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."
Firefighting teams from Ontario and New Brunswick are arriving in British Columbia to assist with devastating wildfires. The BC Wildfire Service says the nearly 100 out-of-province members must pass COVID-19 safety checks before being sent into the field.
7 people, including 4 children, have died in a house fire in a community just east of Calgary. The RCMP say two families were in the home in Chestermere when the fire happened early today.
719 sudden and unexpected deaths have been reported in the province during the historic heat wave, and that number over a seven-day period is unprecedented. Lisa Lapointe says the number of fatalities is three times more than what would normally occur during the same period.
In response to a temporary gap in pediatrician coverage at Peace Arch Hospital, Fraser Health is asking pregnant individuals requiring labour and delivery support to not proceed to the hospital during the period of July 8th to July 19th.
78.7% of all adults in B.C. and 77.5% of those 12 and older have now received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, 35.2% of all adults in B.C. and 32.9% of those 12 and older have received their second dose.
Lisa Lapointe told a news conference Friday that a team is standing by to conduct an investigation in order to confirm the deaths, but it's not yet safe to enter the area.
