The Decibel

A recent report from the Canadian Cancer Society underlines a troubling trend: cervical cancer is on the rise and seeing its most significant increase in nearly 40 years. Despite having a vaccine against HPV – the predominant cause of the cancer – hundreds of Canadian women are dying every year.The Globe’s national health reporter Carly Weeks joins the podcast to explain what experts think should do to help prevent the rise of cervical cancer cases in Canada.Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

As storms become more frequent and more severe, insurance claims for damage to homes are piling up. Disaster claims in Canada have more than quadrupled over the past 15 years, accounting for more than $3-billion of insured losses in 2022 – up from just $400-million in 2008, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.Clare O’Hara is a journalist with The Globe’s Report on Business and she covers the insurance industry. She explains the relationship between climate change, insurance companies and your growing home insurance bill.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year, there have been concerns about Ukrainian children, and the efforts by Russia to send them to summer camps or to foster homes within Russia.The Globe’s senior international correspondent, Mark MacKinnon, brings us the story of two siblings separated by this practice and how a sister travelled more than 1,000 km, crossing borders, to try to bring her brother back home.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

Rob Carrick, The Globe's personal finance columnist, answers pressing personal finance questions, including navigating the housing affordability issue, benefits of FHSA for homebuyers, struggles faced by renters, job market impact on personal finances, and the importance of saving money and building an emergency fund.

After a very public and heated battle with the federal government, Google has come to an agreement to support Canadian news to the tune of $100 million a year. Countries around the world have been watching this play out in Canada, as they try to tackle the imbalance between tech giants and media outlets.Taylor Owen, founding director of The Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy and an associate professor at McGill University, joins us today. He explains the details of the deal, and what precedent it sets for other places looking to bring in similar legislation.Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

Data editor Mahima Singh and personal finance reporter Salmaan Farooqui from The Globe and Mail discuss ranking Canada's most livable cities. They explore factors like affordability, safety, education, and access to amenities and healthcare. Victoria, BC takes the top spot despite housing shortages. The podcast delves into the methodology of the rankings, the impact of demographics, climate, and amenities on city rankings, and the preference of immigrants for mid-sized cities.

On Tuesday, a walkout and rally at York University’s campus in Toronto saw 200 faculty and staff protesting the administration’s decision to suspend three employees, including one professor. The employees were charged for their alleged involvement in defacing an Indigo bookstore. It’s the latest incident involving a Canadian university where the Israel-Hamas war has created conflict on campus.The Globe’s post-secondary education reporter Joe Friesen is on the show to explain why university campuses are a flashpoint of spillover tensions from the Israel-Hamas war and why it’s testing how free speech is handled at universities.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

Binance is the world’s largest crypto trading platform and its founder is the most recent crypto leader to be charged criminally in the U.S. That man – Changpeng Zhao – also happens to be Canada’s richest person.But despite his guilty plea to money-laundering charges, the reaction from the crypto industry has been much more muted than when FTX collapsed and its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, was charged. Ethan Lou is an editor in The Globe’s Report on Business and explains what’s going on and why multiple crypto bosses have been charged recently.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

Last week, a far-right party and its controversial leader in the Netherlands won a surprising election victory. This comes on the heels of several other European countries that are seeing far-right parties become more popular.Today, The Globe’s international affairs columnist Doug Saunders explains why we’re seeing this shift to the far-right and what it will mean for European politics.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) numbers revealed what BMO’s chief economist calls the “new villain” of inflation: rent. While inflation is finally cooling for items such as groceries, the price for renting a place to live has increased 8.2 per cent – the largest increase in more than 40 years.Matt Lundy is an economics reporter with The Globe’s Report on Business. He’s on the show to explain why rents keep climbing and whether there’s any relief in sight.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com