The Decibel

Trump in China: Iran war, Taiwan and trade tensions

15 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to China to meet President Xi Jinping this week is full of jeopardy. From tense talks over trade and tariffs, th...

The big business of romance novels

14 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Once relegated to paperback stands in grocery stores, the business of romance novels is hot right now – especially in Canada. In a moment when book ...

A reality check on hantavirus risk in Canada

13 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This month, the World Health Organization linked a hantavirus outbreak to a cruise ship in the south Atlantic. Since the outbreak, three people have d...

Making sense of a stock market that doesn’t make sense right now

12 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From trade wars to the war in Iran, there has been a lot of geopolitical tension in the world. This can sometimes cause jitters on the stock market, b...

Why are drug deaths rising in Edmonton, but falling elsewhere?

11 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Canada has seen a decline in deaths related to drug overdose the past two years. But the reality at the local level is a little more complicated. In s...

The pressure is on for Canada to meet growing energy demand

08 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The war in Iran has radically changed the way that oil and gas moves around the globe. Since the war began, North American energy exports – such as ...

Saudi Arabia’s vision for its future is crumbling

07 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Saudi Arabia has spent a decade pouring billions into investments to modernize their finance, entertainment, sports, technology and tourism industries...

Alberta separatist campaign faces legal hurdles

06 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week marked an important milestone in the separatist campaign in Alberta. After months of getting people to sign their petitions to trigger a ref...

What does Canada gain by hosting the new global defence bank?

05 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Canada has spent the last year shoring up defence spending. Now a new multilateral financial institution, the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, i...

Canadian professors on how AI is changing education

04 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A big issue hangs over university students and professors, and that’s artificial intelligence. There are some rules and guidelines, but professors a...

A food economist’s case against public grocery stores

01 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Food affordability remains a priority for many Canadians. This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government unveiled the spring economic update. It...

Where your money ends up after a scam

30 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Once scammers successfully steal someone’s money, they need a place to stash it. So they are buying verified Canadian bank accounts in order to laun...

Takeaways from the Liberals’ first economic update as a majority

29 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Liberals’ spring economic update lays out $54-billion in new spending over six years, including $6-billion towards boosting employment in the tr...

The first Canadian effectively cured of HIV

28 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Only 10 HIV patients worldwide are known to have achieved the milestone of being in prolonged remission. Soon, a Toronto patient will be part of the h...

First, the Alberta health scandal. Then the surveillance began

27 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It began with a whistle-blower alleging government interference in Alberta Health Services’ contracting process and its connections to a medical sup...

INTERSECT/26: John Bolton on Canadian military defence

26 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Globe columnist Andrew Coyne interviews former U.S. ambassador and national security adviser John Bolton at The Globe and Mail’s INTERSECT/26 forum ...

The Alberta government is accused of gerrymandering

24 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Alberta government is drawing controversy over electoral politics. They’re being accused of gerrymandering – the practice of redrawing voting ...

Drones and the future of Canada’s military industry

23 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Robotics and drones are now leading the charge in modern warfare, reshaping battlefields in Ukraine and on the Strait of Hormuz. The Canadian military...

The next step in Carney’s invest-in-Canada plan

22 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The big sell is on. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has promised to raise $500-billion dollars of private investment over the next five year...

Big changes in Ontario’s education system

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, Ontario introduced new legislation proposing sweeping changes to education in the province – from how school boards are managed, to havin...

The violent incidents and menacing texts targeting waste giant GFL

20 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For the last year and a half, the talk of construction sites and Bay Street was about a string of violent incidents targeting GFL, the waste managemen...

Why Canadian movies are having a moment

17 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this year, a report on domestic box office data for 2025 revealed that Canadian films brought in $13.9 million last year. Compared to $23.5-mi...

Who are the people hacking hackers?

16 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Ransomware attacks have become more prominent in recent years, with major breaches of hospitals, like Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children in 2022, ...

Mark Carney’s majority moment

15 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

More than a year after 2025’s federal election, the Liberal Party now has a majority government. Monday’s federal by-elections – a clean sweep f...

The future of free trade in North America

14 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The deadline to renew the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement – the agreement that governs free trade in North America, also known as the USMCA –...

