The Decibel

00:22:21

What the current bond market turmoil says about the...

The Decibel ·

2026/09/10

Scary bond market headlines – warnings of an impending financial crisis – have been in the news for weeks now thanks to a rise in U.S. Treasury yields. This market is the bedrock for much of the global financial system and changes in it can ripple across governments and companies and right into people’s bank accounts.Scott Barlow is a columnist for Globe Investor. He explains the worry about the current rising bond yields, what’s behind the increase and what kind of impact it may have on your

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00:18:19

The trade war is heating up. So is foreign investment...

The Decibel ·

2026/09/09

With Canada’s countertariffs coming into effect on roughly $28-billion worth of U.S. goods on Tuesday, the trade war between Canada and the U.S. is heating up. With neither side indicating whether they plan to return to the negotiating table anytime soon, we wanted to look at how Carney’s goal to drum up foreign investment is going.Tim Shufelt is the Globe’s investment reporter. He’s here to talk about whether Carney’s bet on foreign investment is working, which sectors are seeing an increase in

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00:26:45

Violence against teachers is surging

The Decibel ·

2026/09/08

A growing and worrying trend is happening in Canadian schools – student violence against teachers is on the rise. Data from school boards across Canada supports this finding, with one study finding that the modern-day classroom is a hazardous workplace. But the reasons why violence is more common are complex, and educators, school boards and unions aren’t always in agreement on how to fix it.Dave McGinn, The Globe’s education reporter, joins the show to recount the experiences of teachers who’ve

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00:28:22

Canadian professors on how AI is changing education

The Decibel ·

2026/09/04

A big issue hangs over university students and professors, and that’s artificial intelligence. There are some rules and guidelines, but professors are largely left on their own to determine how much they want to adopt AI or not – and that’s created a wide range of opinions.Today, we hear from five Canadian university professors about how they’re thinking about education and students in the world of AI. We speak with Amanda Perry, professor of literature at Champlain College-Saint Lambert and

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00:21:00

A pediatric emergency physician on the risks of...

The Decibel ·

2026/09/03

The popularity of e-scooters on Canadian roads has exploded in recent years. But new data from health officials and the Canadian Paediatric Society shows that the risks of e-scooters can lead to hospitalization and death. Has policy and regulation kept up with how readily available the transportation has become?Dr. Daniel Rosenfield, pediatric emergency physician at SickKids Hospital in Toronto and chair of the Injury Prevention Committee for the Canadian Paediatric Society, joins The Decibel to

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00:25:52

What’s behind the implosion of the B.C. Conservatives

The Decibel ·

2026/09/02

It’s been a turbulent time for the official opposition of the British Columbia provincial legislature, the B.C. Conservative party. After seeing a surge in popularity leading up to the 2024 provincial election, they’ve now lost a third of their sitting members. Seven MLAs have left since mid-August alone.Today, Globe national affairs columnist Gary Mason is on the show. He’ll explain the party’s surprising implosion, how they lost their surge in popularity and what lessons there are for politics in

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00:18:28

How small businesses are handling the trade war

The Decibel ·

2026/09/01

The 50-per-cent tariffs from the U.S. that came into effect on Aug. 22 are hitting a long list of goods — everything from cosmetics and toiletries, to electronics, clothing, and chemicals. For Canadian small businesses selling to the U.S., the levies are having a big impact already; a 50-per-cent tariff means that, for example, a wedding dress that costs $1,000 will now cost $1,500 overnight. A survey from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business this summer, found that 40 per cent of its

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00:18:40

Why people are taking vacations to pick up new skills

The Decibel ·

2026/08/31

The demands of modern life seem to grow every day, leaving little time for people to pursue hobbies. Many Canadians are leaving vacation time unused. In light of this, a growing number of people have started devoting their vacations to intensive workshops, where they can pick up new skills or hone a craft. Toronto-based audio journalist and frequent Decibel producer Allie Graham recently looked into the phenomenon of “skillcations” to find out how people across the country are spending their

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00:30:12

Navigating Canada’s fertility industry

The Decibel ·

2026/08/28

A growing number of Canadians are struggling with fertility, and the business helping people make babies is booming. The global fertility services market was valued at more than $21-billion in 2021 and is projected to more than quadruple by 2031. As more hopeful parents turn toward services like in-vitro fertilization – or IVF – and surrogacy to conceive, Globe investigative journalist Kathryn Blaze Baum worries they may not know exactly what they’re signing up for.Today, Baum shares her first-hand

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00:24:09

At its core, the Canada-U.S. trade dispute is about...

