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 province will be recommending people wear masks in public indoor spaces if they are partially vaccinated or not vaccinated. No recommendation to wear a mask for those who are fully vaccinated.
Canada's chief public health officer says without vaccines the third wave of COVID-19 in Canada would have been much deadlier. Dr. Theresa Tam says as vaccines began to roll out among the most vulnerable, older populations in Canada, she was "quite struck" by how quickly infections and deaths plummeted in that age group.
The Liberal government is speeding up its goal for when it wants to see all light-duty vehicles sold in Canada to be electric. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced Tuesday that by 2035 all new cars and light-duty trucks sold in the country will be zero-emission vehicles.
Temperatures in the Vancouver area reached just under 32 C Monday, but the humidity made it feel close to 40 C in areas that aren't near water, Environment Canada said.
A new study suggests Canada has vastly underestimated how many people have died from COVID-19 and says the number could be two times higher than reported.
A record-breaking heat wave could ease over parts of British Columbia, Yukon and Northwest Territories by Wednesday but any reprieve for the Prairie provinces is further off.