What you need to know about taxes as the CRA aims to improve

13 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It’s tax season again, an often tedious time dreaded by many Canadians. But this tax season could be different. After ongoing concerns around slow a...

Iran’s power grows ahead of peace talks as Gulf remains on edge

10 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On Friday, negotiators from the U.S., Israel and Iran are set to talk in Pakistan about the future of the war. The Gulf Arab states, who have been att...

Groceries, airfare and EVs: the war is changing how we spend

09 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

After the U.S., Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on Tuesday night, oil prices eased on Wednesday. Many details of the ceasefire remain unclear –...

Another crucial strait that could strangle the global economy

08 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of attention has been given to the Strait of Hormuz amid Iran’s closure in response to attacks by the U.S. and Israel. But another key strait ...

Saskatchewan’s new massive ‘pink gold’ mine

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Australian mining company BHP has made the largest investment in the company’s history in Saskatchewan, opening the province’s biggest potash mine...

Navigating Canada's fertility industry

06 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A growing number of Canadians are struggling with fertility, and the business helping people make babies is booming. The global fertility services mar...

Why some doctors are critical of B.C.’s new health care regulations

02 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

April 1 marked the start of a new regime to regulate health care in B.C. – the first overhaul of the system in 30 years. The Globe’s health report...

Artemis II: A Canadian heads to the dark side of the moon

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

April 1st marks the earliest possible date that lunar mission Artemis II could lift off. Decades have passed since humans last visited the moon. After...

Can Avi Lewis bring the NDP back to life?

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On Sunday, the New Democratic Party elected Avi Lewis as its new leader. He takes the reins of a political party still reeling from losses in last yea...

Prediction trading is coming to Canada

30 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prediction trading is exploding in popularity, with the industry set to rake in about US$2 billion in revenue this year alone. Companies like Kalshi a...

To ban or not to ban: Canadian teens weigh in on social media

27 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week, decisions in two landmark trials in the U.S. found social media companies responsible for harms to youth on their platforms. They follow ye...

How the war in Iran exposes the limits of China’s influence

26 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Since the U.S. and Israel first attacked Iran almost a month ago, the ripple effects of the war have been felt globally. The closure of the Strait of ...

How sweeping cuts could impact Canada’s public sector

25 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The federal government is hoping to make room for the new spending outlined in last year’s budget by making cuts across the public sector. The goal ...

The trouble with enforcing Canadian food labels

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Amid threats of annexation and U.S.-imposed tariffs, Canadians are using their dollars to purchase Canadian goods. However, consumer complaints about ...

The landmark case over rights and freedoms at the Supreme Court

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today, a case involving Quebec’s use of the notwithstanding clause is going before the Supreme Court of Canada. In the last decade, many provinces h...

How much AI music is in your playlist?

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What does it mean to create music? Would you be able to tell if the sounds you were listening to weren’t made or sung by a human? Artists and suppor...

What war in Iran means for Canadian oil

19 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Since the U.S. and Israel started a war with Iran, the price of oil has spiked. That’s largely because oil tankers are no longer travelling through ...

Why holding government to account in Ontario could get harder

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Late last week, the Ontario government announced it would introduce legislation exempting the Premier, cabinet ministers and their offices from respon...

Behind schedule and over budget: Why do we keep building LRTs?

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Building cities for the future means building a lot more public transit – and lately, Canadian cities have been planning LRTs, or light rail transit...

An analysis of Mark Carney’s first year as Prime Minister

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been one year since Mark Carney became Prime Minister. He was long known as a technocrat, having held the position of central banker for both C...

Why Israel’s war with Iran is spreading to Lebanon

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On February 28th, the US and Israel struck Iran – and Iran fired back at military bases and allies in the region. The war has since dominated global...

How the towing industry is linked to police corruption

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A wide-scale investigation into police corruption in Ontario – Project South – led to the arrests of 27 people, including seven Toronto Police Ser...

Voices from the Iranian diaspora in Canada

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Members of Canada’s Iranian community have been living through a complex set of emotions since the United States and Israel started a war with Iran ...

Tumbler Ridge shooting highlights B.C.’s mental health deserts

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A month has passed since the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., where eight people were killed by 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who then turned...

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

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 compa...

