The B.C. government has announced the elimination of search fees for the province’s Land Owner Transparency Registry (LOTR), with an eye on eliminating money laundering.

The province and the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (LTSA) are collaborating to improve transparency by allowing search of LOTR records at no cost as of April 1, 2024. The current fee is $5.25 per record, the Ministry of Finance and Land Title and Survey Authority of BC noted in a media release.

LOTR is a registry of information about individuals with an indirect interest in land through corporations, trusts and partnerships. LOTR is administered by LTSA, and the province is responsible for compliance and enforcement.

“Money laundering fuels the toxic-drug crisis and gang violence on our streets and takes away housing from hard-working British Columbians who play by the rules – and we’re fighting back,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Finance.

“Through the registry, we’re shining a light on hidden property ownership and money laundering in the housing market, and now we’re strengthening that work to detect and fight tax evasion, money laundering, and other criminal activity in B.C.”

“Making the Land Owner Transparency Registry more accessible supports compliance and enforcement efforts to crack down on hidden ownership in B.C. and ensures B.C.’s real property market is trusted and transparent,” said Al-Karim Kara, CEO, Land Title and Survey Authority.

LOTR is the only registry of its kind in Canada and is an important part of B.C.’s anti-money-laundering work.

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