The Decibel

How Hong Kong is cracking down on dissent

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The government in Hong Kong recently voted to pass a new national security law, referred to as Article 23. It includes seven new offences related to s...

As conflict rages in Gaza, a ‘silent war’ in the West Bank

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Israel-Hamas war is continuing in Gaza, but tension extends to another Palestinian territory, the West Bank. Five hundred Palestinians have been k...

The capital gains tax, explained

22 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When the federal government released their 2024 budget last week, they changed the capital gains tax for the first time in a quarter-century. The tax ...

ArriveCan and the government’s outsourcing problem

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On Wednesday, Kristian Firth became the first person in over a century held in contempt of Parliament and ordered to answer MP questions. It all has t...

The stakes of India’s election as Modi seeks third term

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With nearly one billion eligible voters, India is the world’s biggest democracy. Beginning April 19, with voting staggered over six weeks, they will...

What the 2024 federal budget means for you

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The 2024 Canadian federal budget has been unveiled, with a particular focus on affordability and housing this year. But the 430 page plan covers a wid...

How a new kind of drug could change the future of Alzheimer’s

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are an estimated 650,000 cases of dementia in Canada right now. The last 20 years of research into the treatment of Alzheimer’s have been, as ...

City Space: How Halifax’s unhoused crisis got so bad

15 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Globe and Mail’s City Space podcast takes on the big issues, questions and stories of urban living. What makes a city function? Why was it built...

What we’ve learned from the foreign interference inquiry

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After a spate of news stories and immense public pressure, the government of Canada established the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference to examin...

Former health minister Jane Philpott’s plan to save health care

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Long wait times and the never ending battle to connect with a healthcare professional is a reality most people know all too well. Especially for the 6...

Why major economies are trying to woo Vietnam

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Vietnam is having a moment on the world stage. Last month, Canada sent the largest ever “Team Canada” delegation of business leaders and governmen...

How seafood from North Korean forced labour ends up in Canada

09 Apr 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...

The big business bet on psychedelic drugs

08 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the last few years, there has been an increase in research around using psychedelic drugs, like LSD and magic mushrooms, as treatments for mental h...

The deadly challenges of getting aid into Gaza

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The deaths of seven World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid workers in Gaza has shone a light on the dangerous conditions facing people delivering esse...

School boards take on social media giants

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Educators across Canada are worried about the use of cellphones – and in particular social media – in classrooms, saying it’s disrupting class a...

Canada’s uncertain AI future

03 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since 2017, Canada has worked to attract the best artificial intelligence research talent in the world. But it hasn’t been investing in the infrastr...

Four reasons why you can’t afford housing

02 Apr 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...

What to know about the upcoming total solar eclipse

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On April 8, the moon will block out the sun giving many Canadians a chance to witness a total solar eclipse. Cities and towns falling in the path of t...

How sleep affects our brains

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are few more important habits for human health than the hours we spend asleep every night. Research shows sleep – or lack of it – affects ev...

Amid a housing crisis, students build tiny homes for teachers

27 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Aspen, Colorado is a picturesque mountain town often called a snowy “playground for the rich”. Real estate is also one of the most expensive in th...

What you need to know about your CPP money

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For most workers in Canada, there’s a chunk of money deducted from each paycheck that goes toward the Canada Pension Plan. It happens whether you wa...

Why single parents are struggling in Canada

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The number of single parents in Canada has been steadily growing since the 1970s. Today, one in five children grow up in single-parent homes. However,...

The political fight over the carbon tax

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The federal price on carbon is set to increase on April 1. This tax is being criticized by many provinces including Saskatchewan. At the end of last y...

Who’s left to oppose Vladimir Putin?

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Russian President Vladimir Putin is one of the longest serving leaders of the country, on track to surpass the rule of Joseph Stalin. Over the years, ...

Why full parole was granted to a multiple murderer

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The man who murdered the parents of a former NHL goalie was recently granted full parole. In 2022, a ruling by the Supreme Court struck down the punis...

