Fire fighters fraud case

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Criminal court proceedings began Wednesday for a Hamilton fire fighter accused of defrauding families of fire fighters killed or in injured on the job.

58-year-old Collin Grieve is already being sued by the Ontario Fire Fighters Association for allegedly pocketing millions of dollars earmarked for them. Grieve is also facing charges of fraud, money laundering, and attempting to obstruct justice along with Toronto fire fighter Warren Atkinson.

The pair worked together between May of 2011 to February of 2014 conducting advocacy work for families of injured or dead fire fighters, helping them apply for workplace safety insurance board settlements.

It’s alleged they convinced families to donate a portion of their compensation to the union to, to help pay for the cost of filing claims but the money never made it to the union.

Members of the Ontario Fire Fighters Association were at the courthouse, they filed a 4 million dollar lawsuit against Grieve and Atkinson last year sparking the police investigation. The President of the association hopes this trial gives them more answers like just how many families have been defrauded.

“We’re not completely sure of the scope of it. As you heard today there are over 6,000 pages of documentation so we’re hoping to see the full scope of that.”

Colin Grieve was at the infamous Plastimet fire in Hamilton in 1997 and worked to get settlements for fire fighters who died or got sick from the toxic blaze. The Hamilton Fire Fighters Association says none of it’s member have come forward with any allegations against Grieves.

Halton police allege the pair kept about $250 000 in donations for themselves but the union believes they kept a whole lot more.

Grieves and Atkinson have denied the claims.