The Decibel

The Globe and Mail

Context is everything. Join us Monday to Friday for a Canadian daily news podcast from The Globe and Mail. Explore a story shaping our world, in conversation with reporters, experts, and the people at the centre of the news.

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1,335 episodes
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Episodes1335

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Sep 20, 2023 · 20 min
Trudeau accuses India of involvement in Canadian’s murder
The murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar left Canada’s Sikh community with a lot of questions. On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave them a possible answer: he alleged that the Indian government was involved in Mr. Nijjar’s death. India was quick to deny any involvement. Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife discovered this information before the official announcement on Monday. And he is on the show to explain the allegations and how they fit into Canada’s complex relations with India.
Sep 19, 2023 · 21 min
Coup contagion – why Africa’s had nine coups in three years
There have been nine coups in seven African countries over the past three years – some analysts have called it a coup contagion, the Secretary-General of the UN called it a coup epidemic. Each country has its own circumstances, but there are common factors linking them. Geoff York, The Globe’s Africa Bureau Chief, joins us to explain why so many countries are facing coups, what it means for the people of those countries, and what role other countries like Russia, China and the US have in what’s
Sep 18, 2023 · 19 min
A Trudeau-Poilievre showdown as Parliament resumes
Parliament is back for the fall session and it returns with a surprising shift in the political dynamic. Conservative Leader, Pierre Poilievre is riding high in several polls. And the Liberals are busy making housing announcements to show they are working on the affordability crisis facing so many Canadians today. Meanwhile, the NDP will be looking to push their agenda forward on dental care pharmacare this fall. The Globe’s Deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief Bill Curry joins us on the show. He’ll tell
Sep 15, 2023 · 20 min
Lessons from the massive daycare E.Coli outbreak in Calgary
Hundreds of people are sick and dozens are in the hospital in Calgary, after one of Canada’s worst outbreaks of E.Coli in kids ever. Some cases have left children hospitalized, leaving parents scared, frustrated and angry. Dave McGinn has been following the outbreak for The Globe. Today, he’ll tell us what warning signs might have been missed from the kitchen suspected to be at the centre of the outbreak, and how this fits into concerns around childcare in Canada more broadly.
Sep 14, 2023 · 19 min
A multi-billion dollar bet on natural gas
Enbridge Inc. has become North America’s largest natural gas utility after acquiring three U.S. utilities for US$9.4-billiondollars. It’s a big bet on the role that natural gas is going to play in the future as governments try to transition the economy off of fossil fuels. Emma Graney is The Globe and Mail’s energy reporter. She has been covering the deal and explains how this fits into the wider picture of the energy industry in Canada, as well as our emission reduction targets.
Sep 13, 2023 · 21 min
What you need to know about COVID this fall
The COVID-19 fall surge is upon us. But this year it’s different. Cases are rising again in Canada, reversing a trend from when cases were decreasing for most of 2023. And once again, there are new variants circulating. The Globe’s National Health Reporter Kelly Grant explains why we’re seeing a rise, what the Canadian government and public health experts say we should do about it, including when new boosters are available this fall.
Sep 12, 2023 · 21 min
Australia resolved its news standoff with Meta. Could Canada?
Most people in Canada haven’t been able to view or post news content on Facebook or Instagram for over a month now. That’s because Meta – the company that owns both platforms – is protesting a new law that aims to get big tech companies to pay for news content appearing on its feeds. But this move isn’t without precedent. In 2021, Meta also blocked news in Australia because of similar legislation. The Australian government came to an agreement with the company – but not without some big concessi
Sep 11, 2023 · 20 min
The first criminal trial for ‘Freedom Convoy’ leaders
Tamara Lich and Chris Barber were at the forefront of the convoy protest that rolled into Ottawa on Jan. 29, 2022. As leaders, they encouraged supporters blocking the downtown to both ‘hold the line’ and protest peacefully. On Feb. 17, 2022, they were arrested. Now they are standing trial for their actions. Kristy Kirkup is a parliamentary reporter for the Globe and she went to the first week of their trial. She explains why this trial is expected to uncover new details about the convoy protest
Sep 8, 2023 · 22 min
How international students became big business for schools
In 2012, nine out of 10 students at Kitchener’s Conestoga College were domestic. Today, they have more international students than any institution across the country … almost as many as the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia combined. This year, Canada is on track to bring in 900,000 international students. Globe postsecondary reporter Joe Friesen joins us to discuss how Canada’s international student population has grown so quickly, and why institutions have grown to
Sep 7, 2023 · 21 min
Canada’s wildfires dwarf emissions from all other industries