The dark side of Bay Street’s hottest finance funds

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Private debt funds are one of the hottest commodities in the world of investing. High rates of return and low management fees made them popular among ...

The challenge with preparing for wildfires in B.C.

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Canada went through its most destructive wildfire season in 2023. Wildfire services rely on data, forestry photography and mapping as a way to proacti...

Why millennial women are so burnt out

15 Mar 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...

Where Haiti could go from here

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After months of escalating violence, Haiti has descended into chaos. Criminal gangs have largely taken control of the country’s capital as they atta...

The ‘invisible’ opioid crisis in small towns

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The dangerous effects of the opioid crisis could be distilled in a single afternoon in February: the town of Belleville, Ont., saw 14 overdose cases i...

The debate around using hormone therapy for menopause

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new series published by the medical journal, The Lancet says menopause is being “over-medicalized.” It argues that treating aging like an illnes...

Building renewables in Alberta just got a lot harder

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced new regulations for renewable power developments that started on March 1st. This comes after the province pau...

Toxic truths about Agent Orange in Canadian military base

08 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A recent legislative commission in Maine has questioned the 2006 Canadian investigation on the spraying of herbicides that took place in a New Brunswi...

Celebrated Group of Seven sketches revealed to be fakes

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 2015, the Vancouver Art Gallery believed it had made a groundbreaking acquisition. 10 sketches by Group of Seven member J.E.H. MacDonald were unear...

Why measles infections are surging again

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Measles cases have been popping up all over the world, including in Canada. This highly contagious virus can be devastating – and even deadly – to...

Documents reveal fired scientists shared information with China

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Newly released documents reveal two scientists who worked at a high-security infectious disease lab in Winnipeg provided confidential scientific infor...

What to know about Canada’s new Pharmacare bill

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Liberal-NDP supply-and-confidence deal has passed another test. The two parties managed to table a pharmacare bill before the March 1 deadline. Bu...

Filling Canada’s trades labour shortage with high school students

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are increasing shortages in the skilled trades in Canada, and provinces and territories are desperate to get people to fill them – so, they’...

Why discount airlines keep going bust in Canada

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, Calgary-based discount airline Lynx Air, which launched a mere two years ago, ceased operations. For customers, that means they’re likely...

The rise in exclusive deals between insurers and pharmacies

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Exclusive deals struck between insurance companies and pharmacies are increasingly drawing scrutiny from patients, pharmacists and cabinet ministers. ...

The Odysseus lunar landing and a new space race

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time ever, a spacecraft built by a private company has landed on the moon. The robotic lander, named Odysseus, touched down in the south...

The landmark decision on white nationalist terrorism

26 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since the murder of a Muslim family by a self-described white nationalist in London, Ont. in 2021, debate has raged over whether this crime was an act...

On the ground in Kharkiv, two years into the Russian invasion

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two years ago, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Now, with Russia on the front foot, many towns that have been safe for months are b...

Is Trudeau leading the Liberals to an election day shellacking?

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The latest poll numbers are looking grim for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals. According to an Abacus poll in February, the Trudeau-led ...

Investigating Canada’s dependence on for-profit nursing

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As health care across Canada struggles with staffing shortages, a Globe investigation has found that provincial use of private nursing agencies has re...

The Federal Housing Advocate on the national encampment crisis

20 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Canada’s first federal housing advocate released her first-ever formal review last week: Housing is a human right and that the federal government is...

The Alberta credit union betting on gold over government

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Worried about total economic collapse because of government mismanagement? Bow Valley Credit Union might be for you. The Alberta credit union is leani...

Inside the power struggle over Rogers’ telecom empire

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Back in the fall of 2021, Canadian news headlines were dominated by the story of the Rogers family battling for control of Rogers Communications Inc. ...

Palestinians fleeing Gaza face hurdles coming to Canada

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Israel-Hamas war has led to a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In January, Canada launched a temporary program for Canadians to bring their fa...

The rising costs of pet ownership

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Life has gotten expensive in a number of ways – from groceries to housing. And so too, have the costs of taking care of furry family members. More t...

