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."
Finance Minister Selina Robinson says the province's financial statement for the first three months of the 2021-22 fiscal year projects a deficit of $4.8 billion, about half the $9.7 billion that was originally forecast in the budget.
On Sunday, September 12, at 12:00 p.m., frontline officers responded to a report of a motor vehicle collision involving a cyclist at the intersection of MacPherson Avenue and Beresford Street.
In addition to these major incidents, VPD officers also monitored a number protests during the weekend and launched dozens of other investigations related to missing persons cases, assaults, and traffic collisions.
A group calling itself Canadian Frontline Nurses has looked to organize what it dubs "silent vigils" at hospitals across the country in response to public health restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19, which they call "tyrannical measures and government overreach."
The digital or paper vaccine card is required at settings such as ticketed sports events, concerts, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, casinos, gyms and movie theatres.
Robinson reported in July that the deficit of $5.46 billion for the 2020-21 fiscal year that ended March 31 had come in nearly $3 billion lower than forecast.