This year’s wildfire season has broken all kinds of records – including on emissions. Canada’s wildfires have doubled previous records for greenhouse gas emissions – and they’ve caused more emissions than all of Canada’s industries combined. Dr. Werner Kurz, a senior research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service, explains how these wildfires are changing Canada’s forests, what it means for Canada’s emissions and how we can lessen the damage from wildfire seasons in the future.
Sep 6, 2023 · 18 min
What are schools doing to help youth mental health?
It’s back-to-school week for young people across the country. And despite bringing back full in-class learning three years since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, students continue to experience and report mental-health issues. Dr. Deinera Exner-Cortens is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary. She is going to talk to us about how we can be better at a policy level and in schools to help kids needing more mental-health support.
Sep 5, 2023 · 16 min
Are small, family-run businesses dying in Canada?
Small business owners are, on average, older than the Canadian population. That means that in the next ten years 75% of them are retiring, according to estimates from the federal government. So what happens to their businesses? Chris Hannay covers small business for the Globe and he joins us to discuss how these retirements could lead to a wave of consolidation of enterprise in Canada.
Sep 1, 2023 · 20 min
The dark side of collagen
Collagen supplements are marketed as a holy grail anti-aging product. Bovine collagen is made from cattle hides, and a new investigation from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism traced the supply chain of some collagen companies all the way to deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Elisângela Mendonça is a London-based Brazilian journalist with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Her reporting pulls back the curtain on the dark side of the booming collagen industry.
Aug 31, 2023 · 19 min
Ford government targets school lands to build housing
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has a clear housing goal. He wants to build 1.5 million new homes in 10 years. To accomplish this, his government has been looking at selling off the land under its possession, such as the Greenbelt, which has been engulfed in scandal. Now his government is looking at the lands owned by school boards across the province. Globe and Mail reporter Karen Howlett explains what the plan is and how the Ford government intends to execute it.
Aug 30, 2023 · 20 min
How a former Libyan dictator’s money ended up in Canada
Moammar Gadhafi, former Libyan dictator, has had billions sitting in Canadian bank accounts for almost 12 years after his death. This has caused further investigations and questions in terms of what this means for the Canadian banking sector. Rita Trichur is The Globe’s Senior Business Writer and Columnist joins us to discuss Gadhafi, his family, and all of his money sitting in Canadian banks.
Aug 29, 2023 · 20 min
New details emerge about Montreal’s deadliest fire in decades
On Monday, Montreal police said the Old Montreal fire that killed seven people in March 2023 is now being treated as a criminal investigation. Alongside police looking into persons of interest in the case, the Globe’s Montreal-based reporter Frédérik-Xavier Duhamel reported on the many safety violations in the burned-out building that Montreal and Quebec officials had known about for more than a decade. He uncovered a moratorium on enforcing evacuation route violations that had been in place sin
Aug 28, 2023 · 20 min
What happens for Tibet when the Dalai Lama dies
Tibet used to be a prominent focus of international attention, but that isn’t the case anymore as less and less information comes out of the region. But things are still very difficult for Tibetans as China cracks down. The Dalai Lama – who is the spiritual leader of Tibet – is 88, and there are concerns about what will happen for Tibet and its people when he eventually dies. Today, The Globe’s James Griffiths tells us about the situation in Tibet and those who have fled, and how Tibetans are t
Aug 25, 2023 · 21 min
Why storms are more destructive now
There are a lot of serious storms these days, and those storms are causing more and more damage, as residents of California are seeing this week in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Hilary. The storms we are seeing in Canada are changing – but not how you might expect. David Sills, a severe storms specialist and executive director of the Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University, explains what changes he’s seeing in storms, how prepared we are to handle the damage from them, and the connec
Aug 24, 2023 · 18 min
An ex-RCMP officer, a real estate tycoon and Operation Fox Hunt
Back in July, a former RCMP officer was charged with conducting foreign interference on behalf of China. We now know more about what the RCMP is accusing this officer of doing. And it involves a real estate tycoon, a “hired gun”, and a campaign called Operation Fox Hunt. Steven Chase, senior parliamentary reporter for the Globe, explains.
Aug 23, 2023 · 20 min
The problem with building more housing
Canada needs a lot of housing – and the Liberal government is making this a priority at their cabinet retreat this week. But there are concerns that if we keep building new homes using current materials and practices, it could lead to a spike in our greenhouse gas emissions. Luigi Ferrara is the chair and CEO of the Brookfield Sustainability Institute, which looked into this issue. Today, he tells us why current building practices cause high emissions, and how homes could be built differently –