RE/MAX Island Properties issued a statement Tuesday to say it has fired an agent who has been accused of sexual assault in multiple posts to social media.
He is the fourth Greater Victoria real estate agent to have been fired in the last week.
“As a survivor, I personally know how difficult it is to report sexualized violence, and I commend those who spoke publicly to bring an important issue to the community’s attention,” co-owner Susan Froher wrote. “My team and I explicitly state our support for all victims of sexualized violence, and we join in solidarity with the community to admonish this behaviour and empower survivors.”
On top of firing the accused agent, Froher said RE/MAX has also asked him to surrender his license.
The three other fired agents were all associated with Engel and Volkers Vancouver Island at the time of the alleged assaults, but two of them were working at The Agency Victoria when the allegations arose.
In statements made on March 25 on Instagram, The Agency – a luxury real estate company – said it had just become aware of the allegations made against two individuals and that it was taking appropriate action to resolve the matter.
“The allegations predate the agents working with our brokerage, although, we are extremely concerned and taking these allegations seriously,” the statement read.
A few hours after its first post, The Agency took to Instagram once again to say it had fired the two accused.
At the time of the allegations, the two agents were working as independent contractors with Engel and Volkers Vancouver Island.
Owner of the company Scott Piercy said although the individuals left Engel and Volkers in 2019, the company is taking the allegations seriously and will continue to look into it.
“We support those who have come forward to report sexual harassment and abuse and will do our utmost to eliminate this abhorrent behaviour,” Piercy said in a statement. The company has arranged sexual harassment counselling, trauma support and sensitivity training for its entire team.
On the same day, Victoria pub The Local said it had also become aware of allegations against one of its minority partners and had severed ties with them.
On March 27, another accused individual’s webpage and social media accounts had been taken down and Engel and Volkers Vancouver Island, which the person had been working under, said it had cut all ties with them.
The allegations have been emerging from a social media page intended to give people a space to anonymously report sexualized and domestic violence. It is the same page where allegations emerged earlier this year against employees of Chuck’s Burger Bar and E:Ne Raw Food and Sake Bar. Both of which have fired employees and Chuck’s Burger Bar later closed permanently.
None of the allegations have been tested in court. Charges have not been filed in any of these cases and the Victoria Police Department could not comment on whether it was investigating.
Horrified by the sexual assault allegations arising online about fellow Greater Victoria real estate agents, one agent started a GoFundMe to support survivors. By midday March 30, the campaign had raised nearly $120,000.
Anyone who wishes to report an incident or has information about an incident can call the VicPD report desk at 250-995-7654 ext. 1.
The Victoria Sexual Assault Centre offers counselling, victim services and a sexual assault response team. The centre can be reached 24/7 at 250-383-3232.
–With files from Jane Skrypnek
Editors note: An incorrect image originally attached to this story has been removed.
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.
