When visiting the Competition Bureau of Canada's website and viewing their Privacy Notice, it reads "The Government of Canada and the Competition Bureau are committed to providing visitors with Websites that respect their privacy." Their Privacy Statement contains the following wording:
"Personal information you provide is protected under the provisions of the Privacy Act.". Does anyone else find it ironic, that with the above statements being part of their Privacy Policies, the Competition Bureau is now asking Realtor Boards to break privacy laws by disclosing confidential information the Brokerages have vowed to protect? The Bureau feels that the disclosure of this personal information is in the public's best interest. In order to judge how the public feels about the Competition Bureau's threats to dismantle privacy safeguards, the Toronto Real Estate Board hired Angus Reid for a Vision Critical Poll. Results from this poll follow: 1. 75% of Ontarians want their personal information such as name and final sale price to be kept confidential and not released to the general public
2. 70% of homeowners do not want their personal contact information released to the public
3. 67% of Ontarians oppose any measure to make personal contact information such as name and address available to others who are not subject to professional code of conduct. The public entrusts Realtors with their personal and private information and it is up to Realtors to protect their clients' personal information. As TREB President Richard Silver states "this is why TREB and Realtor Members are fighting for the privacy of our consumers.". The mandate of the Competition Bureau does not, or at least should not, supersede Privacy Laws, especially since the violation of such laws could prove detrimental to the general public. Should public safety be jeopardized in lieu of information accessibility at any time? Furthermore, what does this have to do with "competition" anyway? Is there a good reason for your neighbours to know your mortgage details or sensitive property access information? In today's "Do Not Call List" era, should your name and contact information be available for all to see just because you've listed your home for sale? Should your pending sale price be disclosed to the public thereby eliminating any leverage you would have to attain the best price possible should your "conditional sale" fall through? As a Realtor, I take my role to protect my clients' best interests seriously. I am at a loss to explain the Competition Bureau's high-handed and unethical behaviour. When is it okay for the safety of the general public to be hijacked by the government and how is this deemed to be appropriate by calling it a "competition" issue? In today's society, we have enough identity theft, mortgage fraud, and targeted domestic violence without more personal information floating around cyberspace. At some point protection of the consumer has to remain a priority. I'm confident that my fellow Realtors feel the same way and will share this with their clients to help bring awareness to this matter. How can you help protect the consumer? Visit www.ProtectYourPrivacy.ca I welcome your thoughts and comments. Asif
Asif Khan, ABR
Re/Max Hall of Fame
Re/Max Chairman's Club
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc., Brokerage
905-888-6222
"Personal information you provide is protected under the provisions of the Privacy Act.". Does anyone else find it ironic, that with the above statements being part of their Privacy Policies, the Competition Bureau is now asking Realtor Boards to break privacy laws by disclosing confidential information the Brokerages have vowed to protect? The Bureau feels that the disclosure of this personal information is in the public's best interest. In order to judge how the public feels about the Competition Bureau's threats to dismantle privacy safeguards, the Toronto Real Estate Board hired Angus Reid for a Vision Critical Poll. Results from this poll follow: 1. 75% of Ontarians want their personal information such as name and final sale price to be kept confidential and not released to the general public
2. 70% of homeowners do not want their personal contact information released to the public
3. 67% of Ontarians oppose any measure to make personal contact information such as name and address available to others who are not subject to professional code of conduct. The public entrusts Realtors with their personal and private information and it is up to Realtors to protect their clients' personal information. As TREB President Richard Silver states "this is why TREB and Realtor Members are fighting for the privacy of our consumers.". The mandate of the Competition Bureau does not, or at least should not, supersede Privacy Laws, especially since the violation of such laws could prove detrimental to the general public. Should public safety be jeopardized in lieu of information accessibility at any time? Furthermore, what does this have to do with "competition" anyway? Is there a good reason for your neighbours to know your mortgage details or sensitive property access information? In today's "Do Not Call List" era, should your name and contact information be available for all to see just because you've listed your home for sale? Should your pending sale price be disclosed to the public thereby eliminating any leverage you would have to attain the best price possible should your "conditional sale" fall through? As a Realtor, I take my role to protect my clients' best interests seriously. I am at a loss to explain the Competition Bureau's high-handed and unethical behaviour. When is it okay for the safety of the general public to be hijacked by the government and how is this deemed to be appropriate by calling it a "competition" issue? In today's society, we have enough identity theft, mortgage fraud, and targeted domestic violence without more personal information floating around cyberspace. At some point protection of the consumer has to remain a priority. I'm confident that my fellow Realtors feel the same way and will share this with their clients to help bring awareness to this matter. How can you help protect the consumer? Visit www.ProtectYourPrivacy.ca I welcome your thoughts and comments. Asif
Asif Khan, ABR
Re/Max Hall of Fame
Re/Max Chairman's Club
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc., Brokerage
905-888-6222