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."
Checking in on the app has become a mandatory part of crossing into Canada, regardless of how long the traveller has been out of the country. It collects information about where the traveller has been, the purpose of their trip, their contact information, vaccination information, pre-travel COVID-19 test results, and their quarantine plan once they are in Canada.
A disciplinary tribunal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta issued the suspension Monday to Dr. Wynand Wessels, a white, South African-born orthopedic surgeon.
Lennard Skead, of Brandon, Man., says he received a negative COVID-19 test on Saturday but wasn't allowed to leave a Toronto quarantine hotel until the next day, when he was notified by a quarantine officer.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the lifting of the provincial 30-litre purchase order will occur as soon as the pipeline system is able resume full service, but until then, fuel limits will remain in place until Dec. 14.
Upon the fire being extinguished by Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service, human remains were located within the vehicle. Abbotsford Police Patrol Officers, Major Crime Detectives, and the Forensic Identification Unit remain on the scene. Officers are in the initial stages of this investigation and there are no further details at this time.
Unlike the CH-148 Cyclone, the S-92 does not have a folding tail boom, a feature that allows the Cyclone to fit inside the small hangars aboard Canada's fleet of Halifax-class frigates.
