The Gatineau broker appeared this week before the disciplinary committee of the Organisme d'autoréglementation du courtageimmobilier du Québec (OACIQ) to answer one count of insulting the honor and dignity of the profession.
More specifically, the OACIQ trustee accuses him of organizing his advertising campaign around a donation of 100 hamburgers to homeless people in Gatineau and handing out $100 bills to minors who gave his work phone number on camera and at the same time implied that they would do business with Mr. Arseneault when the time came to buy a house.
“I made the hamburger video as inspiration. »
— Real estate agent Mathieu Arseneault
According to him, other colleagues in the province followed him and in turn offered donuts and coffee to poor people.
Internet users have complained online and to the OACIQ that they believe the vulnerability of homeless people is being exploited for advertising purposes.
An emotional testimony
Mathieu Arseneault testified for the first time on Wednesday. According to him, the media presented “only one side of the coin.”
Addressing the committee, Mr Arseneault said he wanted to do something good by offering food to the homeless in the Hull sector, where homelessness is widespread and becoming more visible by the day. The broker was in charge of the transaction at a house near Gîte Ami, a homeless shelter in Gatineau, when he came up with the idea of going to a fast food restaurant, buying 100 hamburgers and “feeding” the homeless.
“Four or five homeless people came to visit me. They told me: “Life is hard, we have misery.” “It's been a while since we ate.” The idea came from there. »
— Mathieu Arseneault
The witness's voice suddenly became shaky and emotional.
He said he has halted plans to release more videos showing him with homeless people. Only a portion of the four recorded events were broadcast on the broker's social networks. “I didn’t want to show the video in her privacy. It was pathetic.”
Additionally, Mr. Arseneault responded to the OACIQ trustee's attorney that the children who appeared in other mall videos were accompanied by a consenting parent.
“The Canadiens players go to Sainte-Justine Hospital to give something to the children. It’s filmed, it’s the Canadian logo,” said Mathieu Arseneault, still emotional. The media is destroying me.”
“The image of the profession”
Union member Brigitte Poirier insisted to the same disciplinary committee on Monday that the broker was “putting himself on the stage” to “make an audience”.
“These are people who are at a very, very high level of vulnerability. […] He uses this social problem to turn it into entertainment. He is a very visible person, his videos often go viral. The result of this is that it has left social media and we find ourselves in traditional media. […] A negative image is conveyed. The image of the profession is suffering.”
Mr Arseneault also confirmed at his hearing that he had also received good comments on his videos, including one that garnered 27,000 likes. He read a series of private messages to the committee congratulating him on his generous gestures and his career.
The OACIQ hearing continues Friday.