Consent Order

REAL ESTATE COUNCIL OF BRITISH COLUMBIA DISCIPLINE DECISION

In the matter of the Real Estate Services Act

S.B.C. 2004 ch. 42

AND in the matter of a Consent Order pursuant to Section 41 of the Real Estate Services Act

File: 12-207

Date of Consent Order: June 18, 2015

Issue: Mireille Marie Fleurette Lapalme, representative, Century 21 Coastal Realty Ltd., Surrey, entered into a Consent Order with the Council that she committed professional misconduct within the meaning of section 35(1)(a) and 35(1)(g) of the Real Estate Services Act in that she:

1. made a false statement in her application for licence renewal submitted to the Council on or about July 30, 2012, in that she answered "No" to the question "Have you ever been refused a licence, or held a licence that was suspended or canceled, under real estate, insurance, mortgage broker or securities legislation in British Columbia or any other jurisdiction, or have you been disciplined by a professional body?" when, on June 7, 2011, the Real Estate Council of Alberta suspended her licence for failing to cooperate with a person conducting an investigation into her conduct as a real estate licensee in the province of Alberta;
2. contravened section 2-21(2)(a) of the Council Rules when she failed to notify the Council in writing that she had been subject to disciplinary or regulatory proceedings in Alberta and, in particular, that her real estate licence in Alberta had been suspended on June 7, 2011 for failure to cooperate with an investigation being conducted by the Real Estate Council of Alberta under the provisions of the Real Estate Act of Alberta;
3. contravened section 2-21(4) of the Council Rules when she failed to provide a copy of the notice required under section 2-21(2) to her managing broker; and
4. contravened section 35(1)(g) of the Real Estate Services Act when she provided a false and/or misleading statement to the Council dated August 21, 2013 and May 10, 2014, when she stated that she was unaware of the suspension of her Alberta real estate licence and/or she had never had her licence suspended in Alberta, when, in fact, she was served with a suspension order on June 3, 2011, and confirmed receipt of the suspension order with the Real Estate Council of Alberta on June 7, 2011.

Results

Mireille Marie Fleurette Lapalme was subject to an Order of a discipline committee that she:

1. be suspended for thirty (30) days from July 22, 2015 to August 20, 2015, inclusive;
2. as a condition of licensing, will fully and substantially cooperate with the investigation currently underway with the Real Estate Council of Alberta concerning her conduct as a real estate representative in that province and that she will report as required to the Real Estate Council of British Columbia regarding the progress of that investigation; and
3. pay enforcement expenses to the Council in the amount of $1,250.00.