Federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson has come under fire for failing to disclose multi-million-dollar real estate holdings, including a lakeside property and a penthouse in Vancouver, none of which are listed in his public filings under the Conflict of Interest Act.Documents from BC’s land title registry, uncovered by TheBreakerNews, reveal that Robertson “has investments in at least three properties,” with a total assessed value of $10.85 million, according to reporter Bob Mackin.Robertson owns a 2024-built house in Tofino, BC, and an undisclosed interest in a lakeside property in Squamish, BC, reported TheBreaker. The Squamish property, located on Levette Lake, spans nearly 17 acres and includes a two-storey home, with an assessed value of $5.6 million.“Separately, a company Robertson registered in 2020 called 11 Otters Investments Inc. is listed as the owner of a $2.85 million assessed, 11-acre property on Pacific Rim Highway near Cox Bay in Tofino,” the report added. Robertson also owns a penthouse near English Bay in Vancouver assessed at nearly $2.4 million. .He does not live in his riding.Neither Robertson nor the Prime Minister’s Office responded to repeated questions about the holdings. None of the properties appear in the minister’s official disclosures to the Ethics Commissioner.The property records came to light after Robertson declined to answer questions in the House of Commons about his personal real estate. “Across the country, we need to be able to see rents come down for Canadians,” said Robertson.His office did not provide a comment when asked about rental charges for the minister’s investment properties. .Instead, Robertson told MPs the government was “committed to addressing housing affordability and working at scale to drive supply up to bring housing costs down for Canadians.”Conservative MP Scot Davidson (New Tecumseth–Gwillimbury, ON) raised concerns about investor influence in the housing market. “That is up 50% since the Liberal government has been in power,” Davidson said, citing data that 30% of Canadian homes are now owned by investors.“How many investment properties does the Minister own?” Davidson asked.“Investment is secondary to people living in homes,” Robertson replied..“How many investment properties does the Minister of Housing own?” Davidson repeated.“I think the focus here needs to be on building homes for people to live in, not building homes for investors to own,” Robertson answered.“How many rental units does the Minister of Housing own?” Davidson asked again.“I am here to answer questions on behalf of my department for the investment in affordable housing across Canada and infrastructure and housing,” Robertson replied.
