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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Jan 6, 2023 · 19 min
Disaster-proof your finances for 2023
2022 was a pretty turbulent year financially, with sky-high inflation, interest rates and housing prices. So you might be looking at the coming year and thinking about how to protect your finances against whatever 2023 might bring. The Globe’s personal finance reporter, Erica Alini, recently wrote a MoneySmart Bootcamp newsletter to help people get a better handle on their money. Today, we talk to her about how to disaster-proof your finances and discuss budgeting, saving and debt.
Jan 5, 2023 · 18 min
Why the surge of COVID in China looks a lot like 2020
Since China abandoned its COVID-zero policies, the country has seen a dramatic outbreak of infections. But exactly how bad things are remains murky, as contradictory reports of cases and deaths emerge. But other countries are reacting nonetheless; Canada and others have put new travel restrictions on people arriving from China. There are fears that the rate of infection and the size of China’s population could make things dramatically worse. The Globe’s Asia Correspondent, James Griffiths, expl
Jan 4, 2023 · 19 min
The weight loss drug everyone’s talking about
Ozempic and other semaglutide drugs have been hailed as a very effective treatment for obesity, but shortages, affordability and doctors’ willingness to prescribe it are still keeping people who might benefit from it off the drug. Health reporter Carly Weeks explains how the drug works and how it may force our society to rethink how we perceive obesity.
Jan 3, 2023 · 16 min
How organ transplants could be changed by ... frozen frogs
Some animals survive harsh winter conditions by completely freezing and thawing in spring, like the wood frog. Researchers are looking to harness these abilities for humans – particularly for organ transplants. Shannon Tessier is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and an investigator at the Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. She tells us how animals freeze over and how it might be harnessed for organ transplants.
Dec 30, 2022 · 16 min
2022: A look back on the year of the ‘freedom convoy’
What started as a protest against vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers turned into a catch-all occupation of pent-up pandemic grievances. By the time it was over, hundreds of people were arrested, Ottawa’s police chief resigned, and the Emergencies Act had been invoked for the first time ever. Today, we look back at how this story dominated headlines throughout the year, from the first rumblings in January to the hot tubs and honking in February, the 21-year-old who won against the c
Dec 29, 2022 · 23 min
As missiles fall around her, this Kharkiv citizen continues to fight disinformation
As part of our picks of the top stories of 2022, we are re-airing this episode about a woman documenting the destruction of the war in Ukraine. This episode originally aired on March 2. Maria Avdeeva is the research director of the European Expert Association, which analyzes Russian disinformation. With the sound of Russia’s attack in the background, Maria explains what’s happening in her hometown of Kharkiv, and why the decision to stay is her way of fighting the “Information War,” where disin
Dec 28, 2022 · 17 min
Should the Pope reverse a 500-year-old Church law?
As part of our picks of the top stories of 2022, we are re-airing this episode on the Pope’s visit to Canada and the Doctrine of Discovery, which originally aired on July 25. Many Indigenous people would like the Pope to publicly renounce the Doctrine of Discovery. Bruce McIvor is one of them. He is a lawyer, a historian and the author of Standoff: Why Reconciliation Fails Indigenous People and How to Fix It. He explains what this doctrine is, how it went from a papal edict to a legal principle
Dec 27, 2022 · 18 min
If you didn’t get a big raise, you probably got a pay cut
As part of our picks of the top stories of 2022, we are re-airing this episode on inflation, which originally aired on April 20. With inflation eating into people’s bank accounts, some people are starting to wonder: Hey, is my paycheque shrinking? And according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, it is. Economics reporter Matt Lundy explains how inflation is resulting in a pay cut for most Canadians and what – if anything – you can do about it.
Dec 26, 2022 · 18 min
Move over Let It Go, we’re talking about Bruno
As part of our picks of the top stories of 2022, we are re-airing this episode about one of the top songs of the year. This episode originally aired on January 24. There are two kinds of people in this world: those who have ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ stuck in their head, and those who don’t … yet. The Disney song is a viral sensation and unexpected hit from the 2021 film Encanto. Michael Birenbaum Quintero is an ethnomusicologist and Associate Professor at Boston University. Even he agrees it
Dec 23, 2022 · 21 min
What’s the holiday season without a little tradition?
Ranging from childhood phone calls, to serenading strangers, to feasting on the darkest day of the year, we explore how traditions help connect us and celebrate the season. To end the year, we wanted to take a break from the endless cycle of bad news and share with you a series of stories about holiday traditions.
