The QPAREB Reaches an Agreement with the Competition Bureau Regarding the Sharing of Real Estate Data

L’ÎLE-DES-SŒURS, Quebec, Oct. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers (QPAREB) announces that it has reached an agreement with the Competition Bureau regarding the sharing of real estate data.

This will allow real estate brokers to eventually provide, as part of their residential brokerage services to individuals interested in buying or selling a property, access to certain information that is useful during the buying or selling process, including sold properties.

This information is typically made available through virtual office websites (VOWs). A VOW is a secure website operated by a real estate agency that allows clients to access certain real estate data and online brokerage services. Access to the data will occur within a broker-client relationship.

“This agreement will make a new platform—VOWs—available to clients as part of their relationship with their real estate broker. It is the result of several years of efforts so that the QPAREB can implement a solution tailored to the Quebec reality, especially given that Quebec’s laws are more restrictive than those in the rest of Canada, particularly with regard to the protection of personal information,” said Pierre-Olivier Simard, President of the QPAREB Board of Directors.

In addition to VOWs, the agreement ensures that agencies will have automated access to real estate data. Among other things, this will enable them to develop innovative tools, thereby expanding the range of services offered by real estate brokers in Quebec.

New Features Within a Framework That Protects Brokers' Clients

Over the next year, the QPAREB will implement all the measures outlined in the agreement with the Competition Bureau. Throughout the implementation of these new features, the QPAREB will pay particular attention to compliance with the laws and regulations applicable in Quebec, including the Real Estate Brokerage Act and the Act to Modernize Legislative Provisions Regarding the Protection of Personal Information.

About the Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers

The Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers (QPAREB) is a non-profit association that brings together more than 15,000 real estate brokers and agencies. It is responsible for promoting and defending their interests while taking into account the issues facing the profession and the various professional and regional realities of its members. The QPAREB is also a major player in many real estate dossiers, including the implementation of measures that promote homeownership. The Association reports on Quebec’s residential real estate market statistics, provides training, tools and services relating to real estate, and facilitates the collection, dissemination and exchange of information. The QPAREB has its head office in Quebec City, administrative offices in Montreal and a regional office in Saguenay. It has two subsidiaries: Société Centris inc. and the Collège de l’immobilier du Québec. Follow its activities at qpareb.ca or via its social media pages: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

For more information:

Ariane Boulé
Morin Relations Publiques
media@apciq.ca