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."
Environment Canada is warning that up to 200 mm of rain could drench the central coast of British Columbia and parts of Vancouver Island through to Wednesday as a third atmospheric river hits the province.
Children in British Columbia between five and 11 years old can start getting shots of a pediatric COVID-19 vaccine today. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said last week that about 350,000 children are eligible to receive the modified dose of the Health Canada-approved Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Recently, Surrey RCMP has seen a few instances of men hiring an escort, meeting at a prearranged location for a sexual encounter and then being robbed. It is believed that others may have been victimized but have not come forward to police.
Abbotsford has been preparing for more floodwater as the Nooksack River overruns the dike. City of Abbotsford and Abbotsford Police have been preparing in full force.
Border services officers from the Metro Vancouver Marine Operations examined the container using a wide range of detection tools and technology, and upon physical inspection, noted discrepancies in the packaging and the substance within the bags.
There are 3,035 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 211,577 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 291 individuals are in hospital and 115 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
