Ontario’s vehicle sales regulator has ordered the immediate suspension of D L Auto Brokers on Lakeshore Drive in North Bay. As a result, operators Darrel Legare and Andrea St. Amant may not legally sell, lease, buy or consign vehicles.
According to OMVIC, Immediate Suspensions are only issued when the regulator believes a dealer’s conduct may place the car-buying public at risk. OMVIC’s Director of Compliance and Deputy Registrar Laura Halbert says the immediate suspension of D L Auto Brokers was triggered following an OMVIC inspection and a consumer complaint. Halbert says the allegations were serious, so it was imperative OMVIC issue the Immediate Suspension Order to protect North Bay-area car buyers. OMVIC also issued proposals to revoke the dealer’s registration and to refuse new applications for registration by Legare personally and for a new dealership.
Its alleged that D L didn’t remove liens from at least two vehicles traded in, and from at least two vehicles sold, leaving consumers potentially responsible for the debts. They failed to inform OMVIC as required that the corporation had filed for bankruptcy and additionally, Legare failed to inform OMVIC he had personally filed a commercial proposal pursuant to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.
D L did not deposit proceeds of vehicle sales into the dealership bank account as required, and wasn’t operating from its registered location (the dealer’s licensed address is 197 Lakeshore Drive, not 518 Lakeshore Drive where it was operating). They also sold vehicles consigned by other dealers without required consignment contracts, and without disclosing to consumers the vehicles were being offered for sale on a consignment basis. D L failed to maintain and/or produce records for inspection and employed unregistered salespeople (Legare and St. Amant).
