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."
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In Ontario, Western University, York University and the University of Guelph say they're keeping their COVID-19 vaccination and masking requirements in place for students and staff until at least the end of the current winter semester.
Sen. Marc Gold also told senators that ministers are receiving hourly police updates about potential threats around the country to assess if the emergency law is still needed.
Robinson says ensuring communities have the resources they need to address climate change will form a large part of the New Democrat government's budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
Three of the four incidents targeted drivers from an unregulated Chinese ridesharing app. In each of the incidents a weapon was brandished, but none of the victims were injured.
The announcement from Interior Health comes as the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in B.C. continues to decline, at 733 on Friday from 744 the previous day.
