“One of the cornerstones for pretty much all our events is we want to give back to the communities. Right now the charity that we’re supporting is SickKids Hospital – so that’s been a great charity people want to support, and we’ve been able to raise some good money for that organization,” he said.

“It’s not just about getting people together, interacting on a business level and that personal, social level, but also giving back to the community is very important.”

Education, regional outreach top of mind moving ahead

Education, meanwhile, will remain a pillar of CMBA’s approach moving forward, according to Ali, particularly with new developments on the regulatory side seeing the introduction of a further course for agents and brokers wishing to transact in private mortgages.

The association’s status as a truly provincial organization also means it’s intent on growth across Ontario, he said, with the remainder of this year and 2024 set to see further progress on that front.

“Going into next year, what we’re really looking at doing is strategically having our anchor type of events with the gala and trade show, SummerFest to end off the summer, but we’re also looking at servicing other communities in Ontario – not just the bigger centres like the Greater Toronto Area (GTA),” he said.