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."
The decline in May put total economic activity about two per cent below pre-pandemic levels seen in February 2020. The agency said that with growth in June, total economic activity was about one per cent below pre-pandemic levels.
Doctors submit a billing and diagnostic code based on a patient's condition so they can be paid by the province, but no code exists for illness related to heat waves.
The federal Conservatives are urging the Liberal government to do more to ensure that Canadians who received two different doses of COVID-19 vaccines are able to travel internationally.
A statement from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says police in New Westminster responded to a call about an unresponsive one-year-old around 4:20 a.m. on Saturday.
81.0% (3,753,057) of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 64.1% (2,971,793) have received their second dose.
The driver was arrested at the scene. Charges for assaulting a police officer with a weapon, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and excessive speed have been recommended against him.
