Sep 1, 2021 · 22 min
TD
News
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.
- 1,334 episodes
- Updated Friday
Episodes1334
- TDAug 31, 2021 · 21 min
The final days of the Afghanistan evacuation
On Monday it was announced that the last American troops had left Kabul’s airport, ending 20 years of Western military presence in Afghanistan. Canada’s last flight evacuating Canadians and Afghans who had worked with Canada departed last week. But individuals and groups, including The Globe and Mail, continued to try to arrange ways out of the country for those threatened by the Taliban. Adrian Lee is an editor for Globe Opinion, and our guest host. He first introduces us to two Afghan men who
- TDAug 30, 2021 · 21 min
The Winnipeg 'city kid' fighting climate change to help heal Indigenous communities
In his new memoir, environmentalist Clayton Thomas-Müller recounts growing up surrounded by love and strength – but also family violence, relentless racism, and poverty. From selling drugs in a gang to organizing environmental campaigns against oil and gas extraction, the stories of Thomas-Müller’s life defy any one category to paint a complex picture of what it is to be a Cree man in Canada. Guest host and Globe national reporter Willow Fiddler speaks with Thomas-Müller about the connection be
- TDAug 27, 2021 · 30 min
Stress Test: Salary negotiation 101 - How to ask for a raise
As a bonus, we're bringing you an episode of Stress Test, a podcast about personal finance from The Globe and Mail, hosted by Rob Carrick and Roma Luciw. A lot of people feel uncomfortable negotiating with their boss for a raise and other perks. But if you don’t ask, you won’t get. And it’s definitely a lot easier to save money if you’re making more of it. We hear from a group of friends (who tell each other everything) as they discuss their recent experiences asking for a raise. Plus, Roma talks to Hadiya Roderique, who taught negotiation at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and also was a lawyer. She shares her tips on how to make your case like an expert. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 26, 2021 · 19 min
Afghanistan, COVID-19 and housing: the campaign trail so far
Despite the pandemic, Canada’s federal election campaign has felt somewhat normal. There have been socially-distant campaign events and speeches full of policy promises. The NDP and Conservatives have released their platforms and while the Liberals haven’t released theirs, they are still making new announcements. But has one of these issues come to define the campaign so far? Marieke Walsh, a political reporter at The Globe and Mail, joins guest host Laura Stone from the campaign trail to break down what’s been going on so far and explore the big question … what is this federal election actually about? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 25, 2021 · 16 min
How courts can account for racism in sentencing
Should judges take race into account when deciding on punishments for crimes? The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal ruled last week that it should. Judges in that province must now take the effects of marginalization and racism into account when sentencing Black offenders by considering ensuring reports called Impact of Race and Culture Assessments – or it could be grounds for an appeal. Justice Anne Derrick wrote in the ruling that Black and other racialized people are overrepresented in federal prisons. Nearly 10 per cent of Canadian federal prisoners are Black, while Black people make up only 3.5 per cent of the country’s population. Tanya Walker, a lawyer from Toronto, is on the show to tell us how systemic racism shapes legal outcomes, the importance of rehabilitation, and what this ruling could mean for the future of Canadian law. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 24, 2021 · 19 min
How Shein’s low prices are setting fast fashion on fire
Shein may be one of the most successful clothing brands that you’ve never heard of. The fast-fashion giant is where Gen Z shoppers go to find cheap, trendy clothing. Over the course of the pandemic, the brand managed to bring in nearly $10 billion (USD) in sales. But what are the environmental and ethical costs of this quickly produced yet easily disposed form of fashion? Terry Ngyuen, a reporter for The Goods at Vox, recently wrote a piece called, Shein is the future of fast fashion...is that a good thing?, and is on the show to tell us how Shein got so popular, where it stands alongside competitors and what questions still remain about how it has managed to become so big so quickly. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 23, 2021 · 20 min
Why upgrading the electric grid matters to the climate
Canada has an opportunity when it comes to electricity. We’re ahead of the game in some ways. A sizable part of the electrical grid is already decarbonized. And, about 80 per cent of our electricity comes from clean sources like hydroelectricity. But with demand expected to double as we electrify everything in our lives – from electric vehicles to heating homes – Canada’s grid faces some major challenges if we are going to keep up and meet our net-zero climate goals. The federal election provides us with a moment to have a national conversation about an infrastructure issue that could be as consequential as building the railway was in the 19th century. Columnist Adam Radwanski discusses the hurdles for modernizing and unifying the grid and why all Canadians should care about an admittedly wonky policy topic. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 19, 2021 · 18 min
Who are the Taliban now?
