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.

Subscribe Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

1,335 episodes
Updated Yesterday

Episodes1335

Newest first

Feb 3, 2023 · 22 min
The McKinsey controversy explained
On Wednesday, Dominic Barton appeared before a parliamentary committee looking into the rise in outsourcing contracts awarded to McKinsey & Company, where Barton was formerly global managing partner. Barton was also a senior policy adviser to the Trudeau government and the Canadian ambassador to China. Since 2015, the Liberal government has paid more than $116 million dollars to the private management consulting firm. That’s more than thirty times what the Conservative government before them pa
Feb 2, 2023 · 20 min
B.C. decriminalizes some drug possession
As of this week, possession of 2.5 grams of some drugs in B.C. is decriminalized. The B.C. government says it is trying to reduce the number of people who die from overdoses in the province. Around six people die every day in B.C. from drugs – but many advocates don’t believe this decriminalization program will actually prevent people from dying. Garth Mullins is an organizer with the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, and host of the podcast Crackdown. He’ll tell us about B.C.’s plan, about
Feb 1, 2023 · 19 min
Edmonton spiritual leader charged with sexual assault
John de Ruiter, a spiritual leader known for his piercing stare and who calls himself the ‘embodiment of truth’ was arrested and charged with four counts of sexual assault earlier this month. He’s now out on bail and intends to fight the charges. De Ruiter is a leader of a multimillion dollar organization called The College of Integrated Philosophy. It’s based in Edmonton but has followers all over the world. Some have described the group as a cult. The Globe’s Jana Pruden has been investigati
Jan 31, 2023 · 18 min
What the Rogers-Shaw deal could mean for your phone bill
On Monday, Rogers Communications Inc., Shaw Communications Inc. and Quebecor Inc. extended a deadline to mid-February that would finalize the largest telecommunications takeover in Canadian history. The deal would see Rogers buy Shaw for $20-billion. In an already concentrated industry, Canada’s Competition Bureau has argued that the deal would be bad for consumers who already pay some of the highest cell phone bills in the world. Telecom reporter, Alexandra Posadzki explains the implications o
Jan 30, 2023 · 20 min
What went wrong with the Liberals’ gun legislation
The Liberal government brought in Bill C-21 last May that would ban certain firearms. Amendments to the legislation have only confused the matter – some types of guns are banned in some of those amendments, but not in others – and the Liberals’ lack of communication is frustrating people on all sides of the issue. The Globe’s senior political reporter Marieke Walsh tells us why these changes have been made to the legislation, why the government has been so quiet on it, and how likely this legis
Jan 27, 2023 · 18 min
What remains a year after the convoy protests
A year after tens of thousands of people descended on Ottawa, some in their big-rig trucks, a lot has changed. Border restrictions have been lifted. Same for vaccine passports and most masking requirements. But the alienation and anger that lay underneath the movement seems to remain. Ottawa reporter Shannon Proudfoot discusses what some of the participants of the convoy think about it now, and whether another version of this protest could pop up again.
Jan 26, 2023 · 20 min
Unicorns, camels and the tech crash
To cope with the rising interest rates and higher-than-normal inflation in the economy, many tech companies are changing how they do business, focusing on turning a profit over growing revenue or market share. Technology reporter Sean Silcoff explains why for many years, forgoing profit was a good bet for startups, why that focus has led to mass layoffs in today’s shakier economic reality, and how some companies are thriving in these tough times.
Jan 25, 2023 · 17 min
Arsenic in the air divides a small Quebec city
The residents of Rouyn-Noranda, QC have known about the arsenic emissions coming from the local smelting plant for years. More studies are coming out about health concerns for the residents – but Glencore, the company that owns the plant, is still allowed to emit significantly more arsenic than the rest of the province. The Globe’s Eric Andrew-Gee went to Rouyn-Noranda and spoke with residents about the impact of these emissions and why it’s been allowed to go on for decades.
Jan 24, 2023 · 17 min
Western allies debate sending tanks to Ukraine
Ukraine wants tanks – 300 of them to be precise. President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that western battle tanks could be the key to driving Russian troops out of his country. But the allies, including Canada, are still deliberating on whether they should send them. Steven Chase has been covering the developments on this aspect of the war for The Globe. He explains why Canada alone can’t make the decision to send Ukraine our Leopard-2 tanks and why allies are worried this might be the escalatio
Jan 23, 2023 · 16 min
Why physically disciplining kids is still legal in Canada
In Canada, the criminal code allows for physical discipline of children, in certain circumstances. For almost half a century, advocates have been fighting to repeal the law, saying it violates children’s rights. Seventeen bills have been introduced in Parliament trying to strike the law down – and all of them have died before they could change the criminal code. Now, two bills trying once again are before Parliament. The Globe’s Marsha McLeod explains why the law exists, and the vocal groups wh
