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
Updated Yesterday

Episodes1335

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Nov 10, 2022 · 17 min
Abortion rights’ impact on the Republican wave
Republicans were expected to dominate the midterm elections, but the anticipated ‘red wave’ did not pan out. Democrats did better than expected and some of that is being attributed to the support for abortion rights across the country. NBC News exit polls report that the largest number of people said inflation was the deciding issue for their vote – with abortion coming in a close second. Rosemary Westwood is a public health reporter in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the host of a podcast called B
Nov 9, 2022 · 15 min
Why Doug Ford backpedaled in the dispute with CUPE
In an abrupt reversal, Ontario Premier Doug Ford promised to repeal the legislation that revoked the right to strike for educational workers in the province. That wrapped up the walkout by CUPE members after two days. But negotiations between this union – and others – continue with the province and so questions remain in terms of how both parties will find a way out of this dispute without another work stoppage. Jeff Gray is one of The Globe’s correspondents at the Ontario legislature and he ex
Nov 8, 2022 · 16 min
The secretive Chinese ‘police stations’ in Canada
The RCMP are now investigating after a report from human rights organization Safeguard Defenders identified 54 so-called Chinese police “service stations” set up in 30 countries around the world – including three right here in Canada. China says the stations are set up to assist Chinese nationals with things like renewing drivers’ licences. But Laura Harth, the campaign director for Safeguard Defenders, says the stations are part of an effort by the Chinese government to make Chinese people ret
Nov 7, 2022 · 18 min
How Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law is having a big impact on the U.S.
Florida has brought in several policies recently that critics say target LGBTQ people, like the controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which prevents teachers from telling kids in Grade 3 or younger about sexual orientation or gender identity. Similar policies are being taken up across the US. Brandon Wolf is with the LGBTQ civil rights group Equality Florida. He tells us about the impact of the “Don’t Say Gay” law, and what it means when so many Republican candidates for the upcoming midterms are
Nov 4, 2022 · 18 min
School staff walk out to protest new Ontario legislation
The labour dispute between educational workers, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government has escalated this week. The union issued its strike notice on Sunday and the government responded with back-to-work legislation that included the controversial notwithstanding clause on Monday. Talks broke down on Thursday afternoon after the mediator decided the two sides were still too far apart. The union has decided to proceed with a pro
Nov 3, 2022 · 17 min
The convoy leaders speak at the Emergencies Act inquiry
This week, the Emergencies Act inquiry is hearing from convoy leaders who took over Ottawa’s downtown core earlier this year while they were protesting vaccine mandates. On Wednesday, a lawyer who represented key convoy organizers during the protests told the inquiry that organizers received leaked information from police. Parliamentary reporter Marieke Walsh tells us what else we’ve learned from convoy leaders who have testified so far.
Nov 2, 2022 · 20 min
What COVID does to the brain
Neuroscientists are trying to figure out how the COVID virus, SARS-COV-2, is affecting the brain. Many people who have gotten COVID end up having lingering cognitive impairments of some kind, whether that’s brain fog, forgetting vocabulary, difficulty remembering or general sluggishness in trying to think. Dr. Adrian Owen, who has a PhD in cognitive assessments in brain disorders, is a professor of neuroscience and imaging at Western University. His recent study looked at what kinds of cognitiv
Nov 1, 2022 · 17 min
The Canadians leading the far-right movement in America
There are a surprising number of Canadians involved in far-right politics in the U.S. Think Jordan Peterson, Steven Crowder, Gavin McInnes, Lauren Southern. So why are there so many? And why do Americans care about what a group of Canadians have to say? International correspondent Nathan VanderKlippe discusses the power of Canadian commentators in America’s far-right movement.
Oct 31, 2022 · 19 min
How your boss might be monitoring you
Electronic monitoring of employees has been going on for years, but it’s seen a serious boost during the pandemic. It can consist of tracking anything from location, online activity status, keyboard and mouse movements, URLs – some even take photos of employees from their computer cameras and take screenshots to ensure they are working. Ontario has legislation that now makes it mandatory for companies with more than 25 people to tell employees how they’re monitoring them and why. Nita Chhinzer,
Oct 28, 2022 · 17 min
What new census data tells us about immigrants in Canada
New census data from Statistics Canada shows that immigrants now represent 23 per cent of the Canadian population, a new high. But these numbers only tell half the story. The challenges that immigrants face in getting into the country are numerous and complex. Dakshana Bascaramurty digs into the new numbers and explains why some people will risk their lives to move to North America.
