The Competition Bureau of Canada is continuing to investigate the Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers’ (QPAREB) control of the multiple listing service (MLS) and real estate transaction data in Quebec. The Bureau has obtained a second federal court order to require QPAREB to divulge business records, following an initial court order in 2023.

Investigators are scrutinizing QPAREB and its subsidiary, Société Centris, which offers a range of analytic and digital sales administration services for the public and real estate firms. Under the new court order, QPAREB will be asked to produce records related to its relationships with its business partners and its oversight of transaction data.

“The Bureau is investigating whether the QPAREB has engaged in certain practices that harm competition in the real estate brokerage services market or that prevent the development of innovative online brokerage services in Quebec,” a statement from the Competition Bureau advises.

An investigation of the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is also in progress. These actions come after the 2016 Competition Tribunal decree that the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) had unduly restricted access to MLS data in the Greater Toronto Area.