Abbotsford Realtor – Abbotsford Realty

OTTAWA, Ontario – February 8, 2010 – The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) learned today that the Competition Bureau filed a Notice of Application with the Competition Tribunal against CREA. “CREA views the Commissioner’s decision as surprising and disappointing,” said Dale Ripplinger, President of CREA.  “We do not agree with the Bureau’s position that certain CREA rules are anti-competitive, either as a matter of fact or as a matter of law.  CREA’s rules allow for innovative business models and provide a broad range of choice for consumers.” In good faith, CREA engaged in settlement negotiations with the Competition Bureau for several months in an effort to arrive at a consensual resolution.  Unfortunately, the parties were unable to reach an agreement.  This is very disappointing, since CREA has consistently indicated – right from the outset – that it has always been prepared to work with the Competition Bureau to revise its rules to clarify the way the rules operate. Last week, CREA advised the Commissioner of Competition that CREA had made the business decision to move forward with rule changes to address the issues raised by the Bureau, whether or not a settlement with the Bureau could be reached. [...]