Why a sleep doctor says we should never change our clocks again

08 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On Sunday, most Canadians lose an hour of sleep as the clocks get turned forward to daylight time. But while most of us have gotten used to the bi-ann...

What Canada needs to learn from Alabama

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to one economic indicator, Canada is lagging behind one of the U.S.’s poorest states: Alabama. And while GDP per capita is an imperfec...

After years of hostility, Carney defrosts relations with India

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prime Minister Mark Carney finished his trip to India this week, marking the start of what he says is a new partnership between the two countries. The...

How the war against Iran is choking global energy supply

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Since the U.S. and Israel first struck Iran on Saturday, energy prices have been on the rise. Oil prices are up around 13 per cent, and LNG – liquef...

What the U.S.-Israel attacks mean for Iranian leadership

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. and Israel are continuing attacks on Iran for the fourth day. Iran’s leadership has been devastated, hundreds have been killed and retaliat...

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

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You can listen to the first episode of this three-part series here. GLP-1 medications to treat diabetes, obesity and several other illnesses have expl...

The argument for AI regulation after Tumbler Ridge

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Months before the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., earlier this month, the shooter was banned from OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, for violat...

Winners and losers after a year of Trump tariffs

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday night, U.S. President Donald Trump touted his tariff regime, after a Supreme Court decision that severely limited his ability to impose tar...

Mexico’s uneasy balance of power between cartels and government

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday, Canadian airlines began to resume operations in Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. They had been suspended days earlier after the Mexican ar...

The payout and relationship that led to crisis at a pension plan

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It began with three executives from the CAAT Pension Plan raising concerns over a $1.6-million vacation payout and a relationship between the CEO and ...

Skinny, Inc. part 1: the Canadian connection to Ozempic

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Daniel Drucker’s research helped pave the way for Ozempic, the blockbuster GLP-1 class drug. The endocrinologist has been researching the effect...

Margaret Atwood and Michael Crummey on ‘The Art of the Story’

22 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A conversation between two acclaimed Canadian authors – Margaret Atwood and Michael Crummey on ‘The Art of the Story’. A live discussion about w...

What would a stronger trade relationship with Mexico look like?

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Minister for Canada-U.S. Trade Dominic LeBlanc, led a trade delegation to Mexico. He was joined by government and industry officials, as we...

Carney’s plan to expand Canada’s defence industry

19 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

As part of its plan to remake the Canadian Armed Forces, the federal government earmarked $6.6-billion over five years in the fall budget for its Defe...

What social media for AI bots can tell us about consciousness

18 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Much has been made about a new social media platform called Moltbook, where AI agents are posting and appear to be interacting with each other. Some s...

Why Carney and Ford are talking about a federal election

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Globe exclusively reported that Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford discussed the possibility of a snap federal election this...

Defying time and biology: the Olympic skater making history

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Canadian figure skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek will make history this weekend at the age of 42, as the oldest female figure skater to compete in the Oly...

On the ground in Tumbler Ridge, after the mass shooting

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Tuesday’s deadly mass shooting in the community of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, marks the second deadliest school shooting in Canadian history. ...

How police corruption allegations erode trust in justice system

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Ontario’s Inspector-General announced it is launching a provincewide review of corruption among police services in the wake of the arrest...

Carney shifts gears on EV and climate policies

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The federal government recently announced that it is scrapping the zero emissions vehicle mandate – brought in by the Trudeau government in 2022. Ze...

Ontario pushes to allow retail access to risky investments

09 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Ontario’s securities watchdog is facing pressure from the Ontario government to open up access to high-risk investments, called private asset funds,...

What’s at stake for Canada at the Milan Cortina Winter Games

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games begin on Friday. The Olympics are always a time to rally behind your country, but this year cheering on Team Canad...

Voices from inside Alberta’s separatist movement

05 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Canvassers are currently collecting signatures for a petition in Alberta that could trigger a referendum on whether Albertans want to remain a part of...

What happened to $10-a-day child care?

04 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The federal government’s Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program was meant to bring child care fees down to $10 per day and create 284,000...

U.S. and Iran weigh diplomacy as warships head for the Gulf

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last few weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened military intervention in Iran – first over the Islamic Republic’s t...

