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."
A statement from RCMP says the independent office that examines all cases of police-involved death or serious injury has been notified about the single-vehicle crash Thursday near Sicamous.
A statement from the agency responsible for workplace health and safety says it will be stepping up inspections of businesses in potential COVID-19 hot spots in the Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health regions.
The male driver, who appeared to be in his 60s and had grey or white hair, yelled at the girl to get in the car. She ran away, but the driver followed her for about a block and yelled obscenities at her.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says Canada is extending its ban on incoming flights from India and Pakistan for another month through June 21.
The bank is working on issuing a federal green bond the Trudeau Liberals proposed in last month's budget, which governor Tiff Macklem has suggested could become part of the bank's purchases under certain conditions.
The coast guard, along with the Canadian military, evacuated all passengers and the ship had serious damage to its hull. It also spilled 81 litres of fuel oil into the ocean.