The last time the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, they imposed an extremist interpretation of Shariah law on its people, harboured Osama bin Laden as he planned 9/11, and were ultimately routed from power by the U.S.-led invasion of the country in 2001. Now, they’re back, and giving interviews promising a kinder regime, with amnesty for all Afghans who worked for the government. Meanwhile on Wednesday, civilians were killed when Taliban militants violently dispersed a protest. Sher Jan Ahmadzai worked in the government of former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, and is now the director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Today, Professor Ahmadzai tells us who this new Taliban is, how they swept back into power, and why he fears for a “bleak” future for the people of Afghanistan. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 18, 2021 · 17 min
Why the fourth COVID-19 wave is different
After 17 months of lockdowns, masking, social distancing and vaccinations, it looked like we might finally be cresting the worst of the pandemic. But the official word has come from Canada’s top public health officer, Theresa Tam: we’re now in a fourth wave. Cynthia Carr, an epidemiologist based in Winnipeg, talks about how the combination of the Delta variant, vaccine hesitancy, and schools reopening means this wave will be different. Read more about the complications the Delta variant will create as kids return to school. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 17, 2021 · 18 min
The Canadian effort to relocate Afghans
The Taliban’s capture of Kabul has caught NATO governments flat-footed in their efforts to extricate their embassy staff and the Afghan nationals who have been helping them, as well as the troops. While many foreigners have been flown home, a lot of Afghans are stuck. Now, these residents are scared that the Taliban will find them and their families. Many are wondering if Canada will help them escape while they wait hidden in their homes or in safe houses set up by Canadian veterans. Ottawa reporter Menaka Raman-Wilms has been speaking with people in Kabul as well as the Canadians who are desperately trying to get them out of the country. She explains the context around their private efforts, as well as what the government is pledging it will do. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 16, 2021 · 19 min
The 'hostage diplomacy' connecting Canada and China
It’s been almost 1000 days since Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were detained by the Chinese government. The move was widely seen as retaliation for Canada arresting Chinese citizen Meng Wanzhou on behalf of the U.S. Now, Spavor has received an 11-year sentence for espionage, Kovrig’s sentence is expected any time now, and Meng’s extradition case could continue for years. The Globe’s new Asia correspondent, James Griffiths, breaks down the politics at play between China, the U.S., Canada and Iran to untangle the threads that link these cases. Send a message to Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig as they near 1,000 days in detention in China. The Globe and Mail is inviting readers to send letters that we will forward to the Chinese embassy in Ottawa. E-mail audience@globeandmail.com or send hard copies to The Globe and Mail Toronto office with “Attn: Two Michaels” on the envelope: 351 King Street East, Suite 1600. Toronto, ON, M5A 0N1 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 13, 2021 · 32 min
Stress Test: What’s a wedding worth?