Why road salt causes Canada billions in damage each year

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Snow and ice is a fact of life in a long, Canadian winter. So are the millions of tonnes of salt that is used to combat it on roads across the country...

Why your grocery bill is still so high

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Inflation in Canada has stabilized, but food inflation is continuing to rise. Food prices rose 5 per cent in 2025, and some items saw much larger incr...

Drug decriminalization is over in B.C. What’s next?

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

British Columbia’s drug decriminalization pilot program will end on January 31st. The controversial program was introduced in 2023, but was criticiz...

How Minnesota is fighting ICE on the ground — and in the courts

28 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Some of the 3,000 federal agents in Minnesota are set to leave following the killings of U.S. citizens Renee Nicole Macklin Good and Alex Pretti. ICE ...

Alleged drug kingpin Ryan Wedding arrested

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan Wedding, former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug lord, is pleading not guilty to U.S. federal charges of leading an international...

What you need to know as Parliament resumes

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a busy month abroad for Prime Minister Mark Carney, but now, he’ll have to turn his focus back to domestic issues as Parliament returns ...

Happy Enough: Can psychedelics improve your mental health?

24 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Psychedelics, substances like LSD and psilocybin mushrooms that cause altered states of consciousness, often remind people of hippies in the 1960s. Bu...

How the world changed this week at Davos

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump made waves in Davos, Switzerland as both offered competing visions of a new worl...

What Carney’s China trade deal means for EVs in Canada

22 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

As part of Canada’s new trade deal with China, 49,000 Chinese-manufactured electric vehicles will be allowed to be sold in the Canadian market this ...

Military models invasion of Canada as Trump threatens Greenland

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

As U.S. President Donald Trump has continued to ratchet up threats against Greenland, Canada has weighed plans to send soldiers there as part of a NAT...

What Legault’s resignation means for Quebec

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, Quebec Premier François Legault announced his resignation amidst plummeting poll numbers, while acknowledging Quebeckers are calling for c...

Why the flu is so bad this year

19 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The flu season hit Canada hard and fast this year, seemingly reaching its peak in late December. But it’s not over yet: one public health official s...

Happy Enough: Why awe makes us happier

17 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when we stop rushing around and pause to take in the vastness of the world around us? In this episode of Happy Enough, we explore awe —...

International law in the Trump era

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In less than a year, U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term has re-shaped the international order. From levying tariffs against much of the world...

What Greenland thinks about Trump’s threats of annexation

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to annex Greenland, an autonomous region of Denmark. That led to a meeting on Wednesday between ...

Death toll climbs as Iranians protest against regime

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Protests in Iran ramped up over the weekend after the Islamic Republic regime – ruled by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – instituted an internet and phone...

Carney’s high-stakes trip to China

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney will head to China, marking the first time a Canadian prime minister has gone to China since 2017. Recent intera...

Why gyms have become so fancy and expensive

12 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The new year is upon us and for some of us, that means New Year’s resolutions. These goals often involve improving our fitness, or going to the gym ...

Chrystia Freeland resigns, takes new role with Ukraine

09 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today is Chrystia Freeland’s last day in Canadian politics, but she still plans to work in government – just not this one. On Monday, Ukrainian Pr...

The people pursuing impossible goals

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The new year is a time of goal setting. Culturally, there’s pressure to set resolutions that you are meant to achieve in due course. Think: weight l...

Unpacking the U.S. strategy to control the Western hemisphere

07 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Following the U.S. attack on Venezuela, President Donald Trump referenced the Monroe Doctrine – a centuries-old ideology that posits American contro...

What the Venezuelan attack means for Canadian oil

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. President Donald Trump was clear on Saturday when he announced his administration’s plans for the future of Venezuela: “We’re going to have...

U.S. attacks Venezuela, captures President Maduro

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On Saturday, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. military forces in an early morning raid that included attacks on the capital c...

A 2026 forecast for Canadian politics

02 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

After a year that was truly one for the books in Canadian politics — from Trudeau’s resignation to Trump’s trade war, an “elbows up” electio...

Is AI making us dumb?

31 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Most schools are now off for winter break — but this year, some educators are wondering how much their students are learning. A KPMG survey found th...