Friday, February 20, 2026

The federal Competition Bureau recently obtained a production order from the Federal Court requiring the Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR) to produce certain records, data, and written responses as part of an ongoing investigation under the federal Competition Act.

This development is an extension of the investigation that the Bureau commenced in 2024 into the Canadian Real Estate Association’s (CREA) rules and policies related to cooperating member broker compensation and the REALTOR® Cooperation Policy.

This production order (the “Order”) focuses on GVR’s MLS®, including the relevant rules and practices that concern cooperative selling of residential real estate.

It is important to note that neither the Bureau nor any court has determined that GVR or CREA has violated the Competition Act. The Order is not a ruling on the merits of the Bureau’s investigation. Rather, it is a routine statutory step in the Bureau’s process. As part of its investigation, the Bureau must review records and information to assess whether there is a basis to seek remedial orders from the Competition Tribunal. Production orders assist the Bureau in making that assessment.

Complying with the Order requires considerable work from GVR’s internal teams to locate, review, and package the information being requested. This is a significant undertaking, and staff across the organization are engaged in this process.

“GVR takes its competition law obligations seriously and is fully cooperating with the Bureau. We have engaged experienced competition counsel and will respond to the Order in a timely and diligent manner,” Jeff King, GVR CEO said. “We remain committed to following the letter of our legal and regulatory obligations and to demonstrating that our practices and business operations reflect this commitment over time.”

We will continue to update members as this matter evolves.