The Decibel

The ‘ghost gear’ strangling Canada’s marine wildlife

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fishing equipment like nets, traps and lines that have been lost or abandoned are a serious problem for marine wildlife. They’re designed to trap se...

The fallout from Ukraine’s incursion into Russia

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been just over a month since the Ukrainian military launched an incursion into the Russian region of Kursk. It was a surprising move, and Ukrai...

Can Trudeau pull the Liberal Party back from the brink?

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Liberal Party is in a ‘dire state’. From questions over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s continued leadership to the collapse of the supply a...

Analyzing Canada’s big banks’ ties to an Israeli defence company

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since the 2023 Giller Prize ceremony, Scotiabank, the fiction prize’s lead sponsor, has been the target of protests over its stake in Elbit Systems,...

Bingo! What to expect in the U.S. presidential debate

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are set to face off in what will likely be the only debate between them on September 10th at 9 p.m. ET. And as far as d...

In conversation with Ukraine’s First Lady

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new phase in the war in Ukraine began when Ukrainian forces took Russian territory in August. A month later, the Russians fired back, dealing Ukrain...

How an unsolved murder uncovered the world’s largest art fraud

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Police say that it’s the biggest art fraud in world history—and it happened here in Canada. It centres around the art of the renowned Anishinaabe ...

Jagmeet Singh ‘rips up’ Liberal-NDP deal

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since March 2022, the NDP has been propping up the Liberals in a supply and confidence agreement, that saw both parties support each other and strike ...

Rat czars and pigeons on ‘The Pill’: cities wage war on pests

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As long as there have been cities, there have been pest problems. Beneath our feet, rats scurry about and feed off our garbage. They breed quickly and...

How to deal with back-to-school anxiety

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, most kids across the country are headed back to school. That transition can bring a lot of feelings – excitement, but also nervousness an...

Four reasons why you can’t afford housing

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Buying and owning a home in Canada is an endless source of frustration. Many have been priced out, while competition is high as a lack of housing stoc...

Why Canada is cutting back on temporary foreign workers

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The government has announced that they are cutting down on the numbers of low-wage temporary foreign workers being admitted into the country. The new ...

What’s going on at TD Bank?

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, TD Bank released its quarterly earnings. For the first time in 21 years, they reported a quarterly loss – largely because they set aside ...

The railway labour dispute, explained

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Labour negotiations between Canada’s two major railways – CN and CPKC – and the train workers’ union, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, have b...

How inflation is messing with benefits and pensions

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We often think about how food prices and income struggle to keep up with inflation, but what about things like pensions and benefits? Are they keeping...

Why running is more popular than ever

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Distance running, once a relatively niche sport, has exploded in popularity. The trend has been ongoing for at least a decade, but 2024′s running se...

The killing of a multimillion-dollar fraudster

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On June 17, police were called to a shooting in a neighbourhood of Toronto. Three people were killed, two victims and the shooter. We learned as the d...

Why movie theatres are banking on ‘go big or go home’

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Going to the movies is getting more complicated. When you want to pick a showing, you now have a growing list of premium options, from IMAX, to 3D, to...

University of Toronto lab unmasks Russian hacking campaign

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

By now, most people know how to recognize the signs of a phishing e-mail – poor spelling and grammar, strange sender e-mail addresses, and of course...

Why the condo slump matters for the housing crisis

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A recent report said that condo sales in Toronto are at a 27-year low. Insolvencies amongst condo developers are rising and set to be 57-per-cent high...

Why aren't there more public toilets?

16 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When nature calls, you have to answer, and quickly. The last thing you’d want is to walk several kilometers to find a public toilet.. And yet, publi...

Mayors call for help with ‘humanitarian crisis’ of homelessness

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A coalition of mayors across Ontario are pleading for help in what they call a “humanitarian crisis” on their streets. They say the issues of home...

Viral videos on IUD pain spur new medical guidance

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Intrauterine devices, or IUDs, have become increasingly accessible and popular over the last few years. The high level of efficacy and added benefits,...

A developer, a beloved island and an old amusement park

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Boblo Island is situated in the Detroit River, on the border of Canada and the U.S., just outside of Windsor. For almost a century, it was a beloved a...

Loblaw dominates groceries. Now it’s eyeing healthcare

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 2023, more than 6.5 million people across Canada did not have a family doctor. Family doctor deserts are growing so vast that patients will stay wi...

