The chief of Grand Forks Fire/Rescue has turned himself in to authorities over an arrest warrant for a civil lawsuit for alleged unfinished renovation work.
James (Jim) Runciman surrendered to the courts in Kelowna on Friday (Dec. 15) over a warrant that was issued Oct. 11 in a civil lawsuit over unfinished contracted and paid-for work by an elderly couple who hired him to renovate their kitchen.
Before becoming fire chief and manager of Grand Forks’ emergency services, he operated Kokanee Peaks Interiors, Inc., out of Nelson.
According to the civil claim, the Rawsons, Jodi Rawson, 63, and Trevor Rawson, 75, hired Runciman and Kokanee Peaks Interiors, Inc. to remodel the kitchen in their home in Trail on Feb. 16, 2021, but work wasn’t started until the following May.
The work was allegedly never finished, with Jodi stating in the claim they paid for 90 per cent of the agreed upon price, but Runciman only did about a quarter of the work before he stopped showing up at the worksite during the summer of 2021.
“After several conversations with Jim, he promised we would have a kitchen to use by Christmas. This did not happen,” the Rawsons state in their suit. “In January of 2022 I reached out to Kokanee Peaks Interiors several times and we realized the contractor had abandoned the contract and left us with unfinished projects to which we contracted them to do.”
The couple is suing for more than $33,000 to recoup purchased materials, labour, deficiencies and damages for stress and injuries for attempting to complete the work themselves.
A judge ordered a default judgment in favour of the Rawsons this past June after Runciman didn’t respond to the civil suit for several months. A default hearing has been scheduled in Rossland on Jan. 11 over what is expected to be enforcing payment.
An online profile of Kokanee Peaks Interiors, Inc., described Runciman as having “35-plus years professional experience in home building and renovation.”
Runciman, 57, was a career firefighter, according to a Jan. 18, 2022 article in the Gazette. He served in fire services in Maple Grove, Que., for more than 20 years, and then was director of fire services, and chief, in Greenstone, Ont. During that time he orchestrated the amalgamation of five fire departments and 100 firefighters.
He moved to Nelson after retiring from firefighting, but said he was drawn back to it when Grand Forks was seeking a new chief. At the time of his hiring, Runciman said his key priority was rebuilding the department and recruitment.