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."
A former senior political staffer in the Alberta government alleges in a lawsuit that the premier’s office fostered a “poisoned work environment” and repeatedly failed to address her complaint of sexual harassment about another employee.
The Immigration Department says it will also check that refugees fleeing Kim Jong Un's authoritarian regime do not have a criminal background. Under the new program, Canadian citizens will for the first time be able to privately sponsor North Koreans so they can settle in Canada.
There are currently 4,748 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 196,342 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 422 individuals are currently in hospital and 157 are in intensive care.
Mitzi Dean, B.C.'s minister of children and family development, says the province's current system is a patchwork of programs where many children and youth must wait for a diagnosis before receiving supports.
The Vancouver-based lumber, oriented strand board and paper manufacturer says it earned US$460 million or US$4.20 per diluted share for the three months ended Sept. 30.
Sometime between 9 p.m., on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, and 7 a.m., the next morning, two hateful phrases were painted on roads outside the temple with arrows pointing towards the building. The Gurdwara is located at 739 81 St S.W., and the two painted phrases were found along 81 Street and Old Banff Coach Road S.W.
