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."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Russian President Vladimir Putin has created a refugee crisis, and the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said about 500,000 people in Ukraine have fled to neighbouring countries so far.
Her visit comes as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that Canada was sending anti-tank weapons and upgraded ammunition to Ukraine, which amounted to a significant enhancement in lethal military aid.
The victim reported that she was in a change room when she noticed the person in the next stall was recording her with his phone. The victim confronted the suspect, with the support of some other customers, however the suspect was able to flee the store.
Rule changes, including removal of the requirement that fully vaccinated Canadian travellers take a pre-departure COVID-19 molecular test, took effect Monday.
The report from the National Housing Council made public Monday said the three programs under review have done little to help households who live in homes that are too expensive, or too small, for them.
There are 549 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 85 are in intensive care. In the past 72 hours, 22 new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,873.
