Shows / The Decibel
The Decibel
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.
Episodes
- The Decibel
Introducing the new host of The Decibel
The Decibel welcomes Sherrill Sutherland as the host for the coming year, with a special appearance from Menaka Raman-Wilms. You can get in touch with us at…
The DecibelShould we worry about the gender gap at university?
When 1.5 million university students return to campus this month, men will be noticeably underrepresented in the student body. In 2025, the ratio is about 60…
The DecibelOct. 7 documentary draws TIFF controversy
The Toronto International Film Festival has kicked off, but not without controversy. This year, the premiere of the documentary, “The Road Between Us: The…
The DecibelThe first wave of AI layoffs
Artificial intelligence in the workplace is here to stay. But what does that mean for the job market? While many Canadian companies are embracing the…
- The Decibel
Is it legal to defend yourself if someone breaks into your home?
In August, a man allegedly broke into someone’s home in a small Ontario town. After an altercation, the intruder was hospitalized with life-threatening…
- The Decibel
To save this baby, doctors had to kill part of her brain
Maryam Fatima was born with a condition called hemimegalencephaly, a rare birth defect in which one side of the brain is abnormally large. She suffered from…
- The Decibel
The black market for getting hacked Meta accounts back
Having social media accounts hacked is stressful. Usually, companies have formal channels for users to regain access. But for Meta platforms like Facebook and…
- The Decibel
How kids are getting hooked on gambling through online games
Problem gambling is a real issue in Canada – where reporting shows young people having even higher rates than adults. The increasing monetization of games…
- The Decibel
Canada’s fragmented medical records system
The way medical records are handled in Canada is a patchwork of disconnected systems – creating massive headaches for patients and doctors. Patients struggle…
- The Decibel
Border security bill grants new powers to tighten immigration
Bill C-2, also known as the Strong Borders Act, is one of the first pieces of legislation by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government. The 140-page bill…
- The Decibel
Fossil feud: Paleontologists have a bone to pick with new find
In 2021, mine workers in Morocco made a huge discovery. They found a fossil that scientists believed to be a new species of mosasaur – a large swimming reptile…
- The Decibel
Why tariffs haven’t hit consumer prices hard – yet
When the U.S. first imposed sweeping tariffs on Canada, setting off a trade war, businesses and consumers braced for high inflation. But nearly half a year…
- The Decibel
How the Air Canada strike tested Canada’s labour laws
A national strike by Air Canada flight attendants ended on Tuesday morning, three days after it began. One of the key issues that Air Canada and the Canadian…
- The Decibel
Why Wikipedia might be the last good place on the internet
Since Wikipedia was founded nearly 25 years ago as a free, online encyclopedia, it has consistently ranked as one of the top 10 most visited websites globally…
- The Decibel
Toddlers among Canadians detained by ICE
A Globe and Mail investigation has revealed the extent to which Canadians have been caught up in U.S. President Trump’s immigration crackdown. Analysis of…
- The Decibel
Why Canada’s water security is being threatened by Trump
For decades, scientific research at the Great Lakes has meant close partnership between Canada and the U.S., but President Trump’s latest job cuts may be…
- The Decibel
Why more Western nations are recognizing Palestinian statehood
In late July, French President Emmanuel Macron said France would recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September. The U.K…
- The Decibel
Why an obsession with sleep hygiene might be keeping you awake
The conversation around sleep is shifting. Hustle culture views sleep as a waste of time. But in a culture increasingly focused on health and wellness, sleep…
- The Decibel
Popeyes Chicken, covert surveillance and alleged rotting meat
Popeyes Chicken is one of the most well-known fast food franchises in North America. But its reputation could be tested by a lawsuit alleging that some of the…
- The Decibel
ICE detention and a ‘legal trap’ on the way to Canada
An Afghan family fleeing the Taliban and attempting to join relatives in Canada have been held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention for…
- The Decibel
How a math prodigy-turned-fugitive siphoned millions in crypto
At 18 years old, Andean Medjedovic was a math prodigy, finishing his master’s degree in mathematics at the University of Waterloo before most young Canadians…
- The Decibel
Why the absence of a U.S. trade deal might be a good thing
Canada failed to secure a trade deal with the U.S. by the Aug. 1 deadline. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump raised tariffs on certain Canadian goods to…
- The Decibel
Stressed-out parents are turning to ChatGPT for help
Parents seem to be turning to ChatGPT for advice more and more – but what do robots have to offer when it comes to such a core human relationship? What…
- The Decibel
Restorative justice and the Hockey Canada trial
The Hockey Canada case captivated the country — raising complex questions about consent, hockey culture and even how sports organizations handle accusations of…
- The Decibel
The case for prioritizing rest in the age of burnout
Canadians are not particularly good at resting. According to Statistics Canada data collected between July 2022 and July 2023, people over the age of 15 spent…
- The Decibel
Gazan journalist describes starvation, chaos on the ground
More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid since May. And more than 150 deaths have been attributed to malnutrition, according to the Gaza…
- The Decibel
If you fall for a scam, who should pick up the bill?
Scams are becoming more common and more sophisticated. As quickly as safeguards are developed to protect people, scammers are finding workarounds. And if you…
- The Decibel
Boomers, millennials, Gen Beta: Why do we name generations?
