Real estate broker’s license who submitted fake offers on homes to drive up prices during the COVID-19 pandemic along with his associate Jonathan Dauphinais-Fortin was suspended on a permanent basis.
Last September, Ms. Girouard was suspended for 14 years and fined $50,000.
In a 50-page judgment published on November 27, the OACIQ disciplinary committee concluded that in order to protect the public, Ms. Girouard could no longer be part of the profession of real estate broker and rejected the professional reinstatement of the woman who had previously had her license suspended.
The committee is of the opinion that the offenses committed by the respondent:
- Seriously jeopardize the protection of the public;
- Hit hard the image of the profession and the probity of all brokers;
- Undermine the integrity and dignity of the profession;
- Are at the heart of the profession;
- Overshadow the necessary collaboration between brokers, the cornerstone of real estate brokerage;
- They have serious consequences for those involved.
“In this case, we come to the conclusion that in order to protect the public, the respondent must no longer be part of the profession. In other words, the protection of the public contraindicates the reinstatement of the respondent,” we can read in the judgment.
The committee also considers that Ms. Girouard “does not possess the qualities required to work in the field of real estate brokerage.”
“A person’s lack of integrity necessarily has an impact on their ability to perform functions that require qualities of honesty, loyalty, professionalism and competence.”
-OACIQ Disciplinary Committee
At the time of writing these lines, Christine Girouard was still offering training to become a real estate assistant on her social networks.
For its part, the Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers of Quebec (APCIQ) says it is satisfied with the decision rendered in Christine Girouard’s case. “The APCIQ strongly denounces all illegal acts that may be committed by real estate brokers and which undermine the quality work carried out by the vast majority of brokers. The latter also fully carry out their duties in an ethical manner, in the interest of buying and selling clients and in full compliance with the Real Estate Brokerage Act,” the association said in a statement.
“Phoney purchase promises”
Christine Girouard is a well-known broker who previously participated in a Quebec reality TV show that follows the best real estate agents in the province. She was fined $50,000, while Mr. Dauphinais-Fortin was fined $10,000.
Both brokers were suspended in May 2023 after The Press published an article about their practices, including one case where a buyer ended up paying $40,000 more than their original offer due to a fake offer.
In February 2022, this buyer offered $410,000 for a house listed at a price of $399,700 that Ms. Girouard was working to sell, according to the OACIQ disciplinary committee. Ms. Girouard then asked Mr. Dauphinais-Fortin to present a second offer. The latter convinced his spouse at the time to make an offer of $370,000, while assuring her that it would never be accepted.
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After learning that a second offer had been made, the buyer increased his offer to $450,000.
In June 2022, Ms. Girouard and Mr. Dauphinais-Fortin attempted another similar operation by presenting a false offer signed by one of Mr. Dauphinais-Fortin’s friends. This sale ultimately failed.
Ms Girouard was also found guilty of other offenses including lying to potential buyers in October 2021 about a higher offer. She will face a second disciplinary hearing this fall for other alleged infractions.
In two separate decisions, the OACIQ disciplinary committee first explained that it had decided not to suspend Ms. Girouard and Mr. Dauphinais-Fortin permanently, in part because they had not previous disciplinary record. Nevertheless, he considered that their offenses were “very serious” and warranted heavy sanctions.
On Instagram, Ms. Girouard presents herself as a “coach of successful real estate brokers”.
Blind bidding, in which potential home buyers make an offer on a property without knowing the details of other offers, is a common practice across the country. In Quebec, the law prohibits real estate agents from disclosing the details of competing offers.
Critics of the practice say blind bidding helps drive up prices. The Quebec Solidaire party lobbied for them to be banned, but without success.
At the federal level, the Liberal government promised during the 2021 election campaign to introduce a buyer’s bill of rights that would include a national plan to end blind auctions, but the measure failed to materialize. is never materialized.
Last December, Ontario adopted new rules that give sellers the option to use an open auction process.
Andrew Harrild, a real estate broker at Property.ca, says the move could help increase transparency for buyers — if sellers are willing to share information about competing offers.
“In a very seller-friendly market, an open process would prevent bidding wars from getting out of hand,” he said. I think it’s a step in the right direction.”
He added that it can be “very obscure and uncomfortable” for buyers to compete with almost no information about other offers.
However, Mr Harrild said opening the auction would not completely prevent fraud, as brokers could still submit false offers that would encourage buyers to increase their offers.
“If someone wants to be fraudulent, they will always find a way to get around the rules,” he stressed. It might help, but I don’t think it would completely eradicate fraud.”
With information from Maura Forrest of The Canadian Press
