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Written by Hanna Lee Copy Editor, Digital News
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Good morning. There's been some drama at Donald Trump's "Board of Peace," as the U.S. president announced late last night he had rescinded his invitation to Prime Minister Mark Carney. We'll catch up on that and the latest on the cabinet meeting below, as well as why Black boys are going missing in Ontario.
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(@piper.james4/Instagram)
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Young B.C. woman found dead on Australia beach likely drowned, autopsy finds
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An autopsy has determined that a young Canadian who was found dead on a beach in Australia earlier this week was not killed by a pack of 10 dingoes. Piper James, 19, was found dead in K'gari, formerly called Fraser Island, early Monday morning.
A spokesperson with the Coroners Court of Queensland says an autopsy conducted revealed that Campbell River, B.C., native showed physical evidence of drowning. The statement says pre-mortem bite marks are not likely to have caused immediate death and that there are "extensive" post-mortem bite marks.
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THE LATEST
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- Prime Minister Mark Carney and his cabinet are gathering for a second day in Quebec City as questions mount about whether a war of words with the U.S. will lead to a further fracturing of the relationship.
- A major winter storm is set to hit the U.S. starting today, with nearly 30 states expected to feel the effects.
- Officials in Minnesota's Hennepin County are facing some significant hurdles from federal authorities in investigating the ICE shooting death of Renee Nicole Good.
- Another woman has accused Nastania Mullin, the former head of the Manitoba Inuit Association, of sexual assault.
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FEATURED STORIES
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(Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)
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Trump says he's withdrawing Canada's invitation to join his Gaza 'Board of Peace'
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U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew his invitation to Prime Minister Mark Carney late Thursday to have Canada join his Board of Peace for Gaza. The Prime Minister's Office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
What's happening: Some 35 countries have signed up to join the board, but Carney had not yet said if Canada would officially accept Trump's invitation. He wasn't present at the initiative's official launch at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, instead attending the first day of the cabinet retreat in Quebec City.
- Israel, Qatar, Vietnam and Jordan are among the countries that have agreed to join the Board of Peace. For a permanent seat on the board, which Trump is expected to chair for life, countries will have to pay at least $1 billion US.
Speaking of which: At the end of a half-hour speech kicking off the cabinet meeting, Carney took aim at Trump (his second time doing so this week). This time, he appeared to respond to the U.S. president's comments that Canada lived "because of the United States." Carney said that Canada "thrives because we are Canadian" — lines that weren't part of his prepared remarks, an official said.
Some reactions: Carney is on a tear after his provocative speech in Davos earlier this week, where he said middle powers should join together and approach great powers from a place of strength. Several world leaders, including Finnish President Alexander Stubb, praised the speech, though U.S. politicians weren't as happy. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said that though the speech was "well crafted," it must be accompanied by action, criticizing Carney's record on reducing the country's reliance on the U.S. |
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Searching for Ontario's missing Black boys
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For years, Black teens have been going missing in the Greater Toronto Area, say parents, activists and police. But they're not runaways — they're being groomed and lured into drug-trafficking gangs.
What's happening: The boys are often embedded into Ontario cities like Thunder Bay and Sarnia. Drug traffickers will use them as disposable mules, cash cows and legal shields. They're also being sent farther north, a fifth estate investigation has found, being moved into remote First Nations communities where drugs sell at a higher premium.
Going deeper: Activists say the boys are clearly being trafficked as criminal labour. Police say it's not that simple; laying a trafficking charge would require the boys who sell drugs out of town to testify against their gang leaders, which they rarely do. Black boys face social and economic challenges, from high unemployment to systemic bias, that can make them more vulnerable to the pull of organized crime. Some parents have hit the streets themselves to rescue their children before they face prison or are killed.
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