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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1,334 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes1334

Newest first

Jun 24, 2021 · 18 min
Ticks: the ‘bags of blood with feet’ that you should know about
For Dr. Vett Lloyd, there really is nothing good about a tick. That’s why she studies them. After getting bit herself and developing Lyme disease, Dr. Lloyd made it her life’s work to understand these parasitic vectors to help others avoid these creatures and the potentially life-altering disease they can pass on. As we head off into nature this summer, the need for tick prevention is more urgent than ever as tick populations grow thanks to climate change. Dr. Lloyd shares her tips on how to avoid getting bitten, what to do if you do find a tick on you, a loved one or your pet and why there isn’t a vaccine against Lyme disease on the market. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 23, 2021 · 21 min
Why were two scientists fired from a Winnipeg virus lab?
The head of the Public Health Agency of Canada defied an order of the House of Commons on Monday, refusing to provide unredacted documents about the dismissal of two scientists from Canada’s high-security infectious disease laboratory. Opposition members are hoping the documents will explain why Xiangguo Qiu and her husband, Keding Cheng, were fired from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg in January. Bob Fife, Ottawa Bureau Chief, discusses what The Globe and Mail has learned so far about why the scientists were fired, why there’s a need for government transparency in this case and who gets to decide what information the public has access to. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 22, 2021 · 20 min
How long does COVID-19 immunity last?
Nearly 20 per cent of people in Canada have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, making almost all of them immune to the virus. But how long will that immunity last? The answer to that question will dictate what the years ahead will look like for us as we fight to put the pandemic behind us. Globe and Mail science reporter Ivan Semeniuk on what scientists have learned about the way our bodies develop immunity to the novel coronavirus, how long it might last and why we might be getting regular COVID-19 vaccines in the years to come. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 21, 2021 · 19 min
Hotel Rwanda hero’s trial, and how we remember the genocide
The genocide in Rwanda shocked the world in 1994, and since then the country has been praised for its recovery. But the trial of Paul Rusesabagina – the central character in the Hollywood movie Hotel Rwanda – is just the latest example of the Rwandan government cracking down on its dissidents, according to prominent human rights groups. The Globe’s Africa correspondent, Geoffrey York, has investigated allegations that the Rwandan government was behind the assassination of its dissidents, and explains why controlling the narrative about the genocide is so important to President Paul Kagame – and how many Western countries and people get it wrong. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 18, 2021 · 14 min
A father’s advice to his children on the other side of the world
When Ethan Lou unexpectedly found himself quarantining with his uncle in Beijing, he learned that his uncle was trying to bridge the distance between him and his children living in the United States by sending them near-daily emails of advice. Lou adapted that writing into an essay, which he reads for us on the show. Correction: An earlier version of these show notes incorrectly said Ethan Lou and his uncle were quarantining in Wuhan. In fact, they were in Beijing. This version has been corrected. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 17, 2021 · 24 min
The Green Party’s identity crisis
A defection. Calls for a leader’s resignation. Internal fighting. The Green Party of Canada is in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. On Friday, former Green MP Jenica Atwin crossed the floor to join the Liberals after a clash with her party over her position on the Israel-Palestine fighting. By Monday, some factions of the Greens were calling on their new leader, Annamie Paul, to step down. On Wednesday, Ms. Paul stood firm and accused both members of her own party’s executive and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of trying to subvert her and the vision she campaigned on. Political reporter Marieke Walsh joins host Tamara Khandaker to explain why this is all happening, what led up to it and how underneath it all there is a bigger struggle within the party about what it is and what it wants to be. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 16, 2021 · 21 min
After the Julie Payette scandal, the search for a new Governor General
Six months after former astronaut Julie Payette resigned from the role of Governor General of Canada, Trudeau has yet to find her permanent replacement. Globe political reporter Kristy Kirkup tells us what the job entails, why Julie Payette resigned, and who the government might choose next. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 15, 2021 · 19 min
Could hydrogen revive Alberta’s energy sector?
With the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline and the increasing pressures of climate change, transitioning Alberta from an oil-based economy is feeling more and more urgent. Hydrogen fuel may end up playing a transformative role for the energy-producing province. Emma Graney, The Globe’s energy reporter, gives listeners a primer on hydrogen: the different ways it’s made, how it plays into governments’ net-zero-emission goals and why Canada thinks it could become a world leader in this growing energy sector. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 14, 2021 · 24 min
State surveillance, press freedom and covering China
As a correspondent based in Beijing, Nathan VanderKlippe prepares to leave his post after eight years and return to Canada. He talks about the changes he has seen and felt while covering China – and Asia – for The Globe and Mail. He shares stories of being followed in Xinjiang by the Chinese state while covering the treatment of Uyghurs, and talks about the ethical responsibilities journalists face when talking to sources under intense state surveillance. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 11, 2021 · 26 min
Tension in East Jerusalem as Israel awaits a new government
The Globe and Mail’s European Bureau Chief Eric Reguly is in East Jerusalem, covering a very tense moment in Israel’s history. While last month’s ceasefire has held, the dispute over home ownership in the city’s Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighbourhood continues. Some Palestinian families are already being evicted from their homes in favour of Jewish settlers. Protests around these developments have erupted. Conflicts between neighbours have been captured on social media. Police and Israeli officers are stationed in the streets. Meanwhile, tensions are also high in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. Eight parties are attempting to form a coalition government that could oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and end his 12 years of rule. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 10, 2021 · 23 min
‘Everybody needs to look in the mirror’: London, Ont.’s Islamophobia problem
Police charged a man on Monday for hitting an entire family with his truck on Sunday night in London, Ontario, alleging that he did it intentionally because of their Muslim faith. Four members of the Afzaal family died, leaving the only survivor and youngest child, a boy named Fayez, seriously hurt in hospital. An outpouring of grief from the community and across the country followed; a vigil held Tuesday saw leaders from the three major parties speak. But many Muslims say they don’t feel safe now, and not for the first time. On the show, we’ll hear from two London residents who share their stories about experiencing and witnessing racism in London, and what needs to happen to move the conversation forward on Islamophobia in Canada. Javeed Sukhera is a child psychiatrist, an associate professor at Western University’s medical school, and the outgoing chair of the London Police Services Board. Jeff Bennett was the Ontario PC Party candidate for London West in 2014 and wrote about the Islamophobia he witnessed on the campaign trail in a Facebook post that went viral. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 9, 2021 · 20 min
Will the Pope apologize for residential schools?
