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 five victims, all men from Surrey and Langley, suffered a variety of stab wounds, including injuries to their faces, stomachs, backs, and legs. The injuries are not life-threatening. Two suspects in their 30s, also men from Surrey, have been identified but are not currently in custody.
Selina Robinson says the province will factor in the cleanup costs associated with the disastrous floods and mudslides that hit communities, highways and railways in February's budget.
Environment Canada also warned of heavy snow in inland parts of the province on Sunday, saying that the snow could change to heavy rain as the temperature rises.
Last Monday, as flooding and mudslides ravaged British Columbia, Dean Hopkins got a distraught call from his close friend's wife, saying her husband was missing. That phone call kicked off several stress-filled days for Hopkins, which ended in tragedy when his old rugby buddy Steven Taylor was confirmed dead.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says it hopes to keep the number of wasted doses of COVID-19 vaccines in Canada under five per cent. That would amount to 3.7 million of the 73.7 million vaccines that have been distributed to provinces and territories, used by the federal government or held in the central vaccine inventory as of Nov. 18.
Government House leader Mark Holland said a bill to approve billions in new aid for businesses still hurting from COVID-19 is one of four pieces of legislation the Liberals want passed by the middle of next month.
