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."
Jill St. Louis, a former Vancouver bureau chief at The Canadian Press who thrived in a fast-breaking news environment and was a friend to anything with four legs, has died after a battle with metastatic lung cancer. She was 66.
There are 72 new COVID-19 cases in BC for a total of 147,418 cases. The rolling 7 day average is now 74 new cases. Lowest since August 14. There have been 2 new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 1,749 deaths in British Columbia.
The head of the World Health Organization said the COVID-19 delta variant, first seen in India, is “the most transmissible of the variants identified so far,” and warned it is now spreading in at least 85 countries.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can have dinner together inside someone's house without having to keep their distance or wear a mask.
The man who killed a 13-year-old girl and injured her friend at a high school in Abbotsford, B.C., has been asked to read the victim impact statements related to his crime before he addresses the court.
Temperatures into the 40s are expected for many parts of B.C., as the weather office says an exceptionally strong ridge of high pressure has parked over the province and likely won't budge until after Canada Day.
