The Decibel

Nearly two years on, the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act against the 2022 convoy protests is still being debated – politically and legally. This week, a Federal Court judge ruled that the Trudeau government’s invocation of the act was unjustified and violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.The Globe’s senior political reporter Marieke Walsh explains this latest ruling, how this finding is different from last year’s inquiry findings and what this all means for the Trudeau government.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cities in Canada pay for most of the services they provide with property taxes. What homeowners are charged in property taxes – and how much that goes up or down with each budget – has become a political statement, as well as a rallying cry for affordability.Urban affairs reporter Oliver Moore gets at the numbers behind the latest property tax hikes across the country, telling us what they’re paying for, why they are mostly going up – some, like Toronto’s, way up – and what other tools cities have to raise the money they need for services like garbage pickup and park maintenance.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Companies around the world are trying to harness the power of the tides to create a renewable energy source. Canada’s Bay of Fundy is a promising place to do it because it has the highest tides in the world. But turning the tides into energy has proven to be challenging and costly.Matthew MClearn is an investigative reporter and data journalist with The Globe and Mail’s Energy, Natural Resources and Environment Team. He’s on the show to explain how tidal power works and where we’re at in its development.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cases of Invasive Group A Strep infections are on the rise in Canada. It’s an illness with potentially fatal outcomes – four children under 10 have died in British Columbia since mid-December, and six people under the age of 18 died in Ontario in the last three months of 2023.Carly Weeks is a health reporter for the Globe. She’s on the show to talk about how to recognize Invasive Group A Strep infections and why experts believe they’re on the rise.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On Oct. 23, 2023, five hospitals in southwestern Ontario realized they were under attack. A cybercrime group was hacking them in order to hold patient and employee information hostage. The hack resulted in all of the hospitals shutting down their systems, causing massive delays in care, backlogging tests and requiring some patients to travel for care.Karen Howlett, an investigative reporter at The Globe, has been looking into how hackers were able to get into the hospitals’ shared IT system and steal over 250,000 patient records.Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Canada’s birth rate is at an almost 20-year low. People are deciding not to have kids for a variety of reasons and the pandemic has only intensified this drop. While Millennials and GenZ’s are saying no to kids, the declining birth rate is leaving their parents with an identity crisis: Baby boomers coming to terms with a future without grandkids.The Globe’s Zosia Bielski recently looked into the rising trend of grandchildless boomers. She explains what this new normal means for family dynamics and the pressures that come along with it.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Canada's rapid population growth and the strain it puts on the country's living standards and infrastructure. The rise of temporary residents and the economic motives behind it. The concept of Canada's 'population trap' and the need for policy changes. Criticism of Canada's immigration policy and suggestions for improvement. The impact of immigration on affordability, housing, healthcare, and services.

The podcast explores the Steven Galloway case, including the allegations and investigation. It also delves into Galloway's defamation suit and the repercussions of the recent ruling. The podcast addresses the underreporting of sexual assault cases and the tragic consequences. Overall, it provides a comprehensive analysis of the case and its impact.

Ontario’s Ring of Fire has long been believed to contain critical minerals like nickel, copper and chromite, purportedly worth tens of billions of dollars. But for more than a decade, there has been no development. This is in part because of a long process of assessments and consultations happening, much of which involve First Nations communities who live on the Ring of Fire land.Niall McGee is the Globe’s mining reporter and he explains how the leader of one First Nation in the area is pushing to allow for the mining of the Ring of Fire and why he sees it as important for reconciliation.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Snowy season in many parts of Canada is off to a slow start. At the end of December, fewer than half of Whistler Blackcomb’s trails in British Columbia were open due to the lack of snow. And the Prairie provinces are expected to have a milder winter, with below-normal snowfall. While the amount of snow varies from year to year, a new study says snowpack – the volume of snow that is present on the landscape – in the Northern Hemisphere is on the decline because of climate change.Ivan Semeniuk is The Globe’s science reporter. He’s on the show to explain how this loss will impact not only ski season but also water supplies and agriculture.Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.