Juno News - June 19, 2025


Trump hikes cost for Canada to join the Golden Dome


Episode Stats

Length

10 minutes

Words per Minute

175.50073

Word Count

1,916

Sentence Count

93


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 An Ontario school bus driver has been fired after a viral video depicts the driver dressed in an
00:00:10.480 anime-style schoolgirl outfit while picking up children. President Trump has hiked the price
00:00:15.600 tag for Canada's inclusion in the Golden Dome defense program to $71 billion American dollars.
00:00:21.520 The House of Commons passed a motion demanding the government pursue a full refund on the funds
00:00:26.160 spent on a Rive can despite the Liberals' wishes. Hello Canada, it's Thursday June 19th and this is
00:00:32.000 the True North Daily Brief. I'm Isaac Lamoureux. And I'm Jeff Knight. We've got you covered with all
00:00:36.560 the news you need to know. Let's discuss the top stories of the day and the True North exclusives
00:00:41.200 you won't hear anywhere else. A school bus driver in Woodbridge has been fired following public
00:00:50.160 outrage over a viral video showing him dressed in a Japanese anime-style schoolgirl outfit while
00:00:56.080 picking up children on a residential street. In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for the
00:01:01.200 York Catholic District School Board confirmed that the driver has been removed. The spokesperson said,
00:01:06.160 quote, the company quickly addressed this situation with its employee and the driver will no longer
00:01:11.200 provide busing to and from the school. The video, first shared on Friday, June 13th,
00:01:16.240 shows the male driver stepping out of a landmark student transportation bus wearing a pink
00:01:21.120 pleated skirt, thigh-high stockings, and a sailor-style top. A sign in the front window of the bus reads,
00:01:27.440 Lolita's Line. The outfit and Lolita Line sign sparked outrage among parents due to the term's
00:01:32.960 disturbing associations. Lolita was popularized by Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel of the same name,
00:01:40.560 in which an adult male narrator sexually exploits a 12-year-old girl. In modern usage,
00:01:45.840 it's often associated with a subculture involving the sexualization of young girls in Japanese anime
00:01:51.680 and cosplay genres. The footage shows at least three parents confronting the driver outside St.
00:01:57.120 Michael the Archangel Catholic Elementary School. Landmark student transportation, which operates
00:02:02.160 the bus scene in the video, has not responded to requests for comment from True North. So,
00:02:06.320 Jeff, how could a man think it is appropriate to pick up children in a fetish costume?
00:02:11.280 That's a tough one, Isaac. We're talking pink skirt, thigh-high stockings, and a Lolita Line
00:02:16.720 sign plastered on the side of the bus. It's hard to say that there isn't an obvious intent there.
00:02:22.480 But either way, I don't think we're dealing with an individual who's of sound mind here.
00:02:26.320 This guy who got the boot from the York Catholic District School Board on June 18th,
00:02:30.640 after the viral video on June 13th, might have been having some kind of breakdown. Or perhaps this is
00:02:36.320 just what he's into. Maybe he watched a little too much anime and he's taking the cosplay to the next
00:02:40.720 level. I mean, you can try and extend an olive branch and say he's just seeing it as some sort
00:02:45.600 of form of self-expression, oblivious of how it looks to the parents. This driver, who's apparently
00:02:50.320 detached from reality, might have thought this was empowering, not realizing that Western folks see it
00:02:55.440 as a serious red flag around kids. Maybe he was clueless about the professional line he crossed.
00:03:01.200 But let's get real here. Even if that were true, it's no excuse. And it's hard to imagine that he
00:03:05.920 didn't realize this was at least inappropriate. The board's quick axing proves that it was a disaster,
00:03:10.640 waiting to happen. And this misstep gains context amid growing public scrutiny of similar boundary
00:03:16.000 pushing displays like drag queen's story hours and performances in front of children,
00:03:21.200 which have fueled debates about appropriateness. Critics argue that events like these sexualized
00:03:25.680 kids. Likewise, reports of drag shows with provocative elements have led to parental outrage