Why millennial women are so burnt out

09 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Millennial women are feeling burnt out.The responsibilities and pressures of family, work and caregiving are piling up, amidst the lingering fallout o...

Israel-Hezbollah tensions escalate with deadly strikes

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since the war in Gaza broke out in October, Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in constant military strikes. At the end of July, the violence esca...

The secrets of Summer McIntosh’s Olympic success

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Expectations were high for 17-year-old Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh coming into the Paris Olympic Games. After all the races were said and done, s...

Inside the longevity movement selling a longer lifespan

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last few years, a movement has grown where followers are spending thousands of dollars on rigorous and sometimes extreme health practices wit...

Stress Test: Here’s what young Canadians are putting in their TFSAs

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From Stress Test, The Globe’s personal finance podcast for Gen Z and millennials:We’re taking a peek into the TFSAs of regular Canadians to give y...

Why is Ontario getting rid of its COVID wastewater surveillance?

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For nearly four years, researchers have been using data collected from wastewater samples to determine when and where COVID infections were rising in ...

Drone spying casts shadows over Canada’s Olympic Games

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of the biggest stories of the Paris Olympics has centred on the Canadian women’s soccer team, as the reigning gold medal winners have been embro...

What Jasper can teach us about managing wildfires

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, wildfires tore through the town of Jasper, Alta., and the surrounding national park. Around 30 per cent of the town was destroyed, but some...

The think tank writing the ‘blueprint’ for Trump’s second term

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Opponents of Donald Trump have been sounding alarms about Project 2025, a policy plan for a conservative presidency put forward by an influential thin...

Has the promise of plant-based meats gone bust?

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Plant-based meat has been touted as a way of having our steak and eating it too. The industry had grand plans to remake the way we eat, cut down green...

A murder conviction and the search for missing Indigenous women

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A serial killer in Winnipeg has been convicted in the murders of four Indigenous women – Morgan Harris, Rebecca Contois, Marcedes Myran and an unide...

The paradox – and potential – of Kamala Harris’ campaign

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In under two days, the narrative around Kamala Harris has completely shifted. It went from questioning her ability to replace Joe Biden, to a nearly c...

The Paris Olympics might be exactly what we need right now

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Globe and Mail’s Cathal Kelly has high hopes for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. He thinks that 2012 was the last great Olympics and right ...

How Biden’s exit fits into American political history

22 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After weeks of pressure, speculation and open questions from political leaders about his age and health, U.S. President Joe Biden has dropped his re-e...

Why discount airlines keep going bust in Canada

19 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In late Februrary, Calgary-based discount airline Lynx Air, which launched a mere two years prior, ceased operations. For customers, that meant they’...

The sorry state of Canada’s water pipes

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When a large drinking water pipe burst in Calgary last month, city residents were subject to water usage restrictions that lasted for weeks. Living in...

The Canadian accused of building a digital den for drug dealers

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Krusky is an unassuming tech nerd whose company, EncroChat, was once just one of the world’s many encrypted phone services. Now, he is in a Fre...

What’s next for Republicans after the attack on Trump

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday has thrown an already tense election campaign into further chaos. Despite bein...

Five ways that Canada’s housing market is broken

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The problems with Canada’s housing market have spread beyond major cities like Toronto and Vancouver to smaller communities across the country. Vaca...

How seafood from North Korean forced labour ends up in Canada

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Where does your seafood come from? And who, along the supply chain, handled it? An investigation from the non-profit investigative journalism organiza...

What’s at stake for Canada at the NATO summit

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This year’s NATO summit comes at a critical moment. Pledges of support for Ukraine drum up questions about why Canada and other NATO members are lag...

Life on the border of Myanmar’s civil war

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Myanmar civil war has been raging on for over three years now. Over 50,000 people have been killed, including 8,000 civilians, as the military jun...

Meeting IRL: the backlash against online dating

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dating apps have gained popularity over the past decade as singles strive to meet new people in a digital age. But frustration is setting in for many ...

Jane Boon: Reflecting on my sexual experience with Frank Stronach

08 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On June 7, the 91-year-old Canadian business magnate Frank Stronach was arrested and charged with sexual assault. On June 26, more charges were brough...

Hard truths about ‘gentle parenting’

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a conversation happening amongst parents that is drumming up a lot of controversy. It’s around the idea of gentle parenting, which is a ca...

