The Decibel

In 2018, The Globe’s telecom industry reporter Alexandra Posadzki was hacked via a cell phone scam known as SIM swapping. This allowed the hacker to assume her identity and correspond with her friends and my family. The ordeal left her feeling unsettled and wondering just how common this type of fraud is in Canada.The answers, as Posadzki found out, weren’t readily available. She had to file an access to information request to get the first-ever glimpse into the prevalence of these types of attacks in Canada. She’s on the show to explain what she found out, how you can try to prevent this fraud from happening to you and why there needs to be more transparency around what measures are being taken to stop it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

More than 4,000 care home residents have died in Quebec during the pandemic, but not all were directly due to COVID-19. Some were left to languish – without food, water or basic sanitary care – during the first wave of the pandemic and essentially died of neglect. The most infamous example was a home called Résidence Herron, where 47 of the 139 residents passed away after the home’s staff disappeared once the novel coronavirus struck.A coroner’s inquest that has included public testimony has clarified the details of the tragedies that unfolded and chaos inside these care homes. National reporter Tu Thanh Ha discusses the disastrous chain of events that led to a collapse of care, causing the undignified deaths of many seniors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As Canada marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we remember its origin in Orange Shirt Day, and explore how to meaningfully measure progress toward reconciliation.One way: The Canadian Reconciliation Barometer, developed by Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers. Katherine Starzyk is a psychology professor at the University of Manitoba and principal investigator on the project, and Ry Moran is a collaborator, member of the Red River Metis and the associate university librarian-reconciliation at the University of Victoria. They’ll help explain what exactly the project is measuring, and how this gauge can be used to inform the conversation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Marie Henein is one of Canada’s most famous criminal defence lawyers. Her successful career is highlighted by her representation of well-known clients most notably, former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi. This has also made her a polarizing figure. Defending Ghomeshi against sexual assault charges – which he was acquitted thanks to her work – garnered public backlash. She was even accused of being a traitor to her gender.In a new book, Nothing But The Truth: A Memoir, Henein details her journey from her childhood in Egypt to her high-profile legal career. She sat down with Robyn Doolittle to discuss what she thinks needs to change in our justice system, how growing up surrounded by strong women has shaped her and her thoughts on the future of the #MeToo movement. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After spending more than a 1,000 days in Chinese detention, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor arrived back in Canada on Saturday. Just hours earlier, Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested in Vancouver’s airport in 2018 on charges related to violating U.S. sanctions, returned to China after a deal was reached with U.S. prosecutors. These events signal a swift and dramatic end to what has been a tumultuous time for Canada and China’s relationship.Yves Tiberghien, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia, explains the details of the deal, why he thinks it left Canada looking admirable on the world stage, and why China’s history made Meng’s return to China strike such a chord with the Chinese public. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There’s a four-lane bridge that separates Del Rio, Texas from Acuña, Mexico. As far as border crossings go, it’s not that remarkable. But until this Friday, the scene had looked more like a refugee camp for most of September as thousands of migrants gathered there with hopes of getting into the United States.The Globe’s Nathan Vanderklippe went to visit the migrant camp at this spot along the U.S.-Mexico border. There he spoke to Haitian migrants, many of whom travelled for months from South America to get there and then found themselves staring down the prospect of being deported back to their homeland. Nathan is on the show to share their stories and how the U.S. is handling yet another immigrant dilemma. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What do you do when your depression doesn’t respond to traditional treatments? Especially when that depression is severe and causes suicidal thoughts? For author Anna Mehler Paperny, that meant turning to ketamine.Often thought of as just a party drug, evidence for the use of ketamine as a treatment for depression is growing. Anna details her journey navigating the new treatment as a patient, examining how the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs has changed the way we understand the brain and depression.If you are having thoughts of suicide, call Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or Crisis Service Canada at 1-833-456-4566, or visit crisisservicescanada.ca. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

China’s second-largest property developer, Evergrande, owes about US$300-billion in liabilities, sparking fears that the property developer could default. But would Beijing allow such a huge company to fail?The Globe’s Asia correspondent James Griffiths explains how Evergrande became a behemoth in a real estate market overrun with speculation, and why its current trouble started partly because of new government crackdowns on inequality in China. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There is a reckoning happening on campus at Western University. The London, Ont., post-secondary institution is reeling after allegations that young women were drugged and sexually assaulted started spilling out over social media following its orientation week earlier this month.Now the university is pledging to do something, not just to make students feel safer on campus but to address the underlying cultural issues that have led to this situation. The Globe and Mail’s postsecondary education reporter, Joe Friesen, is on the show with Hope Mahood, the co-ordinating news editor for Western’s student paper, the Western Gazette. They discuss the mood at the university now, what pressures the university administration is facing and what promises are being made. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Canada won their third straight election, but failed to capture a majority mandate in Canada’s 44th federal election. By early Tuesday morning, the results nearly mirrored the seat count when parliament was dissolved.So now the question that is being asked is: Was the campaign worth it? Political columnist and writer at-large John Ibbitson and parliamentary reporter Kristy Kirkup join to discuss this, and break down what happened on election night and what it means for the country.You can find more coverage of the results in the days after the election at www.theglobeandmail.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.