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."
The Greens will tonight choose an interim leader to take the helm of their troubled party, following the resignation of Annamie Paul. Paul Manly, the former MP who lost his British Columbia seat in the election, is the favourite to take on the challenge.
The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants officially opened on Nov. 23, and replaces the previous regulator, the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council.
Tiffany de Leeuw says her in-laws realized the gravity of the disaster facing their farm on the Sumas Prairie when a field flooded in 30 minutes. She said her father-in-law and brother-in-law quickly set out with cattle trailers on the first day of the flooding to save animals boarding on the property while other relatives worked to build dikes to protect their third-generation farm.
Labour Minister Harry Bains has scheduled a news conference with provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry about a permanent program on sick leave, which has been promised for January.
People in Surrey are a step closer to a new Surrey hospital and cancer centre with the issuing of the request for qualifications (RFQ). Through the RFQ process, Fraser Health will identify a short list of up to three qualified proponents who will be invited to participate in the next step of the competitive selection process, the request for proposal (RFP) stage.
A vote on the throne speech will be the first confidence test for the government, with the Liberals' survival dependent on the support of at least one opposition party.