Dec 22, 2022 · 15 min
Short on cash and power, Ukraine faces a dark Christmas
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington on Wednesday. It’s his first known time outside of Ukraine since Russia invaded more than 300 days ago. He’s meeting with President Joe Biden, national security officials and addressing Congress. It’s a bid to shore up more weapons and money in order to fight the ongoing war. The meeting comes at a time where Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine are ramping up. The main targets are power grids, which is leaving many in the country in the
Dec 21, 2022 · 17 min
The YouTubers guiding immigrants in small-town Canada
Newcomers are turning to YouTube to learn about everyday life in places like Moncton NB, Kamloops B.C. or Swift Current, Sask. Canada’s goal of bringing in 500,000 new permanent residents every year by 2025 has a focus on settling new immigrants in small towns and different regions of the country – Instead of just the big city centres – and 2021 census data shows that shift is already happening. So YouTube channels made by recent immigrants are helping those who arrive after them learn about wh
Dec 20, 2022 · 15 min
What we know about the mass shooting near Toronto
On Sunday evening, five residents of a high-rise condo building in Vaughan, ON were shot and killed. A 73-year-old gunman was also shot and killed by police. Court documents reveal that the shooter had a years-long history of legal disputes with the condo board. Police said three of the people killed were members of the board. The Globe’s Dustin Cook tells us what we know so far about what happened and the gunman’s history with the condo board.
Dec 19, 2022 · 17 min
The tiny town that might vote itself out of existence
In the community of Gaultois, Newfoundland, an upcoming vote will determine whether to keep receiving government services, or take a payout to relocate to the mainland, leaving behind their homes and dramatic beauty of their small island town. Greg Mercer, the Globe’s Atlantic Canada reporter, tells us about the history of resettlement in Newfoundland, and how the people of Gaultois feel about deciding the town’s fate.
Dec 16, 2022 · 18 min
A success story in Indigenous-led conservation
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $800-million in funding for Indigenous-led conservation efforts at COP15, the biodiversity conference happening in Montreal. The Thaidene Nëné Indigenous Protected Area and national park is considered a success story in Indigenous-led conservation. It was established in 2019 after decades of discussion and negotiation between the federal and territorial governments and the local Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation. Addie Jonasson was part of those negotiations.
Dec 15, 2022 · 17 min
FTX and Canadian crypto FOMO
Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was arrested in the Bahamas on Monday. U.S. prosecutors charged Bankman-Fried with eight counts of fraud and conspiracy. He’s now in a Bahamian prison and could be extradited to the U.S. The company was founded in 2019 and went from being worth US$32-billion to bankrupt in mid-November. Along the way, FTX built up a lot of hype and attracted a lot of investments worldwide. That included support from both Kevin O’Leary and the Ont
Dec 14, 2022 · 19 min
A promising young player, a devastating injury and Hockey Canada
Neil Doef was 17 when his life changed. As a promising young hockey player, he was competing at an international tournament when he was paralyzed. For the last seven years, he has been engaged in a lawsuit trying to get financial help from Hockey Canada and its insurer. Grant Robertson, senior writer for The Globe and Mail, shares Neil’s story and addresses the questions Neil’s case raises about how Hockey Canada decides to use money from its National Equity Fund. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Ema
Dec 13, 2022 · 19 min
Why NASA wants to go back to the moon
With its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, Artemis 1 marked the successful completion of the first step in a new era of space travel to the moon. It comes 50 years after the last astronaut bounced along the lunar surface. Now, the goal is to make moon travel more routine and sustainable. Science reporter Ivan Semeniuk explains how NASA hopes to do this in the next decade, along with help from international partners like Canada, and what hurdles it’ll have to overcome to make the entire
Dec 12, 2022 · 20 min
A rare look inside war-torn Myanmar
Myanmar has been in a state of chaos since February 2021 when the military staged a coup following a democratic election. Thousands of people have been killed in this civil war, and the UN estimates that around a million people have been displaced in the country. Siegfried Modola, a photojournalist and documentary photographer, spent weeks inside Myanmar for the Globe traveling with one of the rebel forces. That gave him a rare look into what’s going on in the country, the state of the civil wa
Dec 9, 2022 · 18 min
A behavioural psychologist explains why Canadians aren’t wearing masks
Healthcare systems across the country are under strain yet again, and this time children seem to be bearing the worst of the combination of influenza, RSV, and COVID-19. Health officials would like people to voluntarily mask to help stop the spread, but people across Canada seem to have given up on them. Dr. Kim Lavoie is a psychologist at UQAM, Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Medicine, and co-director of the Montreal Behavioural Medicine Centre. She’s on the show to explain why people jus