Government News Release: Landlords and property managers: agreeing with competitors on rental prices is illegal
Government News Release: Landlords and property managers: agreeing with competitors on rental prices is illegal
Landlords and property managers: agreeing with competitors on rental prices is illegal
News release
June 25, 2025 – GATINEAU (Québec), Competition Bureau
The Competition Bureau is aware that some landlords and property managers may be engaging with their competitors, including through discussion groups on social media.
While some discussions between competitors may be justified, others could be illegal. Landlords and property managers must understand the difference between conversations that are harmless and conversations that they should steer clear from.
Agreements between landlords to “make the most of the booming rental housing market” or “find ways to ensure that all players benefit from the strong demand equally” raise concerns under the law and could be illegal.
It is illegal for competitors to agree about:
- Rental prices, including any increases or surcharges.
- The terms of their leases, including amenities and services.
- Restricting the housing supply by artificially reducing the availability of rental units.
Engaging in illegal agreements with competitors, such as price-fixing, market allocation, restricting supply, or wage-fixing and no-poaching agreements, is a criminal offence under the Competition Act, with potential prison sentences of up to 14 years and hefty fines at the discretion of the court.
Landlords and property managers can stay on the right side of the law by:
- Deciding on their own prices, price increases, surcharges and the terms of leases.
- Explaining and negotiating the terms of leases with their tenants only.
The Bureau encourages the reporting of any suspicious activity through the Bureau’s Information Centre and online form. Those who believe that the company they work for has entered into an illegal agreement with its competitors can provide information anonymously through the Bureau’s Whistleblowing Initiative. Parties that engaged in anticompetitive activity can also come forward to seek immunity or leniency in return for their cooperation with the Bureau’s investigations.
Associated links
- Common types of illegal agreements that hinder competition
- Protection for whistleblowers
- Immunity and Leniency programs
- Restrictive trade practices
- Abuse of dominance
- Abuse of Dominance Enforcement Guidelines
- More Consumer and Business Alerts
Contacts
Media inquiries:
Media Relations
Email: [email protected]
https://www.canada.ca/en/competition-bureau/news/2025/06/landlords-and-property-managers-agreeing-with-competitors-on-rental-prices-is-illegal.html?utm_campaign=esdc-edsc-censv2-24-25&utm_medium=email&utm_source=news-from-the-government-of-canada&utm_content=news-product-250625-en-2pm
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The rally is organized by the Hong Kong Pathway Alliance. Similar events are also taking place in Calgary and Toronto.
The pathway allows eligible Hong Kong residents in Canada, including people who studied or worked here, to apply for PR.
People here say they have waited for years and still do not know when their applications will be finished.
“Right now I’m stuck in limbo. It’s been a year and a half. I haven’t heard back from the IRCC regarding my application, and we’re continuously arguing with, we’re continuously hoping that IRCC sees our cases,” said Vikrambir Singh, another demonstrator.
“There’s not just me, there’s 40,000 plus applications that are stuck in limbo, and we don’t know when they’re going to get processed.”
They also point to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) processing time tool, which now suggests new applicants could wait more than 10 years for their PR.
The Immigration Minister recently told Parliament that there have been more than 46,000 applications under the Hong Kong PR pathways, and just over 13,000 had arrived.
“And the minister’s solution is, “don’t apply under the lifeboat scheme”. What is she even talking about? That scheme was specifically designed for Hong Kongers, said MP Jenny Kwan, representing Vancouver East for the NDP.
“So, it is absolutely outrageous that she would renege on the government’s promise in suggesting that the Hong Kongers should apply under a different stream. It is absolutely unacceptable.”
The federal government introduced special measures for Hong Kong residents in 2020, after China imposed the national security law in Hong Kong.
*Click image or link to read or watch the TV news story - https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2026/06/07/demonstrators-rally-hong-kong-pr-processing-backlog/
OTTAWA—The Canadian government is considering the use of artificial intelligence to save time creating influential assessment profile reports of offenders as they go to federal prisons, and is running a small-scale trial to test it, the Star has learned.
Carney government releases AI road map that aims to make Canada a leader
Federal Politics
Carney government releases AI road map that aims to make Canada a leader
Mentioned in lengthy documents tabled in Parliament last month and confirmed by Correctional Service Canada (CSC), the test run comes as the Carney government tries to ramp up AI adoption, including with billions in a national strategy released this week.
But the prison trial, which CSC says has not yet been used in real cases, is raising concerns from AI experts, criminal defence lawyers and the federal NDP’s public safety critic, who argue a widespread adoption could lead to crucial errors, exacerbate racial biases and put offenders and victims at risk.
Criminal profile reports, as they are called, are detailed “foundational documents” prepared by CSC staff during a prisoner’s intake process that identify risks and play a role in major decisions like access to programs and likelihood of parole.
Drawing from scores of official documents, they include details about an offender’s criminal history, the circumstances of their crimes, patterns of violence or behavioural, mental health and addiction issues, family and social background, trauma history, education and employment records, and even victim impact statements.
“This is what defines your offence cycle,” criminal defence lawyer Nora Demnati said of those reports. “It will have an impact on everything else that comes.”
That’s why the Carney government should slow down and consult widely, including with the CSC union, its lawyers and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada before going further, said NDP MP Jenny Kwan, the party’s public safety critic. Neither the Union of Safety and Justice Employees or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner have been consulted yet, they told the Star.
Kwan warned of a multitude of legal concerns that go both ways and can have a “cascading impact”: Violating the rights of inmates if mistakes are added to reports, on one hand, or hurting victims and prison staff if crucial information is missed by the AI summaries, on the other.
“When you have those kinds of risks associated with correctional policing matters, you can imagine what the huge ramifications might be,” Kwan told the Star. “You could potentially compromise people’s legal rights.”