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."
On September 2nd, 2021 at 2:55 am, Surrey RCMP received reports of a 2 vehicle collision involving a semi truck towing a fuel trailer that occurred on Highway 17 between the 104th Avenue and 108th Avenue exits. Upon arrival Surrey RCMP and Surrey FIRE located a driver with serious life threatening injuries.
The chamber says Canada is missing a "major opportunity" to be a world power in producing the minerals and rare-earth elements that power everything from cellphones to electric cars.
Only four leaders — the Liberals' Justin Trudeau, the Conservatives' Erin O'Toole, the Bloc Québécois' Yves-Francois Blanchet and the NDP's Jagmeet Singh — will take part.
The board says August home sales in the region totalled 3,152, a 3.4 per cent increase from 3,047 last August, but a 5.2 per cent decrease from 3,326 in July. The board says sales last month were about 20 per cent higher than the 10-year August sales average.
Starting Sept. 13, people will have to show proof of having had a single dose of a vaccine to enter gyms, fitness centres and casinos. After Oct. 24, those aged 12 and older will need to be fully vaccinated at least seven days earlier. The government says the B.C. Vaccine Card will be downloaded onto mobile phones.
B.C. added 785 new COVID-19 cases for Wednesday. There have now been 166,853 cases of COVID-19 in B.C. since the pandemic began, as well as 1,818 related deaths.
