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."
Ottawa police said Thursday that a dozen trucks left an area outside the downtown core after negotiations with protesters who have used the parking lot there as a staging and logistics ground. Ten more trucks left streets near Parliament Hill, and another vehicle was towed for obstructing traffic.
There are 21,974 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 310,533 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 893 COVID-positive individuals are in hospital and 143 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation
A barge that had been the subject of jokes and the star of many photos after becoming stuck on a popular Vancouver beach during a severe storm in November is on its way out. The City of Vancouver says a process is underway to remove the grounded barge from English Bay by taking it apart in pieces.
Municipal Affairs Minister Josie Osborne says all of village's records and backup servers were lost in last summer's wildfire and the content of many of its bylaws are unknown. The government also announced $8.3 million in funding to support ongoing operations and recovery for the village.
Upon attendance, Surrey Fire Service quickly extinguished a fire located in the hallway of the building. Thankfully no injuries were reported, however it appears these fires were intentionally lit.
Nine contracts have been awarded for technical and engineering expertise to support the Province’s delivery of the Highway 99 Tunnel Program to replace the Massey Tunnel, which will improve mobility along the corridor between Richmond and Delta.
