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."
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon says in a statement on Twitter that she tested positive Wednesday morning and is experiencing mild symptoms. Simon says she will continue to self-isolate and take some time to rest in the coming days.
Lisa Lapointe said 2,224 suspected overdose deaths were recorded in the province in 2021, a 26 per cent rise over the previous year. There were 215 deaths in December, five more than in November.
Henry Braun, Mayor of Abbotsford, admitted to the city having known that the Sumas River dike was dangerously low, but the cost to repair was unaffordable for the municipality. Now, damages have reached astronomical numbers.
The data is part of the 2022 edition of Proof's trust index, a survey Proof normally does annually but has been conducting more than once a year since the pandemic began.
The five-year growth rate was double that of any peer country in the G7, and Statistics Canada says most of the growth happened prior to the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
Surrey RCMP responded to a report of shots fired in the area of 16800-block of 104 Avenue. A male and a female were located in a vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds. Both victims were transported to hospital, the female in serious condition, the male with life-threatening injuries.