Jan 20, 2023 · 21 min
Are Alberta and BC good models for private surgery?
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced this week his government is increasing the use of private clinics for procedures like cataracts, diagnostic imaging and eventually hip and knee replacements. The move sparked a lot of criticism – but Ford says he’s following the lead of other provinces like B.C., Alberta and Quebec that are already doing something similar. First, we’ll talk to The Globe’s provincial politics reporter Jeff Gray about Ontario’s plan. Then, we’ll talk to The Globe’s B.C. reporte
Jan 19, 2023 · 18 min
Inside the life-or-death journey of one Venezuelan family
Over 7-million Venezuelans have left their homes since 2017, when Nicholas Maduro seized power and the state started to collapse. Most refugees have tried to start anew in nearby countries, like Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. But an increasing number are headed north on a dangerous trek that will take them to U.S.’s southern border. It’s a journey that is hugely shaped by policy decisions being made continents away. Kerli Vasquez and her family are on this journey and met Doug Saunders, the Globe’
Jan 18, 2023 · 22 min
Canada’s new drinking guidelines
On Tuesday, Canada’s new guidelines for drinking and health were released from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction (CCSA). The guidelines say that three to six standard drinks put you at a moderate health risk— and you might be surprised by how much counts as a “standard drink.” Dr. Catherine Paradis is a sociologist and the interim associate director of research at the CCSA. She’s back on the show addressing some of the questions listeners had after hearing her back in Septemb
Jan 17, 2023 · 17 min
What history can tell us about this economic moment
The economic forecast for 2023 is … less than rosy. Inflation is still running high. Central banks may continue to raise interest rates. And what everyone wants to know is: How long will this last before rates are lowered again? Globe and Mail columnist Tim Kiladze says you can look back in history to get some clues. And they suggest that an investor’s best asset for the next while might be patiences.
Jan 16, 2023 · 19 min
Why holiday travel chaos is the new normal
The holiday travel period was incredibly tumultuous – with passengers stranded, bags lost and thousands of flights cancelled. The airlines say the winter storms caused unprecedented disruptions, but The Globe’s transportation reporter Eric Atkins says the problems go beyond that. He tells us the other factors that led to this chaos, how airlines are responding, and whether this is likely to happen again. (Spoiler: It is.)
Jan 13, 2023 · 23 min
The hard-line plans of Israel’s new far-right government
Israel’s new far-right government is looking to overhaul the country’s justice system – going so far as seeking to create a law that would allow parliament to override the Supreme Court. If the changes happen, it could have implications on rights for the LGBTQ community, asylum seekers and also exacerbate tensions with the Palestinians. Josef Federman is the News Director of the Associated Press for Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan. He explains why this is happening now and what t
Jan 12, 2023 · 17 min
Cheap grocery apps aiming to reduce food waste
There’s a growing demand for food waste apps from both shoppers and grocers. They’ve been touted as a new way for people to score deals as food prices rise, while cutting back on food being thrown out by retailers. Susan Krashinsky Robertson is The Globe and Mail’s retailing reporter and she explains who uses these apps and what evidence there is that they actually help in getting food to people instead of it heading to the landfill.
Jan 11, 2023 · 18 min
A virologist on COVID variant XBB 1.5
The XBB 1.5 variant of COVID is quickly becoming the dominant strain in the US, and we’re seeing more cases here in Canada too. The WHO has called it the most transmissible variant of the virus we’ve seen so far. Some people are calling it ‘The Kraken.’ But not Dr. Angela Rasmussen. She’s a virologist at VIDO, the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan, and she’ll walk us through what we know about this variant, what we don’t know, and how concerned we sho
Jan 10, 2023 · 19 min
Andrew Coyne looks ahead to politics in 2023
Canada’s facing a stressed health care system, persistent inflation and a fraught geopolitical scene. Globe and Mail columnist Andrew Coyne looks at the big issues that will likely be facing the federal government in 2023 and what this means for leaders Justin Trudeau, Pierre Poilievre and Jagmeet Singh, and the possibility of a federal election.
Jan 9, 2023 · 16 min
Shopify's problems
Shopify began this year announcing to its workers that meetings of more than two employees were banned. Slack channels that were not work-related – the online equivalent of a water cooler and its associated chit-chat – had been deleted. Those changes, along with last year’s sweeping layoffs and the company’s new product offerings, are part of an attempt to bring Shopify back to its glory days, just a few years ago. In 2020, Shopify became the most valuable company in Canada, but that’s no longer