Grand Forks Fire Chief to appear in court for default hearing in a civil lawsuit
By Boundary Sentinel
Grand Forks Fire and Rescue Chief, James (Jim) Runciman is scheduled to make an appearance in Rossland court January 11, 2024, for a default hearing in a civil lawsuit over unfinished contracted and paid-for work by Trail couple.
The Grand Forks Chief, and owner his company, Kokanee Peaks Interior Inc. in Nelson, recently turned himself into the courts (Friday) December 15 in Kelowna over a civil lawsuit warrant issued October 11.
According to the civil claim, the 57-year-old Chief was hired by the elderly Trail couple to remodel their kitchen back in 2021.
The couple is suing Runciman for more than $33,000 for purchased materials, labour deficiencies and damage for stress and injuries for attempting to complete the work themselves.
“After several conversations with Jim, he promised we would have a kitchen to use by Christmas,” the Trail couple said in their statement in their suit.
“This did not happen.
“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 Trail civil suit is not the only court action against the Grand Forks Fire Chief, who joined the department in 2022.
The previous owner of Kokanee Peaks Interiors Inc has filed suit in December 2023 claiming Runciman never fully paid for the company that was sold to him in December of 2020.
The profile on the Kokanee Peaks Interiors Inc website claims “Owner/Operator, Jim Runciman, has 35 Plus years professional experience in Home Building and Renovation.”
