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 application was submitted on behalf of several Canadians with relatives, including more than a dozen children, trapped in Syria, and calls on the court to order the government to take "all reasonable steps" to repatriate them.
The Canadian Armed Forces, which has long struggled to boost the number of women in its ranks, hopes to have them represent one-quarter of members by 2026.
In a conversation with Premier Scott Moe yesterday, the Prime Minister's Office says the two leaders spoke about Saskatchewan's COVID-19 cases, increasing vaccination efforts and what the province needs to overcome the fourth wave of the pandemic.
The Surrey Board of Education issued a news release Wednesday saying it would also be mandating masks for all students in the district, from kindergarten to Grade 12, starting Monday. The board said it is partnering with Fraser Health to consider hosting vaccine clinics to increase vaccination rates.
Singing and drumming were scheduled to ring out at 2:15 p.m. from Kamloops where the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation announced in May that ground-penetrating radar had detected what are believed to be 215 unmarked graves at the site of one of the largest former residential schools.
There are 6,185 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 177,729 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 340 individuals are in hospital and 146 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