Oct 27, 2022 · 23 min
Financial dos and don’ts for young adults in an uncertain economy
The Bank of Canada announced a 0.5 percentage point rate hike on Wednesday. It’s the sixth consecutive increase in the past year alone. These increases have made borrowing more expensive and saving more difficult for Canadians. With all this economic uncertainty, The Decibel hosted a conversation live on Twitter with three personal finance experts to talk about how young people should prepare to weather this storm. Rob Carrick, Erica Alina and Melissa Leong talk mortgages, savings and their key
Oct 26, 2022 · 19 min
A made-in-Canada solution to help Indigenous people in prisons
Indigenous people are over-represented in Canada’s federal prisons. One in three men in federal prisons identify as Indigenous, and the number is 50 per cent for women prisoners. Officials have long said that healing lodges – minimum-security rehabilitation centres for Indigenous people – work, but there are only 10 in Canada. And while politicians pledge to build more, they haven’t in recent years. Reporter Patrick White discusses what’s behind the delay.
Oct 25, 2022 · 19 min
Rishi Sunak takes on a fragile British economy
Rishi Sunak is set to become the UK’s next Prime Minister. This comes after Liz Truss resigned from the job after a tumultuous six weeks. Truss is the shortest-serving Prime Minister in British history. Now, Sunak must try to repair the very shaky economic situation that the country currently finds itself in. Tom Rachman is a novelist and contributing columnist for The Globe based in London. He tells us why he thinks the problems in the UK all stem back to Brexit, about the mess Rishi Sunak is
Oct 24, 2022 · 18 min
Recovery stalls in Prince Edward Island a month after Fiona
It’s been a month since post-tropical storm Fiona slammed into Atlantic Canada, causing huge amounts of devastation. In Prince Edward Island, thousands of trees came down, houses were destroyed, and people remained without power for weeks. Amidst a labour shortage, recovery efforts in the province are moving slowly. The Globe’s Greg Mercer visited PEI recently and spoke to people picking up the pieces after Fiona about what comes next.
Oct 21, 2022 · 15 min
What one annoying sound says about how we deal with homelessness
An anti-loitering noise device under a bridge in the small city of Oshawa, Ontario was put there by municipal officials to dissuade unhoused people from setting up camp. It’s raised questions about how cities should be dealing with homelessness at a time when housing is more out of reach than ever. With municipal voting day coming on Monday across Ontario, Marcus Gee discusses the politics of addressing homelessness.
Oct 20, 2022 · 20 min
What we’ve learned from the Emergencies Act inquiry so far
The public inquiry into whether the use of the Emergencies Act to stop protests in Ottawa this past winter was justified is under way. On Wednesday, we learned that the city of Ottawa and police were warned in advance that the trucker convoy protest was well-resourced and determined to remain on site until COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. But Ottawa police reportedly didn’t receive these warnings from the provincial police. Parliamentary reporter Marieke Walsh joins us to tell us what else we
Oct 19, 2022 · 19 min
How to fight drones in Ukraine
In the span of two weeks, Russia has launched two major drone attacks on Ukraine. Scores of so-called “kamikaze drones,” purchased from Iran, have been attacking Ukrainian civilians and devastating power and water infrastructure. Dr. Stacie Pettyjohn is a senior fellow and director of the defence program at the Center for a New American Security. She’s back on the show to tell us how these drones work and what air defence systems from allies might do to help Ukraine.
Oct 18, 2022 · 21 min
Cold cases are being cracked with the help of ancestry sites
Finding a suspect based on their DNA alone used to be almost impossible: police could only search DNA databases of people who’d already committed crimes and been convicted. But the increase in popularity of online genealogy and DNA databases are changing what’s possible. The Globe’s Colin Freeze has spoken to Canadian detectives who are using the same technique that caught the Golden State Killer to solve cold case crimes here in Canada.
Oct 17, 2022 · 18 min
What you need to know about Buy Now, Pay Later
If you’ve bought something online recently, you’ve probably seen a payment option to spread out the purchase in installments. This is known as Buy Now, Pay Later and it’s popping up all over Canada with companies like Amazon, Adidas, Samsung and Sleep Country. But why is it all over the place all of a sudden? Finance reporter and columnist Tim Kiladze looked into it, and he explains where it came from, how it affects credit, and how it encourages people to spend more money.
Oct 14, 2022 · 13 min
The future of China’s economy
Next week, China’s ruling Communist Party is expected to announce an unprecedented third term for its leader, Xi Jinping. Mr. Xi has consolidated his power over the last decade, cracking down on billionaires, movie stars and businesses seen as going against party ideology. Asia correspondent James Griffiths tells us about Mr. Xi’s vision for China and what his grip on the country means for the future of their economy.