Friday 16 March 2012

Competition Bureau making missteps

When government is the topic of conversation, often taxpapyers quickly agree that some policies appear to look as if the right hand is not talking to the left hand.
Why do we have so much strong legislation about the importance of maintaining Privacy -- everything from opting in to spam (email newsletters from friends, but we continue to receive billions of junk from off-shore computers) to the do-not-call list.
At the same time, the Competition Bureau wants to deregulate the real estate industry to let everyone know instantly (for free) how much your house sold for and and who bought it.
I'm confused.
The Competition Bureau should be going after other industries, if they think something is not fair for consumers. I will not display my suggested list.

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Competition Bureau Threatens to Dismantle Privacy Safeguards of Home Sales 75% of Ontarians Opposed
TORONTO, March 14, 2012
75% of Ontarians believe that personal information such as name and final sale price should be kept confidential by REALTOR® professionals. Commissioner Aitken wants to release this information.
70% of homeowners do not want their personal contact information released to the public. Commissioner Aitken wants to release this information.
67% of Ontarians oppose any measure to make personal contact information such as name and address available to others who are not subject to a professional code of conduct. Commissioner Aitken wants to release this information.
"The results of this poll are overwhelming," said TREB President Richard Silver." TREB strongly believes that REALTORS® have an obligation to protect consumers’ personal information. That’s why TREB and REALTOR® Members are fighting for the privacy rights of consumers."

The Competition Bureau is taking action that would force TREB to abandon the safeguards in the MLS® System and make personal information publicly available on the Internet, threatening the privacy and safety of GTA consumers.

If the Competition Commissioner gets her way, consumers’ private information, which is currently protected on our secure MLS® System, would become freely available on the Internet, including:
Seller’s name and address
Property floor plans
Sensitive Property access information
Negotiated sale price
Mortgage details
"Ontarians clearly oppose what Commissioner Aitken is trying to do. They’ve said they want their personal and private information kept confidential," said Von Palmer, Chief Government and Public Affairs Officer and Chief Privacy Officer for TREB.

If Commissioner Aitken gets her way, Ontarians won’t. Privacy matters. TREB is standing up for GTA consumers. Visit www.ProtectYourPrivacy.ca for more information.
– Today, the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) released the results of an Angus Reid Vision Critical poll. The vast majority of Ontarians clearly expressed their opposition to abandoning the privacy safeguards of the current MLS® System.

When asked about the consequences of the Competition Bureau’s actions, Ontarians expressed concern:

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