Housing Is a Magnet for Money Launderers in Toronto: Study

  • Billions of dollars from anonymous owners went into home deals
  • Report looked at 1.4 million sales as property market surged
Homes stand beyond an undeveloped plot of land in East Gwillimbury, Ontario.Photographer: Cole Burston/Bloomberg
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Toronto’s housing market has become a target for money laundering or “snow washing,” thanks to anonymous property ownership, weak regulation and lax enforcement, according to a new study.

Since 2008, C$28.4 billion ($21.3 billion) worth of housing was acquired in the Toronto region largely through private entities where owners can remain anonymous, according to a report released Thursday by Transparency International Canada, Canadians for Tax Fairness and Publish What You Pay Canada.