What’s in a name? For the past century, people have clamoured to categorize people by their age and the life events they’ve gone through – but how and why did…
- The Decibel
The state of Canadian tourism in the ‘elbows up’ moment
Travel to the U.S. has plummeted ever since U.S. President Donald Trump started talking about annexing Canada and imposing tariffs on us. Politicians on this…
- The Decibel
Why the players were acquitted in the Hockey Canada trial
On Thursday, five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team were found not guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room after a Hockey Canada…
- The Decibel
What it’s like to be an undocumented migrant in Canada
The population of undocumented migrants living and working in Canada is substantial. And while most of them initially entered the country legally, on visas or…
- The Decibel
Dairy’s outsized political influence and the trade war
Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose 35-per-cent tariffs on imports from Canada starting on Aug. 1. And when it comes to trade…
- The Decibel
How Carney’s historic defence spending could change the economy
Ottawa’s pledge to spend $150-billion annually on defence-related priorities by 2035 is creating big opportunities for the private sector. Several Canadian…
- The Decibel
Ontario colleges see alarming job losses
A new report has found that 19 of Ontario’s 24 publicly-funded colleges have cut more than 8,000 jobs since January 2024, when the new limits on international…
- The Decibel
What happens when your bank dumps you
A connection to a bank is an important financial relationship – between chequing and savings accounts, mortgages and loans, they are crucial for paying off…
- The Decibel
A mixtape of you: the summer of the Great Canadian Playlist
Canadians have been spending a lot of time thinking about identity and their relationship to Canada. As U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war drags on…
- The Decibel
A Canadian died in ICE custody. His family wants answers
In May, a Canadian man, 49-year-old Johnny Noviello, was arrested by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a probation office in Florida. He came…
- The Decibel
Canadian soldiers charged in anti-government militia plot
On July 8, Quebec RCMP arrested four men connected to the Canadian Armed Forces. They are accused of trying to create an extremist militia and planning to…
- The Decibel
What you should know about Canada’s growing tick problem
The problem of ticks, and the diseases they carry are well known. But as the climate becomes warmer, ticks are no longer exclusively found in densely wooded…
- The Decibel
Your new favourite influencer? She’s AI-generated
Influencer profiles often have recognizable hallmarks: their feeds are highly stylized, filled with aspirational content and product placement. One of the…
- The Decibel
Why the Calgary Stampede is this summer’s biggest political event
The 113th Calgary Stampede is in full swing. But the 10-day festival wouldn’t be complete without the biggest names in Canadian politics and business walking…
- The Decibel
How to talk to kids about climate change
The threat and realities of climate change are real and visceral – punishing heat waves, families displaced, towns destroyed by wildfires, dangerous smoke…
- The Decibel
The B.C. billionaire fighting to take over Hudson’s Bay stores
On June 1, Hudson’s Bay – the iconic department store brand whose operation predates the founding of Canada – sold its last striped blanket. Struggling under…
- The Decibel
Canada’s emergency room crisis is worse than we thought
Ever since the pandemic, emergency-room closures have become more common in Canada, especially in rural communities. This can leave people in dangerous…
- The Decibel
The women changing the face of Canadian rodeo
Cowgirls love the rodeo just as much as cowboys, but for the better part of the past century, there’s only been one event for women – until now. Breakaway…
- The Decibel
Making sense of Carney’s tactics in the U.S.-Canada trade talks
Prime Minister Mark Carney set a deadline of July 21 to reach an economic and security deal with the United States after last month’s G7 summit. But…
- The Decibel
Is AI making us dumb?
School is out for summer but this year some educators are wondering how much their students really learned. A KPMG survey found that over half of Canadians…
- The Decibel
The benchmark of housing affordability has changed in Canada
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has said it is no longer possible to return Canada to 2004 levels of housing affordability. We cannot build enough…
- The Decibel
Why cuts to a U.S. inspection agency matter for Canadian food
For months, the “buy Canadian” movement has inspired Canadians to shift their shopping habits away from American goods. While this has mostly been a patriotic…
- The Decibel
Do you feel broke? How to overcome ‘money dysmorphia’
In the social media age, it’s challenging to know what’s ‘normal’ for your finances. How are others able to afford lavish trips and expensive dinners? Are your…
- The Decibel
How Canada fits into the high-stakes NATO summit
This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney has been in Europe for a series of meetings that are focused on strengthening ties. On Monday, he was in Brussels…
- The Decibel
National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak wants Carney to slow down
On Friday, the Liberals’ controversial Bill C-5 was passed by the House of Commons — it’s the only legislation to pass, ahead of Parliament rising for the…
- The Decibel
Threat of wider war looms after U.S. bombs Iran nuclear sites
This weekend, the U.S. struck three Iranian nuclear facilities, as it warned Iran about its nuclear capabilities and attacks against Israel. U.S. President…
- The Decibel
How The Matriarch tackled trauma in the wrestling ring
Sage Morin’s life changed on May 19, 2013. A tragedy altered her family forever, and Sage was left to pick up the pieces, all while navigating her own deep…
- The Decibel
How wildfires are changing the way we think of summer
This year is off to a bad start for wildfires. To date, more than 40,000 people have had to evacuate their homes, and both Manitoba and Saskatchewan declared…
- The Decibel
Trump, Iran-Israel attacks loom large over G7 summit talks
Every year, some of the world’s most powerful leaders meet to discuss political and economic issues in the G7 summit. This year’s meeting, held in Kananaskis…
- The Decibel
Israel-Iran conflict escalates as death toll rises
The long shadow war between Israel and Iran is now out in the open, as pressure mounts over a nuclear peace deal pushed by the U.S. and President Donald Trump…
- The Decibel
Why the job market is hitting new grads especially hard
Right now, the Canadian job market is tough. Unemployment is the highest it’s been since 2016, excluding the pandemic lockdown years. Young people and new…
- The Decibel
The black market for getting hacked Meta accounts back
Having social media accounts hacked is stressful. Usually, companies have formal channels for users to regain access. But for Meta platforms like Facebook and…
- The Decibel
City Space: Why Berliners think expropriation could solve the housing crisis
Is expropriation, or forcing corporations to sell apartments to the government, a way to ease the housing crisis? Berlin seems to think so. In a landmark…