Firefighter accused of taking donations for cancer-stricken colleagues must pay more than $4 million
A Hamilton firefighter accused of misappropriating funds from cancer-stricken colleagues has been ordered to pay the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association (OPFFA) more than $4 million.
The civil suit, launched in 2016 against Colin Grieve and another firefighter, Paul Atkinson of Toronto, came to an end in October with a judgment on consent. Atkinson's side of the suit was resolved - also with a settlement requiring him to pay the OPFFA $4 million - in March.
The OPFFA alleged the two firefighters misappropriated" at least $3 million in donations that should have gone to the association. The funds were from families of firefighters they helped to settle workplace-related death and disability claims.
This is justice for our members and our fallen firefighters," said OPFFA president Carmen Santoro in an interview with The Spectator. These two individuals took advantage of the widows of fallen firefighters. They walked into their homes saying, Hey, I'm a firefighter.' That comes with automatic trust. They took advantage of that trust for personal gain."
Grieve and Atkinson previously claimed the OPFFA condoned their actions and filed a $12-million counter claim alleging a malicious smear campaign." Santoro said the suit was withdrawn last year.
The Spectator was unable to reach Grieve for comment.
The October judgment states the OPFFA claimed damages for fraud, civil conspiracy, breach of trust, and breach of fiduciary duty, among other damages. Grieve is jointly and severally" liable for the claims and must pay the OPFFA $4,082,336. The decision states the OPFFA now holds a constructive trust over any and all of Grieve's assets and property, including but not limited to his Stoney Creek home. He is also to pay the firefighters' association $750,000 for legal costs.
In 2019, the OPFFA obtained a court injunction freezing the assets of Grieve and Atkinson while the civil case proceeded.
In 2017, Atkinson and Grieve were each criminally charged with fraud over $5,000, money laundering, and obstruction of justice, but a Milton judge tossed the charges in January 2020 because the case took too long to reach trial.
Grieve was one of hundreds of Hamilton firefighters who battled the notorious 1997 Plastimet blaze, one of the worst environmental disasters in Canadian history. Afterwards, he became an advocate for colleagues stricken with work-related cancers and was in demand for his expertise in navigating the bureaucracy of the WSIB claims process.
Katrina Clarke is a reporter at The Spectator. katrinaclarke@thespec.com