A British Columbia real estate agent has been fined $20,000 after being caught on camera drinking milk straight out of the jug at a home he was showing.
A consent order released by the B.C. Financial Services Authority last week said Mike Rose was alone in the home in Kamloops, B.C., in July last year as he waited for his clients, who were interested in buying the property.
Rose went to the refrigerator to find water, but instead swigged some milk straight from the container, which he then put back in the refrigerator.
The consent order, agreed by both the superintendent of real estate and Rose, said the owners of the home saw him drinking the milk when they reviewed footage from a surveillance camera, then confronted him about it two days later.
Rose, who apologized for his actions, was told he wasn’t welcome in the home and his clients replaced him in their purchase of the property.
He claims in the order that his behaviour was out of character, and he was “unusually dehydrated” at the time because of a new medication, as well as being under “considerable stress.”
It states Rose opened the fridge looking for water, but when he couldn’t find any he instead drank the milk.
More than a slap on the wrist
The homeowner, Lyska Fullerton, said she is still upset by Rose’s behaviour and is glad the regulatory body did something about the incident.
“It’s just a little bit more than a slap on the wrist, which is good,” she said. “It’s definitely a fine that’s going to put a little dent in him.”
Fullerton posted the surveillance footage to Facebook after the incident in July 2022. At the time, she said she notified another real estate agent at Rose’s brokerage, Royal LePage Kamloops, who notified management.
“When you have professionals in your home. . . you feel like you can trust them,” she said. “And I learned quite a lesson in this.”
Shortly after the incident in July 2022, Rose wrote in a statement to CBC News that his actions were “unfortunate” and “uncharacteristic.”
It said he would spend time considering his behaviour and take action to prevent any similar missteps in the future.
“I have never done this kind of thing before, nor will I ever behave in this way again,” said the statement.
Rose, who is now working at a different brokerage, agreed to pay a disciplinary penalty of $20,000 to the authority for conduct unbecoming, and $2,500 in enforcement expenses.
HALIFAX – A village of tiny homes is set to open next month in a Halifax suburb, the latest project by the provincial government to address homelessness.
Located in Lower Sackville, N.S., the tiny home community will house up to 34 people when the first 26 units open Nov. 4.
Another 35 people are scheduled to move in when construction on another 29 units should be complete in December, under a partnership between the province, the Halifax Regional Municipality, United Way Halifax, The Shaw Group and Dexter Construction.
The province invested $9.4 million to build the village and will contribute $935,000 annually for operating costs.
Residents have been chosen from a list of people experiencing homelessness maintained by the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia.
They will pay rent that is tied to their income for a unit that is fully furnished with a private bathroom, shower and a kitchen equipped with a cooktop, small fridge and microwave.
The Atlantic Community Shelters Society will also provide support to residents, ranging from counselling and mental health supports to employment and educational services.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.
Housing affordability is a key issue in the provincial election campaign in British Columbia, particularly in major centres.
Here are some statistics about housing in B.C. from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s 2024 Rental Market Report, issued in January, and the B.C. Real Estate Association’s August 2024 report.
Average residential home price in B.C.: $938,500
Average price in greater Vancouver (2024 year to date): $1,304,438
Average price in greater Victoria (2024 year to date): $979,103
Average price in the Okanagan (2024 year to date): $748,015
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Vancouver: $2,181
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Victoria: $1,839
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Canada: $1,359
Rental vacancy rate in Vancouver: 0.9 per cent
How much more do new renters in Vancouver pay compared with renters who have occupied their home for at least a year: 27 per cent
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Voters along the south coast of British Columbia who have not cast their ballots yet will have to contend with heavy rain and high winds from an incoming atmospheric river weather system on election day.
Environment Canada says the weather system will bring prolonged heavy rain to Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, Whistler and Vancouver Island starting Friday.
The agency says strong winds with gusts up to 80 kilometres an hour will also develop on Saturday — the day thousands are expected to go to the polls across B.C. — in parts of Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver.
Wednesday was the last day for advance voting, which started on Oct. 10.
More than 180,000 voters cast their votes Wednesday — the most ever on an advance voting day in B.C., beating the record set just days earlier on Oct. 10 of more than 170,000 votes.
Environment Canada says voters in the area of the atmospheric river can expect around 70 millimetres of precipitation generally and up to 100 millimetres along the coastal mountains, while parts of Vancouver Island could see as much as 200 millimetres of rainfall for the weekend.
An atmospheric river system in November 2021 created severe flooding and landslides that at one point severed most rail links between Vancouver’s port and the rest of Canada while inundating communities in the Fraser Valley and B.C. Interior.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
