The Competition Authority has obtained a court order to continue its investigation into the Association professionnelle des courtiers immobiliers du Québec (APCIQ) and its subsidiary Société Centris.
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In its Feb. 15 order, the Federal Court of Canada requests APCIQ to provide documents and written information relevant to the investigation.
The competition office is interested in the restrictions on the exchange of real estate data from the APCIQ.
In fact, the latter manages a system that allows agencies and brokers in Quebec to work together, and the competition bureau is trying to find out if it has engaged in practices “that impede competition in the market for real estate brokerage services or prevent the development of innovative online brokerage services.” in Quebec,” we read in a press release.
The investigation is ongoing and “no determinations of possible wrongdoing have been made at this time,” it said.
Similar case in Ontario
In 2016, the Competition Tribunal ruled in favor of the competition authority in a lawsuit against the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB).
TREB was shown in court to have engaged in “anti-competitive conduct” that prevented real estate agents and consumers from accessing past home sales data.