A man accused of fraud in connection with a pool company left the Barrie courthouse Friday after reaching a settlement in a small claims case.
Jamie Galipeau, who, along with Matthew Tayler and Sommerland Pools, is facing allegations from multiple customers, was in court for proceedings related to two former clients who claimed they were owed $80,000.
Galipeau and Tayler are also facing criminal fraud charges following an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) investigation that began after multiple customers came forward to CTV News in 2023, alleging they had paid for pool projects that were either never completed or never started.
Among those customers were Ravi Dhillon and Dipesh Mistry, who said their backyard was left in disarray when work stopped unexpectedly. The two men, who were among about a dozen families who made similar complaints, said they were relieved to settle their case in small claims court.
“We’re just happy to close this chapter. It’s been a long three years. We just wanted to be done with it, so we’re satisfied regardless,” Dhillon and Mistry said. The details of the settlement were not disclosed.
Tayler, who did not attend the small claims proceedings, previously told CTV News in August 2023 that he did not take customers’ money and run.
Both Tayler and Galipeau are facing 14 counts of fraud over $5,000 and 14 counts of obtaining money by false pretences over $5,000. Their criminal pretrial is set to begin in August.
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Mistry encouraged others who believe they have been scammed to come forward. “There should be no shame around this. I think people need to stand up against fraud,” he said.
Dhillon added, “Fraud can happen to anyone. You put your trust in people thinking the best, but sometimes people take advantage of that.”
Galipeau and Tayler are scheduled to return to a Midland courtroom for their criminal proceedings in June.
The allegations against them have not been proven in court.
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