Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Mar, 2022 01:30 PM
VANCOUVER - A special prosecutor says British Columbia's former clerk of the legislative assembly used public funds to enrich himself in "glaring and egregious" ways.
Brock Martland made the allegation as he began closing arguments in the Crown's case against Craig James, who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud over $5,000 and three counts of breach of trust.
James's defence is expected to present its case Wednesday.
Martland says that as the most senior officer of the legislature, James held a position akin to the CEO and was responsible for financial stewardship of the institution.
He accused James of acting outside of his duties by picking up a wood splitter and trailer for the legislature and storing them at home for a year, exploiting a weakness in the system to award himself a $258,000 retirement benefit and charging souvenirs to the public purse.
Martland says public trust in government officials is a critical part of a functioning democracy, and he alleged that James violated that trust.
"This case is about trust, specifically the public trust that we place in government officials," Martland told the court on Tuesday.
"Our position is that the public trust was violated repeatedly and extensively by Craig James."
Vancouver park board commissioners have voted unanimously to amend park bylaws to prohibit the feeding of any wild animal, from pigeons and geese to squirrels, raccoons and coyotes.
The Vancouver School Board becomes the first in the province to mandate masks for primary students. The approved motion leaves room for parental input, if concerns are submitted in writing to the principal of their child's school.
The suspect is described as a Caucasian female, approximately 30-35 year old, slim build, 5’7 tall with long brown hair. She was last seen wearing red baseball hat (backward), red t-shirt with gold 23 logo, a grey long sleeve shirt underneath and baggy black pants.
The BC Prosecution Service says Robert Riley Saunders pleaded guilty to fraud over $5,000, breach of trust in connection with his duties as a child protection worker and causing the province to act on a forged document.
The Mounties say that the motorcyclist passed a police vehicle before the collision. They say the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia is looking into whether police actions are linked to the man's death.
On September 26, 2021, at approximately 6:30 pm, Surrey RCMP responded to the report of an injured woman who was located in a trail near the 19400-block of Colebrook Road. The woman was transported to local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