Closing fisheries devastated Newfoundland. Should they come back?

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, the federal government ended a 32-year ban on commercial cod fishing off the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador. It reverses a policy deci...

How rising antisemitism is affecting Canadian Jews

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since October 7th, antisemitic incidents in Canada have been on the rise. Toronto Police Deputy Chief Robert Johnson said that nearly half of all hate...

The complex man at the centre of the Canada-India feud

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A year after the death of prominent Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, questions remain about who he really was. His murder sparked international tensi...

A crushing loss is making Trudeau’s Liberals rethink the future

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Justin Trudeau and the Liberals appear to be in big trouble. Following a stunning loss in the Toronto-St. Paul’s by-election to the Conservatives –...

Why Brits are so tired of the Conservative Party

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The U.K.’s Conservative Party is in deep trouble. Britons are heading for a general election on July 4 and polls indicate the ruling Tories are head...

What Nenshi’s win means for the NDP, Alberta, and Danielle Smith

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the weekend, the Alberta NDP elected former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi to lead the party into the 2027 provincial election. With membership numb...

A new Canada-U.S. border crossing and Windsor’s economic boom

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time in almost a century, North America’s busiest border crossing – between Detroit and Windsor – is expanding. The Gordie Howe In...

How to make friends as an adult

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s hard making friends as an adult. Time to build new relationships becomes scarce. And despite many ways to keep in contact, people are lonelier ...

Introducing ‘Lately’: The Globe and Mail’s business and tech podcast

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Introducing ‘Lately’: a new weekly podcast from The Globe and Mail about the intersection of business and technology. Every Friday, host Vass Bedn...

Why Elon Musk’s $50 billion payday scandal matters

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, Tesla shareholders voted to approve a huge pay package for CEO Elon Musk that a judge previously struck down. If the payout is approved, Mu...

AI hype vs. AI reality

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial Intelligence has been creeping into our lives more and more as tech companies release new chatbots, AI-powered search engines, and writing ...

Climate change, migration and Menaka’s epic birding day

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Point Pelee National Park juts out into Lake Erie like a finger, as every spring thousands of birds touch down on it. It’s a key stop along their mi...

The fallout from a law school’s pro-Palestinian letter

17 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Canada’s newest law school is in crisis. After an open-letter called for the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University to d...

The elite soldiers behind the major battles for Ukraine: Part Two

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday on The Decibel, The Globe’s senior international correspondent Mark MacKinnon told us about the top commanders and soldiers he’s been fo...

The elite soldiers behind the major battles for Ukraine: Part One

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the past few years, The Globe’s senior international correspondent Mark MacKinnon has been building relationships with some of the top commander...

Maternity care and midwives in Canada’s health labour shortage

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hospitals across Canada have long been overwhelmed by patient demand and staff shortages. But another category of medical experts, specializing in chi...

How will Canada manage major energy demands in the next decade?

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Canada’s ‘green energy’ transition has begun. By 2035, the federal government is aiming to achieve a net-zero electricity grid. But is it possib...

Canadian parliamentarians accused of helping foreign agents

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A national watchdog report says some parliamentarians in Canada are ‘semi-witting’ or ‘witting’ participants in foreign efforts to interfere i...

Funding for the arts in Canada is broken

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Canada’s cultural institutions are coming up against serious economic challenges. Theatre companies say they’re facing a crisis as they struggle t...

What the Bank of Canada’s interest rate cut means for you

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Bank of Canada lowered the interest rate to 4.75 per cent on Wednesday – the first rate cut in four years. As the country’s central bank aims ...

Why Trump’s apocalyptic rhetoric has such wide appeal

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, former U.S. president Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts. In speeches and interviews following the decision, he used religio...

Where do the university campus protests stand now?

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been more than a month now since the pro-Palestinian protests started up at campuses across Canada, protesting the war in Gaza and calling for ...

Breaking up the ‘quasi-monopoly’ of beer in Ontario

03 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ontario Premier Doug Ford recently announced that beer and wine will soon be available for purchase in convenience stores and big-box stores across th...

What open banking could mean for you

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Open banking could eventually be available to Canadians, which would change how we access our personal finances. This style of banking is consumer-dri...

How schools are dealing with the problem of phones in class

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Social media use among students is a big concern for schools across Canada. Ontario school boards and educators are taking matters into their own hand...

