In 1992, the Government of Canada designated all of October as Women’s History Month, marking the beginning of an annual celebration of the outstanding achievements of women and girls from our past, and our present, who are contributing to a better, more inclusive Canada.
This year’s theme — Through Her Lens: Celebrating the Diversity of Women — emphasizes the importance of recognizing the achievements and contributions of women from diverse backgrounds. It focuses on the unique perspectives, experiences, and challenges faced by Indigenous women; women from 2SLGBTQI+ communities; and newcomer, racialized, and migrant women.
With the conclusion of Women’s History Month, it’s fitting to talk a little about the evolution of real estate in Winnipeg. Specifically, about the groundbreaking work of Winnipeg’s first female REALTOR® and the women who have come after.
Evelyn Bertie Gibson made her mark over a century ago as the city’s first full-time female REALTOR®. But despite her early success, it would be another fifty years before women started joining the industry!
Gibson was born in Brokenhead in 1887 and lived on a farm near Beausejour before moving to Winnipeg. Her first job was at a photography studio.
In spring 1910, Gibson left to open her own real estate office. Asked years later what attracted her to the industry, Gibson replied, “I don’t know that there was any other reason except a certain lure, which I believe everybody here feels, to buy and sell land; and besides, I felt also that if I could successfully sell photographs, which most people consider a luxury, surely I could sell land, which many consider a necessity.”
It wasn’t long before Gibson closed her first big deal — the $40,000 sale of a downtown office block. The commission gave her the funds to put down payments on several smaller properties and then sell them once they appreciated. In a couple of years, she even bought that same office block and ran it as a rental property.
Much of Gibson’s work involved selling homes, especially in her West End neighbourhood. She also sold farmland to Americans and overseas clients looking to settle in the West. By 1914, Gibson was a high-profile REALTOR® with an office on the fourth floor of the Sterling Bank building on Portage Avenue.
“Winnipeg has many women who are steadily climbing the ladder of success in many lines of work and among these we can truly point to Miss Gibson as one who has pretty well reached the top rung,” proclaimed the Winnipeg Tribune in a feature story about her achievements.
When Gibson was interviewed by Macleans magazine later that year about being the lone woman in her industry, she replied, “Success in real estate is not due to the fact that you are a man or a woman, but to the goods you sell.”
Following these interviews, and others, Gibson became one of Winnipeg’s most well-known businesswomen.
In 1924, Gibson moving with her family to the U.S. and continued to work in the real estate industry. She died at the age of 53 in Los Angeles on Aug. 25, 1940, after a short illness.
Interestingly, despite Gibson’s early success, women did not follow her lead into the industry until much later. The late Myrtle Sutherland, a REALTOR® from the 1950s through 1980s, had said that early in her career, she was usually the only woman at industry conferences. However, by the late 1960s, the tide was turning thanks in part to Sutherland’s own work mentoring women who wanted to enter the field.
By the time Eileen Lewis became the first female president of the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board (WRREB) in 1991, about 30 per cent of Winnipeg area REALTORS® were women.
Fast forward to today. Since then, there have been eight female presidents and the current membership boasts the highest percentage of female REALTORS® in the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board’s 120-year history.
Rena Prefontaine is the 2023-2024 President of the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board. Prefontaine has been working in the industry since 2010. During that time, she has seen changes in the real estate landscape that include a steady increase of female representation.
“If I looked at who our [past] Directors were on the Board, they were mostly male,” Prefontaine says. “Even if you look at brokerages, the ownership groups and management teams tended to be very male dominated, but I am seeing a shift in those roles now which is always great.”
The only area where women are still not represented in greater numbers, she says, is in commercial realty, but that’s steadily changing.
Prefontaine credits the women in the industry for helping her get to where she is today.
“The REALTORS® in the office I started at were extremely generous with their time,” she says. “These women absolutely helped shape my real estate career. Shirley Przybyl was by far the greatest influence for me in real estate. She was my very first broker, she is a past President of the WRREB, and she mentored me, encouraged me, and provided guidance as I started my journey into managing a real estate office.”
Today, Prefontaine feels the industry has changed quite a bit.
“I am encouraged when I look around our boardroom table, or attend conferences, and I see a great many women leaders in our industry,” she says. “I love that our CEO at the WRREB, Marina James, is a strong woman leader. Marina is truly inspirational for many women in our industry. She is well respected amongst her peers as well. When I look around the board table I see equity, diversity and inclusion, and I feel a tremendous sense of pride to be able to serve this year as the President of the WRREB.”
Today, the real estate industry is represented by diversity. So if you’re looking for a REALTOR® to help you in your journey toward homeownership, you’ll have no difficulty finding someone that’s just the right fit for you.