Canada's Competition Bureau—the Canadian equivalent of the Federal Trade Commission—has opened an investigation into whether the Quebec Professional Association for Real Estate Brokers (QPAREB) and its Societe Centris subsidiary have engaged in anti-competitive practices that have stifled the development of online brokerage services in Canada.
The investigation is focused on the data-sharing restrictions allegedly imposed by Societe Centris on its Centris.ca listing platform, which brands itself "the most visited real estate website in Quebec."
The Competition Bureau obtained a Federal Court order last week requiring QPAREB to provide the regulators with documents related to the confidentiality of data held by the Centris platform, according to a report in the Toronto Star.
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.
Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
*May exclude premium content© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
