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."
The federal government spent $20 million on a smartphone application designed to alert users to possible COVID-19 exposures, and new data obtained by The Canadian Press shows the results didn't live up to expectations.
The real estate market in Metro Vancouver eased in June from its record-setting pace in March and April. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says the number of home sold in the region totalled 3,762 last month, up 54 per cent from the 2,443 sales recorded a year earlier, but down 11.9 per cent from the 4,268 sold in May 2021.
Two Vancouver Police officers were stabbed this morning while responding to a 9-1-1 call about a forcible confinement involving a 2 year-old child. Both officers were transported to hospital where they are now in stable condition.
The driver is described as a middle-aged South Asian man, with a beard. The passenger, who allegedly stole the victim’s jewelry, is described as a middle-aged South Asian woman.
After nearly 16 months of rigid travel restrictions, Canada is finally starting to loosen the rules — but only for a specific few. Effective Monday, fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents — those who have had a full course of a COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Canada — will be able to skip the 14-day quarantine.
The federal government is expecting to receive 3.7 million more doses of COVID-19 vaccines this week, bringing the total of COVID-19 vaccine deliveries above 53.7 million doses.
