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 BC Wildfire Service says a blaze sparked Wednesday in the Fraser Canyon has charred nearly one square kilometre of bush south of Lytton. The wildfire service says the out-of-control fire is burning in steep terrain on the east side of Highway 1.
Dr. Bonnie Henry says the recommendation is based on the results of a small study, but other studies show all vaccines provide excellent protection from COVID-19 and two doses of any of the vaccines are safe and effective.
The RCMP say a resident reported finding a number of sick and dead squirrels in South Arm Community Park on June 9 with fire crews identifying the substance as 1-Octanethiol, a compound used in the production of other chemicals that can be dangerous if it's not handled correctly.
Canada's premiers are reiterating a call for more federal health care funding. Following a conference call, the premiers issued a statement asking the federal government to increase its share of overall health spending to 35 per cent from 22 per cent.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization says it is now recommending people who got the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine first should get Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna for their second shot.
