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."
There are 28,302 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 293,488 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 1,035 COVID-positive individuals are in hospital and 139 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
Dr. Bonnie Henry says 706 people have been hospitalized in the last week, but the numbers appear to be peaking. She says patients who contracted the dominant Omicron variant are going home in about half the time compared with those who are sickened with the Delta variant.
Jody Wilson-Raybould says allowing Indigenous self-determination would support the cultural, social and economic well-being of Indigenous Peoples, while giving nations, governments and industry the certainty needed during a transitional time.
Leader Jagmeet Singh is putting his weight behind the bill, tabled by his NDP colleague Gord Johns, decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of drugs including cocaine and heroin.
He wrote that MPs who want him out are confused about what direction to take the Conservative party--which has been a source of concern under O'Toole's tenure.
The growth in November pushed the GDP above pre-pandemic levels by 0.2 per cent, the agency says. The agency also says its initial estimate for December suggests real GDP was essentially unchanged for the final month of 2021 to bring growth to 4.9 per cent for the full year.
