B.C. clerk was 'uncomfortable' with retirement benefits paid to her and predecessor Craig James, court hears
British Columbia’s clerk of the legislative assembly Kate Ryan-Lloyd said she was “uncomfortable” with the retirement benefit she received in 2012 while deputy to her predecessor, a court heard Friday.
Ryan-Lloyd took the stand for a third day during the trial of the former clerk, Craig James.
James is accused of misspending public money for personal gain and has pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud over $5,000 and three counts of breach of trust by a public officer.
Crown prosecutor David Butcher told the court this week that the case is focusing on three main areas: a nearly-$287,000 retirement allowance, the purchase of a trailer and wood splitter intended for emergencies at the legislature but stored at James's house, and travel expenses including personal souvenirs.
Friday’s proceedings centered mostly on the retirement benefits paid out in 2012 to both James and Ryan-Lloyd.
Ryan-Lloyd said she was “skeptical” in late 2011 when James initially told her of the existence of such a payment program and thought it was “unusual.”
She told the court James had informed her he had received legal advice and they both would be receiving payouts the following year.
“That was very surprising news to me,” she said.
In February 2012, Ryan-Lloyd received a lump sum payment of nearly $119,000. One year later, she returned the money.
In January 2013, Ryan-Lloyd said, her team was notified that external auditors were “seeking additional information” relating to the payments. Ryan-Lloyd said James assured her there was supporting documentation claiming the legitimacy of the payments, but when she requested such documents from his staff, there were none.
Ryan-Lloyd said she was quite “humiliated” when the office said it had no documentation and was “uncomfortable with the receipt of these funds,” and decided to return the money.
Butcher asked Ryan-Lloyd how James responded when she told him of her intention to return the money.
“I do recall that he said, ‘You can do what you want, but I’m keeping mine,’” she said.
Ryan-Lloyd became the first woman to serve as clerk of the B.C. legislature when she was appointed to the role fulltime in 2020.
James has pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud over $5,000 and three counts of breach of trust by a public officer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.