As a bonus, we're bringing you an episode of Stress Test, a podcast about personal finance from the Globe and Mail, hosted by Rob Carrick and Roma Luciw. The pandemic ruined many wedding plans. But even before that, a culmination of peer pressure and over-the-top consumerism had pushed the cost of weddings sky-high. It’s made some couples ask: What is a wedding worth? We hear from Jasmine, a glamorous but cost-conscious millennial who got married just as the world first shut down during COVID-19. Plus, Karen Cleveland, co-author of the book called The New Wedding Book: A Guide To Ditching All the Rules, talks with Roma about the need to rethink weddings from a personal finance perspective. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 12, 2021 · 18 min
Why Trudeau may want an election to start next week
Canada’s last federal election was in the fall of 2019, and the Liberals won a minority government. Now, as some experts say the fourth wave of the pandemic is upon us as case counts rise thanks to the Delta variant, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is rumoured to be preparing to call an election as early as this Sunday, which would mean an election day in late September. Globe writer at large, John Ibbitson, has been the bureau chief in Ottawa and Washington, D.C for the Globe, and he joins us to explain why he’s expecting an election imminently, why the opposition parties would rather not be campaigning just yet, and how a federal pandemic election might look different— and could even backfire for the Liberals. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 11, 2021 · 22 min
How will the world treat climate refugees?
Monday’s IPCC report brought together the world’s latest science to tell us what we know about what causes climate change and what exactly it’s doing to our planet. It painted a picture of a world becoming, in some areas more than others, harder for people to live in. Millions of people are already displaced each year because of weather events like hurricanes, flooding, drought and extreme heat, that we now know will become more frequent as climate change progresses. Increasingly, experts have predicted mass, permanent migrations caused by climate change in the coming decades. Novelist, journalist and former Globe reporter Omar El Akkad joins the show to talk about this emerging group of climate refugees. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 10, 2021 · 22 min
‘Code red’: What the new IPCC report tells us about our climate future
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the latest scientific knowledge about climate change has been released, detailing how human behaviour and particularly greenhouse gas emissions are the main driver of climate change. Globe science reporter Ivan Semeniuk is back on the show to explain the report’s main findings. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 9, 2021 · 18 min
Investigating the Catholic Church’s wealth
Over the summer, more than 1,200 probable unmarked graves have been located on former residential school sites in Canada, which were mostly run by the Catholic Church of Canada. This has ignited calls for a formal apology from the Church. Globe reporters Tom Cardoso and Tavia Grant have been investigating the Church’s wealth, and Tom joins us to tell us what we know about the Church’s finances, its legal obligation to residential school survivors, and the broader calls for the church to give reparations, and how that money could be used to help heal survivors and their communities. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 5, 2021 · 21 min
Toronto Raptors say goodbye to Kyle Lowry
Beloved Toronto Raptors point guard, Kyle Lowry, announced he’s leaving the team to play for the Miami Heat. Lowry was a big part of the Raptors’ win of the NBA 2019 Championships and fans are sad to see him go. Vivek Jacob, a freelance sports writer, tells us what Lowry’s departure means for the future of the Raptors, his influence on the team’s rise in the NBA, and why fans want to see his statue in front of Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 4, 2021 · 20 min
Why Canada is fighting to save an oil pipeline in Michigan
Beneath the Straits of Mackinac, the connecting waterway between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, lies Enbridge Line 5: a pipeline built in 1953 bringing natural gas and crude from the oil sands in Alberta to refineries in Ontario and Quebec. Opponents of the pipeline worry that it could rupture, poisoning the fresh water supply, blocking shipping routes, and crushing tourism. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered it shut down, but Enbridge refused; they’re now in mediation. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Trudeau is lobbying the Biden administration to keep the pipeline open. Having already blocked Keystone XL, it remains unclear whether Biden will favour shutting down an already-operating pipeline. On today’s show, Globe U.S. correspondent Adrian Morrow joins us to talk about what makes this pipeline battle different, why anti-pipeline activists were able to gather such a broad coalition of supporters, and why shutting down Line 5 could mean higher gas prices for Ontario and Quebec. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- TDAug 3, 2021 · 16 min
Would a four-day work week solve our work-life struggles?
Working four days a week instead of five has often come up as a way people can reclaim some of their time from their employers. But who exactly would benefit from that, especially in the gig economy? And could there be other ways for all employees to regain some control over their work-life balance? Armine Yalnizyan, an economist and an Atkinson Fellow on the future of workers, weighs in on the value of the idea of a four-day work week, and how a major shift in demographics on the horizon could present workers with more power when it comes to lobbying for legislative changes regarding how much time we spend at work. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.