The man shaping Alberta’s controversial drug policy

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recently we’ve seen a shift in the national conversation around how to deal with Canada’s ongoing opioid crisis. B.C. all but cancelled their decr...

The money behind the boom of women’s pro sports

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The PWHL is wrapping up a successful inaugural season, with the three Canadian teams boasting big crowds for most games. The WNBA is adding a 14th tea...

Why aren’t there more public toilets?

27 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When nature calls, you have to answer, and quickly. The last thing you’d want is to walk several kilometers to find a public toilet.. And yet, publi...

In Chornobyl, after the Russian invasion

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, troops occupied Chornobyl. Since the nuclear disaster in 1986, the 30-kilometer ...

A CEO battle, a Honduras factory, and the shirt in your closet

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gildan t-shirts are everywhere. The ubiquity of their products has turned Gildan into one of the biggest clothing manufacturers and wholesalers in the...

How 2016 looms over the wildfires in Fort McMurray today

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It has been eight years since the infamous Fort McMurray wildfire that levelled several neighbourhoods and businesses. As wildfires are once again on ...

Introducing: Machines Like Us

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the last few years, artificial intelligence has gone from a novelty to perhaps the most influential technology we’ve ever seen. The people buildi...

Alice Munro, remembered

18 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The celebrated Canadian author Alice Munro died on May 13. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013 as a “master of the contemporary s...

How Ottawa is preparing for a possible second Trump term

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the U.S. election looms, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s team is getting ready for both possible outcomes: a Biden re-election and a second Trump...

Hydrogen trains might be the future of Canadian rail

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hydrogen fuel is sometimes called the fuel of the future, and it’s being used in a number of ways around the world. The rail giant CPKC is trialling...

How nurse practitioners could help Canada’s primary care crisis

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Canada is in the midst of a primary-care crisis. 6.5 million Canadians don’t have reliable access to a family doctor, and some jurisdictions are tur...

The problem with Canada’s affordable housing

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The housing affordability problem in Canada continues, and people are desperate for solutions. The federal government is handing out billions of dolla...

The $34-billion bet on boosting Canada’s economy

13 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After more than a decade, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project (TMX) has finally been completed. One of the country’s biggest infrastructur...

Understanding Israel’s push into Rafah during ceasefire talks

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tension is ratcheting up in the Gaza Strip as the Israeli military descends on the southern city of Rafah. This move has forced hundreds of thousands ...

TD Bank caught up in drug money-laundering scheme

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

TD Bank has been plagued by concerns about its anti-money-laundering capabilities for over a year. In March 2023, they tried to acquire the U.S. based...

How do we solve our global plastic problem?

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

175 countries are in the midst of tense discussions around a UN treaty to reduce plastic pollution. The second-last negotiation session wrapped up in ...

Police, campus unrest and the power of student protests

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Campus protests are spreading across Canada including at the University of Toronto and McGill. It comes after high profile demonstrations in the Unite...

The ‘stain’ of foreign interference on Canadian elections

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The public inquiry into foreign interference aimed to provide answers critical to Canada’s democracy: who are the main perpetrators of the threats a...

‘What I eat in a day’ videos and the new diet culture

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Diet culture that celebrates thinness, weight loss and supplements, has been around for decades. But the global reach of social media and influencers ...

How the politics of decriminalization played out in B.C.

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last year, British Columbia’s government began an experiment in drug policy by decriminalizing illicit drug use, up to a certain amount. The pilot p...

Why running is more popular than ever

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Distance running, once a relatively niche sport, has exploded in popularity. The trend has been ongoing for at least a decade, but 2024′s running se...

Sudan and the neglected wars

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sudan is facing a dire humanitarian crisis. Nearly 9 million people are displaced from their homes and millions face severe hunger, all stemming from ...

The biggest EV investment in Canada yet

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

By 2030, the federal government is hoping 60 per cent of new car sales will be zero-emission. By 2035, they want that number to be 100 per cent. To he...

City Space: Vancouver’s Chinatown fights gentrification

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Canada’s largest Chinatown has been under siege for over a century: first by race riots, then by poverty and most recently by the threat of developm...

The call to disband the Thunder Bay police

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, a group of First-Nations leaders called for the Thunder Bay Police Service to be disbanded for the second time – following charges agains...