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."
Trudeau's plan, announced at a Tuesday campaign stop in Hamilton, Ont., is built around helping renters become homeowners through $1 billion in loans and grants, but also involves a two-year moratorium on foreign buyers, banning blind bidding and a Bill of Rights creating a legal right to a home inspection.
There are currently 5,357 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 153,967 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 138 individuals are currently in hospital and 78 are in intensive care.
Starting Wednesday, B.C. is bringing back a public health order requiring people to wear masks in all indoor public spaces — including malls, grocery stores and on transit — to try to curb the spread of infections fuelled primarily by the Delta variant.
Witnesses intervened and came to the aid of the older victim, then called Vancouver Police. Responding officers were able to arrest the suspect before he left the area. Neither victim suffered serious injuries.
More than 150 youth had gathered in the park – many of which were under the influence of alcohol and other intoxicants. One youth climbed on to a police car, attempting to damage the cruiser.
