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."
Over a 3 day period, B.C. is reporting 123 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 148,154 cases in the province. There are outbreaks. Laurel Place at Surrey Memorial Hospital, Eagle Ridge Hospital (Fraser Health) and Royal Inland Hospital (Interior Health).
The federal government is offering easy financing for the country's beleaguered tourism operators, which the minister in charge says should help companies mired in debt.
The premier says he wants to see border rules relaxed to allow foreign nationals who can prove they are fully vaccinated to be allowed into the country without having to quarantine.
A crane has collapsed at a construction site in downtown Kelowna, B.C., injuring at least three people. B.C. Emergency Health Services says in a news release that it received word around 11 a.m. that a crane had fallen onto an adjacent building.
The Delta Police were called to a disturbance at Gunderson Park in North Delta shortly after 4am Sunday morning. Officers located two victims who had been stabbed.