On Sunday, Pope Francis prayed for Indigenous families, addressing the announcement that remains of children were found in unmarked gravesites at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. But despite calls from survivors, some Catholics, and even the Prime Minister to do so, the Pope did not apologize for the Church’s role in running many residential schools. Tavia Grant is a reporter for The Globe and Mail, and joins us to discuss why survivors have struggled to hold the church accountable. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 8, 2021 · 24 min
The politics of trees in Fairy Creek, B.C.
Three First Nations have deferred the logging of old-growth forest in and around Fairy Creek, B.C. This follows months of blockading by environmental activists to stop logging roads being built by forestry company Teal Jones Group, which brought an injunction against the protesters that led to over 170 arrests by RCMP. Meanwhile, Premier John Horgan’s NDP government has signalled through an intention paper possible legislation to put more of the province’s logging industry under Indigenous nations’ control. Justine Hunter is the Globe’s B.C. legislative reporter based in Victoria, and has been covering the tensions around harvesting old-growth forests for decades. She’ll tell us about divisions within the NDP, the changing landscape around Indigenous sovereignty over traditional lands, battling climate change and high lumber prices all converging in the pristine valley of Fairy Creek. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 7, 2021 · 18 min
Power Gap: How progress has stalled for female academics
Women have been graduating from university at higher rates than men for decades but are still under-represented in the best-paid jobs, like university deans and full professors. Reporter Robyn Doolittle shares insights from the new investigation she did with Chen Wang, analyzing salaries of Ontario professors over the last 20 years. She also talks about structural issues that explain why women are getting stuck in the lower ranks of professorships at many Canadian post-secondary institutions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 4, 2021 · 20 min
In Kamloops with Tanya Talaga
Tanya Talaga is an Anishinaabe journalist, speaker and columnist for The Globe. After being invited by the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, Tanya travelled to Kamloops, B.C., to report on the Nation’s announcement that ground-penetrating radar had located 215 unmarked gravesites near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. The number for the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is 1-866-925-4419. British Columbia has a First Nations and Indigenous Crisis Line offered through the KUU-US Crisis Line Society, toll-free at 1-800-588-8717. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 3, 2021 · 17 min
A conversation with a doctor who helps people die
Dr. Konia Trouton is a physician in Victoria, B.C., who provides medical assistance in dying, also known as MAID. She describes the process, discusses recent changes to the laws around MAID and how that may change her practice, and why we need to become more comfortable with talking about dying. You can read her opinion essay on MAID here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 2, 2021 · 20 min
The last big battle over oil?
How did a junior oil company from Calgary end up at the heart of a dispute over wildlife preservation in Namibia? Energy reporter Emma Graney talks about the effort by a company called Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. to drill for oil in Namibia’s Okavango Delta area, at a time when governments and investors are looking toward a future without fossil fuel consumption to stop climate change. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jun 1, 2021 · 29 min
Canada’s lost residential school children
The remains of 215 children were found on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. Residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad tells us the significance of this discovery. Plus, Stephanie Scott and Raymond Frogner of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation explain the history of residential schools in Canada. The number for the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is 1-866-925-4419. British Columbia has a First Nations and Indigenous Crisis Line offered through the KUU-US Crisis Line Society, toll-free at 1-800-588-8717. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
May 31, 2021 · 22 min
Pregnant with COVID-19: Why moms-to-be are filling ICUs
Two women got COVID-19 while in their third trimester of pregnancy and landed in the ICU, isolated from their newborn babies. They tell their stories, plus national health reporter Kelly Grant on why COVID-19 hits pregnant people harder and why doctors recommend getting vaccinated if you’re expecting. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
May 28, 2021 · 16 min
Are the kids alright? The pandemic and learning loss
Remote learning has allowed for education to continue in the COVID-19 pandemic, but at what cost? Some students are lost and disengaged, parents are exhausted trying to help and many teachers feel frustrated. Caroline Alphonso, The Globe and Mail’s education reporter, talks about the barriers different kinds of kids face, what educators know about how far behind students are sliding in basic skills like reading, and what schools are doing to try to help. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.