The Decibel ·

2026/08/27

The auto sector is at the heart of trade discussions between Canada and the U.S.Canada’s auto sector has been hit hard over the past year with tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump. How the U.S. was planning on dealing with the auto industry was one of the reasons the trade deal between the two countries fell apart over the weekend. So today, The Globe’s economics reporter, Mark Rendell, explains why trade discussions focus so heavily on the auto industry, what impact the tariffs have had, and

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00:25:57

Canada hits U.S. with retaliatory tariffs

The Decibel ·

2026/08/26

The Canada-U.S. trade war is in full effect.On Tuesday, the federal government announced retaliatory tariffs against the United States. U.S. steel, seafood, dishwashers, forks, and all manner of other things are facing tariffs of 15, 25 or even 50 per cent. These new countertariffs take effect in just two weeks, on Sept. 8 – the same day that President Trump’s new round of tariffs against Canadian goods are set to begin. Jason Kirby, from The Globe’s Report on Business, tells us how Canada is

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00:27:48

Canadian businesses prepare for long-haul trade war

The Decibel ·

2026/08/25

After trade talks broke down between Ottawa and Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump implemented 50-per-cent tariffs on $28-billion dollars worth of Canadian goods. Over the weekend, Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed to retaliate with dollar-for-dollar countertariffs, which are set to take effect after Labour Day. On Monday, President Trump announced the U.S. would also be doubling its tariffs on Canadian auto parts and steel to 50 per cent come Jan. 1, 2027.As the trade war escalates and

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00:24:37

Why Canada’s biggest paid plasma collector has paused...

The Decibel ·

2026/08/24

Plasma is the golden fluid part of the blood and it’s used to make life-saving medications for people with immune deficiencies. In Canada, plasma donors were historically volunteers, for the most part. While paid donation was legal in some provinces, it wasn’t especially common. But in 2022, Canadian Blood Services partnered with Grifols, a Spanish company, to expand paid plasma donation. Now, they operate 17 sites across six provinces. After the deaths of two donors in the past year, however,

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00:37:51

Skinny, Inc. Part 3: Body image in the age of Ozempic

The Decibel ·

2026/08/21

The first episode of Skinny Inc. was all about the science behind GLP-1s, and the second episode was about the business, from the pharmaceutical companies who make GLP-1s to the insurance plans that may or may not cover it.Today, we’re exploring how the so-called “Ozempic era,” affects people’s mental health. First, business owner Maiyhet Burton tells us how using a GLP-1 has helped her body image. Globe health reporter Kelly Grant details how experts are split on the effect of GLP-1s on weight

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00:25:32

Carney’s tricky trade balancing act

The Decibel ·

2026/08/20

Canadians braced for new tariffs on Wednesday. Instead, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would hold off on 50 per cent tariffs for three more days because a “good” trade deal was in the works.The details of the tentative trade deal remain murky. But Prime Minister Mark Carney is insisting that progress is being made and met with his cabinet and Canada’s premiers on Wednesday afternoon. Whatever the deal entails, the Prime Minister faces a difficult balancing act politically. The Globe’s senior

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00:24:35

Foreign actors target Alberta’s separatist referendum

The Decibel ·

2026/08/19

New research from the University of Regina and the University of Alberta provides evidence that Russian content farms and right-wing U.S. influencers are targeting Alberta’s upcoming referendum. Some foreign actors are trying to foment discord in Canada, while others overtly try to persuade Canadians to join the separatist cause. Grant Robertson is an investigative reporter with The Globe. He explains how these campaigns work, what messages these foreign actors are pushing and how ready Alberta –

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00:21:41

The fate of ship crews stuck in the Strait of Hormuz

The Decibel ·

2026/08/18

More than 6,000 ship workers, including some Canadians, have been stranded in the Persian Gulf — some in the Strait of Hormuz — since the war in Iran began at the end of February. Some workers — also known as seafarers — have been stuck on board without pay, or help from their ships’ owners. With little signs of progress on talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the fate of these workers remains unclear. One of the people they turn to for assistance is Mohamed Arrachedi, a co-ordinator for the

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00:24:44

Ticks are spreading more than just Lyme disease

The Decibel ·

2026/08/17

Canada is in the middle of one of its worst seasons for ticks. The tick population and tick-borne diseases are climbing year-over-year, and it’s not just Lyme disease that experts say we should be concerned about. Today, the Globe’s health science reporter Jennifer Yang joins the show to discuss the emergent tick-borne disease causing concern in Canada, why our country’s tick problem is only getting worse, and what we can do to protect ourselves. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at

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00:32:58

Skinny, Inc. Part 2: The big business of Ozempic

The Decibel ·

2026/08/14

GLP-1 medications to treat diabetes, obesity and several other illnesses have exploded in popularity since Ozempic was approved for use in Canada back in 2018. Ozempic and Wegovy, the GLP-1s which contain semaglutide, are the third-most prescribed drug in Canada and by far the bestselling one.Chris Hannay, The Globe’s business of health reporter, will explain why the introduction of generic semaglutide will mean lower prices and more options for Canadians. And we’ll explore access to these drugs

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00:32:45

What it’s like to flee the B.C. wildfires

The Decibel ·

2026/08/13

Summerland, B.C., has been devastated by the Bald Range wildfire. More than 20,000 people have evacuated, and by Wednesday, it had burned 178 square kilometres.The evacuees don’t know when they can return home yet, and many don’t know if their home is standing at all. Today, we bring you conversations with people on the ground about how they fled the fast-moving wildfire, and how they’re coping with uncertainty and loss. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by

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