Tuesday September 2, 2014 Vol. 39 No. 70)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
From net to nest: When former junior goalie Blaine ne Neufeld steps behind the Surrey Eagles’ bench this season, he’ll bee the youngest head coach in the BC Hockey League. i see page 19
Real estate council suspends licence of 8th Avenue Elite Realty ‘in the public interest’
Shutdown sidelines nearly 70 agents Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
A South Surrey brokerage firm has had its licence suspended “in the public interest,” after allegedly failing to account for monies entrusted to them by clients. A news release issued Thursday by the Real Estate Council of B.C. indicates the suspension levied against 8th Avenue Elite Realty Ltd. took effect two days earlier and remains in effect “until further notice.” “8th Avenue Elite Realty Ltd. is prohibited from providing real estate services to or
on behalf of any member of the public as a result of this order,” the release states. The order was issued under Sec. 45 of the Real Estate Services Act, which pertains to orders issued in “urgent circumstances.” Marilee Peters, communications officer for the provincial regulatory agency, told Peace Arch News Thursday that she could not disclose when investigation into the brokerage began, the value of monies unaccounted for or the number of clients affected. She did say that such orders are “fortunately, a rare occurrence.”
Peters said “slightly less than 70” real estate agents were licensed under 8th Avenue, which was operating out of Morgan Creek Corporate Centre, at 210-15252 32 Ave. “Because the brokerage’s licence has been suspended, their licence is inoperative,” Peters said of the associated agents. However, the disciplinary step does not prevent those agents from transferring their licence to another brokerage. Efforts to contact officials at 8th Avenue were unsuccessful. The business’s website has been taken down, the second-floor office
is dark and calls to the phone number listed for contact were met with a busy signal. A note posted on the brokerage’s Facebook page Aug. 25 appeals for information on the whereabouts of two individuals. “The staff has left and the commission cheques are not being paid!” writes Julia Greene. “Please contact the Real Estate Council if you know anything…” According to the firm’s cached website, the “real estate brokerage and real estate education center” opened on Jan. 11, 2013, offering “a new brand in real estate.”
Braden Paul photos
All lit up for its 100th birthday, the White Rock pier played host to close to 500 people. At right, Mostly Marley entertains.
Arts fundraiser marks pier’s 100th anniversary
Party of the century ‘bears repeat’ Alex Browne & Tracy Holmes Staff Reporters
It was billed as the party of the century, and Semiahmoo Arts executive director Mary Brunet said the Aug. 28 Party On The Pier fundraiser – celebrating the 100th anniversary of White Rock’s iconic landmark and the 40th anniversary of the arts group –
was a definite success. And Mayor Wayne Baldwin was so impressed, he is predicting similar soirees on the waterfront structure will become “at least” an annual event. “A couple times a summer, it could work,” Baldwin told Peace Arch News Friday. “It’s a heritage structure, doesn’t mean it can’t be used.”
Brunet said close to 500 people, including ticket-holding guests, volunteers, entertainers and staff gathered at the pier Thursday evening to mingle and socialize to the sounds of the Powder Blues Band and Mostly Marley, who entertained at the breakwater-end of the illuminated structure. i see page 2
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