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 Canada Border Services Agency says incoming traffic has increased about 25 per cent since Monday, when quarantine rules were waived for fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents.
Alghabra says the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways must cease movement for 48 hours, except for emergency fire response and maintenance and repair work, on stretches of track spanning parts of the British Columbia interior.
A statement from the RCMP's head office in B.C. says it started Thursday morning when an officer tried to stop a vehicle over an outstanding warrant in Campbell River on Vancouver Island.
Horgan says B.C. is experienced and accustomed to dealing with wildfires during the summer months, but massive, destructive fires over the past five years now demand governments look at new approaches to prevent and fight fires.
78.4% (3,635,811) of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 40.0% (1,854,387) received their second dose.
