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."
On Wednesday, January 19, at 7:20 pm, Surrey RCMP responded to the report of a motor vehicle collision that involved a pedestrian at the intersection of 92 Avenue and King George Boulevard. The pedestrian suffered life threatening injuries and is currently being treated at a local hospital.
A key British Columbia highway has reopened to all traffic after being torn apart by disastrous flooding in November but it only took hours for the Transportation Ministry to issue a safety reminder.
Monte Design had sent the rocking chair to GurKiran Kaur Sidhu as a payback for her Instagram post, and Singh tagging it on his Instagram page breaches laws set out in the Canadian Conflict of Interest Act.
There are currently 35,770 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 262,591 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 895 COVID-positive individuals are currently in hospital and 115 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
The victim has been identified as 25-year-old Melissa Blimkie from North Vancouver. The suspect has been identified as 31-year-old Everton Downey. The two were in a relationship for some time prior to the homicide.
On January 18, 2022 shortly before 9:00 p.m., Surrey RCMP responded to the report of a fight in front of a residence in the 13400-block of 66A Avenue. Upon arrival, officers located a 31-year-old man with a possible gunshot wound who was transported to hospital. The injury sustained was confirmed to be non-life threatening and the victim is expected to be released from hospital shortly.