A B.C. realtor has been fined thousands of dollars for falsely advertising Shuswap-area properties.
Lester Twarog entered a consent order with the B.C. Financial Services Authority on March 13. He worked as a designated agent to market and sell six rural lots north of Sicamous in August 2021.
The MLS listing for each lot in the development stated under the “Remarks” section: “Waterfront and Road Access …. Current access by boat that takes 20 mins from Sicamous or 1 hour via forestry road that is on Google Maps. Approximately 20KMs North of Sicamous. Not accessible by road in the wintertime – road is not plowed.”
The consent order said this statement was untru
In July 2021, Twarog visited and viewed the development via a forestry road, leading to his belief that the property had both water and road access.
Later that year, Twarog became aware that there that there was an issue with road access. The order said he sought clarification from the developer and the developer’s legal counsel.
In December 2021, the BCFSA received a complaint about the listing noting non-existent road access. The next year, the developer tried to negotiate access to the properties with a strata through an easement, but was denied. Twarog then revised the advertising and marketing
The BCFSA consent ruling also said Twarog failed to ensure that the Alberta-based developer filed the required disclosure statements before the properties were marketed. Twarog admitted to professional misconduct.
He agreed to pay $20,000 to the B.C. Financial Services Authority and complete a remedial real estate education course at the University of British Columbia. He will also pay enforcement expenses of $1,500.
Vista Radio reached out to Twarog but he declined to comment.
