The Competition Bureau of Canada has announced a consent agreement with the Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers (QPAREB) aimed at addressing competition concerns regarding access to real estate data in Quebec.

Following an investigation, the Bureau found that QPAREB and its subsidiary, Société Centris, had engaged in practices that violated the abuse of dominance provisions of the Competition Act. Specifically, QPAREB had restricted access to a real estate data feed for its members, which hindered innovation and competition in the real estate brokerage market.

Under the terms of the settlement, QPAREB will now provide its members with a comprehensive real estate data feed that includes essential information such as sale prices, listing history, and property characteristics. This increased access is expected to foster the development of new tools and services, benefiting both brokers and consumers in Quebec.

The agreement builds on a precedent set by the Competition Tribunal's 2016 decision in the Toronto Real Estate Board case, which highlighted the importance of data access in promoting competition within the real estate sector. Following that case, many real estate associations across Canada revised their data access practices.