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 chose his shadow cabinet at a time when he's dealing with some members of his caucus expressing what he characterizes as unhelpful and confusing messages about getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
The report from the Crown utility says more than half of Lower Mainland residents think their region is the most prepared for storm-related power outages, but fewer than half have an outage plan or emergency kit at home.
“Investigators believe the woman may have been followed out of the coffee shop and confronted by the suspect, who then stabbed her with the dirty needle,” adds Sergeant Addison. “Because we don’t know what was in the needle and whether there will be any long-term health impacts, the victim was taken to hospital for treatment.”
Just before 1:30 a.m. on November 7, a cell guard noted the woman had fallen from her bunk onto the floor. Upon further assessment the woman was found to be unresponsive and not breathing. An officer and the cell nurse began life saving efforts, until these efforts were assumed by BC Emergency Health Services and the Surrey Fire Department.
There are 4,282 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 202,898 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 407 individuals are in hospital and 121 are in intensive care.
Though shoplifting remains vastly under-reported, Vancouver Police have seen a surge in people using violence while stealing from stores. Cases involving weapons – things like knives, needles and bear spray – have shot up 550 per cent since 2019. Commercial robberies have gone up 126 per cent during that same time.
