At a Glance

• On October 15, 2026, Quebec Association of Real Estate Brokers and Agency Owners (APCIQ) reached an agreement on access to Centris data.

• Within a year, the APCIQ will provide its members with a data feed that includes sales prices and listing history.

• Toronto went through the same shift in 2018: brokerages built new tools within a strict framework governing access and use.

• In Quebec, Bill 25 and the Real Estate Brokerage Act will govern implementation.

The agreement on access to Centris data, reached on October 15, 2026, between the Competition Bureau and the APCIQ, did not come out of nowhere. The Bureau itself describes it as a follow-up to the Toronto Real Estate Board case, decided in 2016 and upheld in 2018.

Quebec therefore has a rare advantage: eight years of hindsight on what happens when access to real estate data opens up. Here is what Toronto taught us, and what brokers and agencies here can learn from it.

Two Cases, the Same Rationale

In both Toronto and Quebec, the Competition Bureau challenged restrictions imposed by an association that controlled access to its members’ data.

In Toronto, the dispute centered on two issues: the ban on displaying sold prices on brokers’ secure online platforms, and the exclusion of that data from the feed provided to members. TRREB cited privacy concerns; the Tribunal concluded that it already had the consent needed to display the data.

What Happened After Access Opened Up

Shortly after the Supreme Court’s decision, TRREB provided its members with a data feed that included sales. Several brokerages quickly built search tools inspired by major American portals, some displaying more than a decade of sales history.

“We’ve been following the TRREB case for more than five years because we knew Quebec would eventually follow. What struck us most was how quickly buyers’ expectations changed. Once sold prices became available online, nobody wanted to go back. Brokers who had the right tools from the start earned their clients’ trust. The others spent years catching up with tech-driven brokerages that had invested in the online experience before they did.”

Julien Fiset, Head of Strategy at Centiva

Open Access Did Not Mean No Rules

Toronto also shows that opening access to data comes with a framework, and those who ignore it have to backtrack.

• Protected access: Consumers had to use a secure platform operated by a member. Several brokerages that initially displayed sales without requiring registration had to comply.

• No resale: TRREB warned that the data could not be scraped, resold or monetized.

• Limited history: TRREB eventually limited the display of sold data to two years.

• Advertising rules: Ontario’s regulator clarified that displaying sales on these platforms does not constitute advertising, but advertising rules still apply elsewhere.

The lesson: the tools that lasted were designed to comply with the framework from the outset.

The Mistake to Avoid: Losing the Client Relationship

When access to data opens up, the real question is not who has access, but who uses it to benefit the client. That is where everything is decided.

“In Toronto, access to data opened up, but traditional brokers weren’t always the ones who benefited. Other players, quicker to adopt technology, captured the client relationship. In Quebec, we have an opportunity to do the opposite: make this shift strengthen your connection with your clients instead of putting you in competition with a portal.”

Julien Fiset, Head of Strategy at Centiva

Why Quebec Will Not Simply Copy Toronto

The APCIQ itself has pointed out that Quebec’s laws are more restrictive than those in the rest of Canada, particularly when it comes to personal information. It plans to implement the changes within the framework of the Real Estate Brokerage Act and Quebec’s Personal Information Protection Act.

“Quebec plays by its own rules: Centris has a very strong presence among the public, Law 25 strictly regulates privacy, and players from the rest of Canada are less familiar with the French-speaking market. For brokers here, that’s an advantage, provided they’re ready before others arrive with their tools.”

Julien Fiset, Head of Strategy at Centiva

In other words, tools that work in Toronto or the United States cannot simply be transplanted here. They will need to be designed for Quebec’s regulatory framework.

An Eight-Year Head Start, If We Use It

Toronto learned as it went. Quebec can learn by observing: buyers’ expectations will evolve quickly, the framework will matter as much as the tools, and the client relationship will go to those who are ready.

Want to prepare your website and tools for this market shift? Talk to your Centiva strategist.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the agreement between the Competition Bureau and the APCIQ? It is a consent agreement reached on October 15, 2026, and registered with the Competition Tribunal for ten years. Under the agreement, the APCIQ commits to providing its members with a real estate data feed sourced from Centris.

What data will be available? The feed will include sale prices, listing history and properties’ physical characteristics, among other information.

When will the data feed be available? The APCIQ plans to implement all measures over the next year. Technical details have not yet been published.

Will buyers be able to view sold prices? According to the APCIQ, brokers will be able to provide access to certain data, including information on sold properties, as part of their client relationship and through secure platforms.

What can Quebec brokers learn from Toronto’s experience? In Toronto, the opening of access in 2018 allowed brokerages to create new tools, but within a strict framework: protected access, a ban on reselling data and a two-year limit on sales history. The tools that lasted complied with that framework from the start.

Sources

• Competition Bureau, news release dated October 15, 2026

• Competition Bureau, backgrounder on the agreement with the APCIQ

• Competition Bureau, backgrounder on TREB (2018)

• APCIQ, news release dated October 15, 2026

• RECO, Supreme Court decision and advertising rules (2018)