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4:37 p.m. update:

Richard Bishop, president of Sault Ste. Marie Professional Fire Fighters Local 529, has made the following statement to SooToday's David Helwig: "We want to right this ship and move forward. We need to rely on the justice system to run its course. We have full confidence we will be able to work with the new Chief Johnson and his staff towards better and safer service."

As SooToday reported yesterday, Peter Johnson will take over as Sault Ste. Marie's new fire chief on Aug. 1. Johnson has almost 23 years of fire service experience and served most recently as the Sault's deputy fire chief (suppression).

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4:07 p.m. update:

The following statement was issued this afternoon on social media by the Sault Ste. Marie Professional Fire Fighters Local 529: "And here comes the real truth about the so called 'expert' who the CAO, the mayor, and every single City Council member deferred to while completely ignoring the input of firefighters, members of the community, provincial politicians, and other fire departments."

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3:50 p.m. update:

The City of Sault Ste. Marie is currently drafting a release saying, essentially, that it has no comment on the charges against Michael Figliola because the charges originate from Ontario Provincial Police and not the city.

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Original OPP release: 3:06 p.m.

NORTH BAY - The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has charged a Sault Ste. Marie area resident following an investigation relating to allegations of criminal wrongdoing.

In December 2016, the Commissioner of the OPP received a request from the Chief of Sault Ste. Marie Police Service to conduct an external, independent and thorough investigation. The investigation was completed by the OPP East Algoma Crime Unit under the direction of Major Case Manager, Detective Inspector Rob Matthews with the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB).

As a result, the OPP have charged Michael Figliola, 58 years old of Huron Shores, Ont. with:

Fraud, Section 380(1)(b), contrary to the Criminal Code (CC);

Uttering a forged document, Section 368(1)(a), contrary to the CC; and

Breach of trust by public official, Section 122, contrary to the CC.

The accused is scheduled to appear on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

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