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."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says this Canada Day should be a time of reflection. His comments come the day after a First Nation in Saskatchewan announced ground-penetrating radar had detected what are believed to be 751 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school.
Dr. Ash Singhal of B.C. Children's Hospital said it's also the provincial government's responsibility to change the building code so windows in homes can't be opened enough for young children to tumble out.
Mounties arrested 10 more protesters Thursday as they continued to enforce an injunction against blockades near old-growth forest logging areas west of Victoria. RCMP say all the arrests were made at an encampment in the Braden Mainline Forest Service Road area near Port Renfrew, B.C.
BC Ferries has announced walk-on passengers can book online starting Thursday for routes departing Tsawwassen, Swartz Bay, Duke Point, Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay.
Michael McEvoy says he is reviewing a request the Canadian Civil Liberties Association made to the federal Liberals to stop using facial recognition technology as part of its process to select candidates in the next federal election.
