The commercial rent market runs in the dark. We turn on the lights.
For business owners, lease terms are confusing, figuring out average rents in a neighbourhood is a guessing game, and most negotiate this major cost with almost no information. CommercialRent.ca exists to change that, with open data, practical tools, and policy that makes main streets work for the business owners who keep them running.
Why we built CommercialRent.ca
The Better Way Alliance is a network of Canadian business owners who believe that paying well and creating good jobs is the secret to a successful business and community. Rising rents and fixed costs have made that harder every year. CommercialRent.ca is our effort to level those costs out, so owners can invest in their workers, build productive businesses - and a robust Canadian economy.
We have surveyed and interviewed hundreds of business owners since launching CommercialRent.ca in 2022, and the same problem keeps surfacing.
It’s the rent.
In housing, a renter can compare listings, see comparable rents, and understand the rules before they sign. In commercial leasing, almost none of that exists. There is no public record of what neighbouring units lease for, no standard lease, and no quick or affordable way to resolve a dispute. A landlord knows the market. The tenant signing a ten-year lease often does not. It’s like sitting down at a casino where the dealer can see everyone’s cards.
So we continue to build this resource. CommercialRent.ca is Canada’s most comprehensive commercial rent resource, used by business owners, landlords, and elected officials across the country.
We are not anti-landlord. We want the high standards of good landlords who invest in their tenants and neighbourhoods to become the minimum floor, so those good actors are not undercut by the bad ones.
The evidence is moving decision-makers. In May 2024, Toronto City Council passed Motion MM18.24 by a vote of 21 to 1, asking the Province of Ontario for commercial rent control, a tribunal for landlord and tenant disputes, and standardized leases.
In BC, New Westminster City Council passed a motion in 2024 asking the province for the authority to enable commercial rent controls in designated zones, a resolution later endorsed by the Union of BC Municipalities. When the rent rises too fast, it restricts the types of businesses that can afford to operate, often cutting out long-term local staples first.
That is the conversation we set out to start. Now we are working to finish it, with smart policy, market-based initiatives, and a Canadian economy that continues to work for entrepreneurs.
Tools that help everyone read the same market.
Free, practical resources for the three groups who shape every lease: the owners who sign them, the landlords who write them, and the officials who set the rules.
Know your lease before you sign it.
The guidance we wish every tenant had before negotiating. Survival tools, plain-language explainers, and answers to the questions that cost businesses the most.
Stable tenancies, written down.
Clear rules and predictable terms reduce turnover and vacancy. We work with property owners who want a market that holds good tenants instead of churning through them.
Evidence, not anecdote.
Research, policy frameworks, and survey data built for smart economic development. Everything an official needs to understand the issue and act within their jurisdiction.
Building a transparent marketplace
Open, shared information is the infrastructure a fair market needs. Here is what we are building, and what we are calling for.