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."
Ford said he will enact orders making it "crystal clear" that it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure, including international border crossings, 400-series highways, airports, ports, bridges and railways.
A notice on the Peace River Regional District website says the orders covering several properties and sections of two roads near the community of Old Fort have been rescinded.
The firearm has been seized and further work and analysis will be done to determine if there are any connections to any ongoing investigations. Surrey RCMP is working closely with partners at the Surrey School District as well as the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.
Also, 93.4% (4,040,218) of all eligible adults in B.C. have received their first dose, 90.9% (3,929,828) received their second dose and 54.0% (2,335,461) have received a third dose.
Susannah Goshko, the British High Commissioner to Canada, said her country's passage of new sanctions legislation on Thursday will strengthen its ability to target individuals close to President Vladimir Putin if Russian forces put one toe over the Ukraine border.
Avalanche Canada and Parks Canada issued the joint warning that applies from Thursday to Sunday, saying there's a weak layer buried under about 60 centimetres of snow.