00:03:29.920 over perceived grooming, echoing the reaction to what we're seeing here with this driver's outfit.
00:03:34.160 The driver could have been emboldened by this cultural shift.
00:03:40.000 US President Donald Trump has increased the price Canada would have to pay to join his proposed
00:03:45.040 Golden Dome defense system, should Ottawa choose to participate. Trump told reporters in Alberta
00:03:50.640 during the G7 summit that Canada would have to pay 71 billion US dollars to be included in the proposed
00:03:56.480 military protection program, an increase of up to 10 billion US dollars from what he'd previously
00:04:01.200 announced. Trump told reporters on Monday, quote, they want to be in 71 billion dollars. They'll be
00:04:07.360 in the dome. Trump announced plans for the 175 billion dollar land, sea and space missile defense
00:04:13.280 system during a press conference at the White House last month. And Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed
00:04:18.560 interest in the project shortly thereafter. However, the US president initially said it would cost Canada
00:04:24.480 61 billion dollars to receive coverage from the missile interception system, which is modeled after Israel's
00:04:29.680 Iron Dome. The additional 10 billion dollar price tag comes after Trump and Carney sat down to meet
00:04:34.480 one on one in Alberta. While the two leaders met to hammer out a trade deal amid a months long tariff
00:04:39.280 dispute, Trump said that the Golden Dome wasn't part of that negotiation, stating that it would have to be
00:04:44.320 a separate deal. The increased price of the Golden Dome is likely to only further sway Canadians' negative opinion of the
00:04:50.160 concept, a majority of whom have already said they don't want to support it. According to a poll conducted
00:04:55.840 last month, 63 percent of Canadians said they didn't want to participate in funding the project and would
00:05:01.600 prefer to see the federal government prioritize spending money on the Canadian armed forces. So, Isaac,
00:05:07.200 is inclusion in the United States' Golden Dome defense system worth the 71 billion dollar price tag?
00:05:12.640 Well, Jeff, first of all, I want to note that that's the price tag as of today. That doesn't mean it's not
00:05:19.120 subject to change tomorrow or at some future date at Donald Trump's discretion, nor does it mean that
00:05:24.880 this is what the project will actually end up costing. For example, we've seen with our own
00:05:29.920 federal government that there is sometimes a huge discrepancy between what they initially say
00:05:34.080 something will cost and what it ends up costing down the road, which could be tenfold the initial
00:05:39.280 projection. However, in the end, Canada having a modern space-integrated missile defense shield
00:05:45.920 at a time of growing global threats from adversaries like China, Russia, North Korea, and others would
00:05:51.920 definitely be something Canadians would be grateful for if the country was ever subject to an attack.
00:05:57.600 But like you mentioned, the poll said that 63 percent of Canadians said they'd rather the federal
00:06:02.080 government spend money on the Canadian armed forces instead of this project. Although ironically,
00:06:07.200 recently, the federal government went with neither, as Carney pledged 4.3 billion dollars in support for
00:06:13.600 Ukraine and new Russia sanctions at the recent G7, to which many Canadians online expressed outrage,
00:06:21.440 arguing that Canada should not be funding foreign countries when our country's own debt exceeds
00:06:27.040 1.263 trillion dollars and the cost of living crisis only worsens. Of course, Carney recently pledged
00:06:34.720 to hit NATO's 2 percent GDP requirement for defense spending. However, NATO is, of course,
00:06:39.920 eyeing a new 5 percent target and the Golden Dome investment would seemingly not count towards this
00:06:45.600 requirement as it's considered foreign procurement, not a national defense expenditure. Paying for the
00:06:51.680 Golden Dome wouldn't reduce Canada's shortfall in meeting the current 2 percent target. To get
00:06:56.640 counted, Canada must boost its own defense spending to contribute through NATO managed programs, not
00:07:01.520 through deals with the U.S. Four people, including a 16-year-old boy, have been arrested after police
