VANCOUVER—A former Speaker of the B.C. legislature says he doesn’t recall being worried about a conflict of interest after he took guidance from the same lawyer who gave a former clerk advice about a retirement payment that’s at the centre of a breach-of-trust trial. In the Supreme Court of British Columbia on Monday, Crown prosecutor Brock Martland pointed out that when he sought legal advice about the $258,000 financial payout, Bill Barisoff consulted the same lawyer who was used by former legislature clerk Craig James. James has pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud over $5,000 and three counts of breach of trust by a public officer in relation to allegations that he used his position for personal gain. He was escorted from the legislature in 2018 amid a police investigation into allegations involving the retirement benefit, travel expense claims and the purchase of a wood splitter and trailer …
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