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."
O'Toole announced late Tuesday that the Saskatchewan senator was being expelled from the Conservative caucus after she launched a petition calling for a referendum on his leadership within six months.
Trudeau says that when supply chains around the world are crunched because of COVID-19 and people are wondering how they're going to acquire things they need, the U.S. "could do worse" than rely on its closest friend to ensure resiliency.
Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said Highway 3 is likely to be the quickest route to reopen, possibly by the end of the weekend, but damage to Highway 1 and the Coquihalla Highway is so extreme that geotechnical assessments won't be possible until conditions are drier.
Jima Cannabis says it closed its Abbotsford location after floods began encroaching on the plaza where the store is located and buried a nearby highway under water earlier this week.
An evacuation order was issued for about 1,000 properties in the Sumas Prairie area Tuesday when a severe weekend rainstorm pushed up water levels in the area that is home to many large dairy and poultry farms and other agricultural operations.
On June 4, 2021, a large amount of cash was located in a box of clothing donated to a thrift store in the 6900 block of King George Boulevard and subsequently turned into the Surrey RCMP. It is believed that the box was donated between May 30, 2021 and June 2, 2021.
