. 

Urbanation founder and CEO Eve Lewis said the sale marks a new chapter for the company she built over four decades, adding that its values and integrity would continue under Rentsync’s ownership.

Urbanation provides market analysis and data used by developers, investors, lenders and policymakers. The two companies have partnered for the past three years on the monthly Rentals.ca National Rent Report and on building rental market databases in several major regions.

Urbanation president Shaun Hildebrand will continue to lead data and market analytics and oversee an expansion of those offerings nationwide.

New podcast for Edmonton Realtors

The Realtors Association of Edmonton has launched RAEdio, a new podcast hosted by former CBC radio host Mark Connolly, offering behind-the-scenes conversations with real estate insiders. 

Released twice monthly, the podcast focuses on Edmonton’s housing market, covering local trends, affordability, mortgages and homeownership topics.