Six Canadians have filed a West Bank real estate complaint with the Competition Bureau, alleging four Israeli companies and one Canadian marketing firm promoted homes in West Bank settlements at events in Toronto and Montreal as if the properties were located inside Israel, misleading Canadian buyers about where the land actually is.
What the West Bank real estate complaint alleges
The complaint was filed in Ottawa on Wednesday, Oct. 21, on behalf of six Canadians, described by their lawyers as primarily from Palestinian and Jewish communities. It was brought by the Global Echo Litigation Center and Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR) under the Competition Act’s “six-resident” complaint procedure, which asks the Commissioner of Competition to open a formal inquiry.
The complainants allege that at Israeli real estate events held in Montreal and Toronto between March 2024 and May 2026, and on company websites, settlement properties were consistently advertised as though they were in Israel. Slogans cited in the complaint include “Find Your Dream Home in Israel” and “Own a Piece of Jerusalem.”
“The general impression of a ‘credulous and inexperienced’ Canadian consumer would be that the companies’ properties exhibited at these events were located in Israel,” the complaint says. It argues the representations were “materially false and misleading” and constitute reviewable conduct under Section 74.01(1)(a) of the Competition Act, because they conceal the properties’ location in occupied Palestinian territory and deprive buyers of essential information. The allegations have not been investigated by the Bureau or proven before any court or tribunal.
Five companies named over events in Toronto and Montreal
The complaint names four Israeli companies — Tivuch Shelly, Noam Homes, Meny Group and Effi Capital — and one Canadian firm, the Cohen Group. Their activities are presented as representative examples of what the complainants allege is a wider pattern.
It alleges Tivuch Shelly displayed the “Find Your Dream Home in Israel” banner at a Montreal event on March 5, 2024, alongside properties in Adam and Ma’ale Adumim, two settlements in the occupied West Bank. One development, the Adam Project, was developed by a subsidiary of Amana, an organization Canada sanctioned in June 2024 over extremist settler violence. Noam Homes is alleged to have promoted itself as “Your Real Estate Agency in Jerusalem” while advertising projects in settlements including Efrat, Gush Etzion and Mitzpe Yaricho. Cohen Group and Effi Capital are alleged to have marketed homes in Givat HaMatos, a settlement in occupied East Jerusalem, as “Own a Piece of Jerusalem.”
“If these companies are using false advertising to undermine Canadian and international law, and violate the rights of Palestinians, then action needs to be taken,” said Marlee Wasser, one of the six complainants.
Bureau will review the filing; named companies offered no comment
The Competition Bureau has said it will review the complaint to determine whether an investigation is warranted. Global Echo says it sought comment from all five companies before filing and received no responses.
After the event’s London stop in June 2026, Tivuch Shelly told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency it had “never actively promoted” properties in Ma’ale Adumim there and had blacked out the settlement’s name from its display, while acknowledging it gave brochures about properties there to select individuals.
Ariel Katz, a competition law expert who reviewed the complaint but was not involved in filing it, told The Globe and Mail he found the evidence compelling but could not predict whether the Bureau will open an inquiry. “This is a highly politically charged topic; whatever decision they make could put them under substantial pressure,” Katz said. If the Bureau finds the Act was violated, possible remedies include corrective notices and administrative monetary penalties.
Filing follows Ottawa warnings and a court precedent on settlement labels
Canada does not recognize Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem as part of Israel and considers them illegal under international law. Ottawa recognized the State of Palestine in September 2025. In August 2026, the federal government issued an advisory warning Canadian businesses against economic activities tied to settlements, including investments and purchases. In September, Canada joined the United Kingdom and France in announcing it would introduce measures to ban imports of settlement goods.
The complainants also point to a Canadian court precedent. In Kattenburg v. Canada (Attorney General), the Federal Court held that wines produced in Israeli settlements could not accurately be labelled “Product of Israel,” reasoning that the settlements are not within Israel’s territorial boundaries. The complaint argues the same principle should apply to houses.
James Yap, president of CLAIHR, said Canadians who bought settlement properties could face serious legal consequences. “The Canadian government often speaks about upholding international law,” Yap said. “This is an opportunity for the Canadian government actually to take a stand.”