00:07:10.480 say they were caught attempting to steal a vehicle from the driveway of Ontario Premier Doug Ford's home
00:07:15.680 early Tuesday morning. Jalo Mohamed, age 23, and Jalo Mohamed, age 23, both of Toronto, have been charged
00:07:23.440 with possession of an electronic device for motor vehicle theft and unlawfully having purchased an automobile
00:07:28.880 master key. Toronto police confirmed the incident took place in the area of Lawrence Avenue West
00:07:33.920 and Royal York Road, the Etobicoke neighborhood where the Premier resides, and the Ontario Premier
00:07:38.720 Doug Ford later confirmed it was his residence that was the suspected target. Speaking at an unrelated
00:07:44.320 press conference later that day, Ford brought up the incident himself, describing a dramatic encounter
00:07:49.520 in which suspects came racing down his street. The Premier said, quote,
00:07:53.520 You want to hear about stupid criminals? So four thugs come racing down my street, masks on,
00:07:58.880 ready to take the car out of the driveway. Surprise, surprise. At 1230, the two police cars are there,
00:08:04.480 the chase is on. Police said officers observed a suspicious vehicle around 1230 a.m. with individuals
00:08:10.640 inside wearing masks and slowing near a residential driveway. When they attempted a traffic stop,
00:08:15.760 one suspect fled on foot, police said. Officers allegedly found a key reprogramming device and a
00:08:21.360 programmable master key inside the vehicle. Ford used the incident to reiterate his stance on crime
00:08:26.560 and public safety, saying it underscores the need for stricter sentencing. The Premier is routinely
00:08:31.360 protected by the Ontario Provincial Police and Toronto police officers are also stationed at his home.
00:08:36.480 Police released the names of all the suspects except for two on account of their age and standard
00:08:41.200 rules regarding youth offenders. The two youth, aged 16 and 17, also faced charges with one accused of
00:08:48.080 failing to comply with conditions related to an earlier release. So Jeff, who is at fault for the
00:08:52.560 out of control crime wave that Premier Ford is describing? Yeah, the crime wave that Premier
00:08:57.440 Doug Ford describes can't really be pinned on a single culprit, but points to a mix of systemic
00:09:02.080 failures and policy gaps under both provincial and federal oversight. Forge himself has blamed
00:09:06.560 lax sentencing and judicial leniency, arguing that the arrest of four suspects, including two youths,
00:09:12.160 a 16-year-old and 17-year-old with prior release conditions, shows the need for stricter punishments.
00:09:17.680 The presence of a key reprogramming device and master key suggests organized crime tactics,
00:09:22.880 possibly linked to a rise in auto thefts, with Ontario seeing a 45% increase in vehicle thefts
00:09:28.640 from 2022 to 2024, per Provincial Police Stats. Ford's push for tougher laws reflects his view that
00:09:34.960 the justice system, influenced by federal sentencing guidelines under the Liberal government,
00:09:39.760 isn't doing enough to deter repeat offenders. However, fault also lies with broader societal and
00:09:45.440 governmental shortcomings. The involvement of young offenders hints at underlying issues like
00:09:50.240 poverty and lack of youth programs. Ontario cut $10 million from community safety grants in 2023,
00:09:56.480 which some criminologists link to rising juvenile crime. The Ontario Provincial Police, tasked with
00:10:01.840 Ford Security and Toronto Police, who responded at 12.30am, represent a reactive approach rather than a
00:10:07.840 preventative one, suggesting underfunding or poor coordination in crime hotspots like Etobicoke.
00:10:13.840 Federally, Prime Minister Mark Carney's focus on trade and climate over public safety, with no major
00:10:19.120 crime initiative since April, leaves provinces like Ontario to grapple with a 15% spike in violent
00:10:25.120 incidents in 2025. The crime wave Ford highlights is thus a shared failure. Provincial policy gaps,
00:10:31.600 federal neglect, and socioeconomic pressures fueling a cycle of lawlessness.
00:10:35.680 That's it for today, folks. Thanks for tuning in. You can stay on top of new episodes every weekday by
00:10:44.560 subscribing to The Daily Brief on iTunes and Spotify. Also, while you're at it, make sure to hit us with
00:10:49.680 a five-star rating and please leave a review.