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."
Joly announced Canada's intent in Geneva Tuesday after she and other Western officials walked out in the middle of the address by their Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
In a Twitter post Sunday night, the department said Aeroflot flight 111 violated the prohibition that was imposed earlier in the day in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier this month, the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver said a lack of supply caused January home sales to slow from a record-setting pace last year, nonetheless pushing the benchmark price up 18.5 per cent from last January, to about $1.2 million.
The Kelowna RCMP say in a news release Monday that the 24-year-old woman who was allegedly assaulted Saturday morning while working on campus succumbed to her injuries.
Municipal Affairs Minister Nathan Cullen said the new program responds to municipalities that have asked for more flexible and consistent funding to implement projects that support the province's climate plans and their own goals.
The panel found climate change costs in Canada have risen to about $1.9 billion from about $400 million in 1983. Just fighting wildfires, a threat exacerbated by climate change, could reach $1 billion a year — a figure already reached in six of the last 10 years.