China sets its sights on the Arctic

12 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new report about Chinese companies registering in Russia’s Arctic highlights China’s “no limits partnership” with Russia, and its interest i...

Why the ‘last mile’ of inflation is the hardest

09 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The most recent numbers show that inflation in Canada is at 3.4 per cent. Still above the 2-per-cent target, which is where the Bank of Canada would l...

A year of drug decriminalization in B.C.

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a year since B.C. got permission to decriminalize possessing small amounts of some street drugs. At the time, B.C.’s Minister of Mental ...

Fact-checking Alberta’s new gender-affirming care policies

07 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith unveiled a raft of new policies last week that have healthcare professionals warning of dire consequences for young tra...

The U.S. states vying for cheaper drugs from Canada

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In early January, Florida became the first U.S. state to get approval to import wholesale drugs from Canada. The FDA’s decision overrides decades-lo...

TD Bank’s anti-money-laundering troubles

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For months now, TD Bank has been making headlines. First there was the news they were acquiring U.S.-based First Horizon Bank. Then the news that that...

Hells Angels, an Iranian drug lord and an alleged murder plot

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A U.S. federal indictment is unsealed and within it are explosive allegations. According to court documents released this week, an assassination plot ...

The five pro hockey players charged with sexual assault

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Five hockey players from Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team have been charged with sexual assault in connection to an event alleged to have take...

Debate around Israel-Hamas war collides with Canadian theatre

31 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Online petitions. Angry in-person meetings. An ultimatum. These are just a few of the events that lead to a Canadian play being pulled from Victoria’...

On the new frontlines of Myanmar’s civil war

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Myanmar has been embroiled in a bloody civil war for nearly three years, after the military staged a coup in 2021. The war was stuck in a stalemate bu...

What you need to know about the foreign interference inquiry

29 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The long-awaited inquiry into foreign interference begins today. The Globe and Mail’s reporting, based on top-secret CSIS documents, of sophisticate...

Federal Court finds Trudeau’s use of Emergencies Act unjustified

26 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly two years on, the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act against the 2022 convoy protests is still being debated – politically and...

What’s driving property tax hikes in big cities?

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 go...

Turning the tides into renewable energy

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 pl...

Invasive Group A Strep infections: what you need to know

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 hav...

What happens when a group of hospitals get hacked

22 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Baby boomers mourn a future without grandkids

19 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

What’s driving Canada’s ‘population trap’?

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Canada is one of the fastest growing countries in the world and in 2023, the population officially reached 40 million people. But economists are warni...

The repercussions and fallout from the Steven Galloway case

17 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The case of Steven Galloway caused a firestorm when it was first made public, and it continues to this day. Galloway was fired from the University of ...

The promise and problems with Ontario’s Ring of Fire

16 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ontario’s Ring of Fire has long been believed to contain critical minerals like nickel, copper and chromite, purportedly worth tens of billions of d...

You’re not wrong, snowy winters aren’t like they used to be

15 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 Colum...

Why it feels like everyone is getting sick right now

12 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There seems to be a lot of illness going around right now. Hospitals are struggling with what the Canadian Medical Association called an “avalanche ...

South Africa takes Israel to UN court

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On December 29, South Africa submitted an application with the International Court of Justice claiming that Israel’s offensive in Gaza is “genocid...

Why Taiwan’s election tests China’s authority

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Taiwan, the east Asian country of 24 million people, is ramping up to a pivotal presidential election on January 13. Amidst rising tensions with China...

Hard truths about ‘gentle parenting’

09 Jan 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...

What’s in store for Canada’s economy in 2024

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Inflation has been rising, interest rates have accelerated at record pace, and the cost of living has been weighing on us all. Canada’s economy has ...

New attacks threaten to push Israel-Hamas war beyond borders

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tensions in the Middle East have heightened in the last week, not just because the war in Gaza continues, but because of four events that have happene...

Has the promise of plant-based meats gone bust?

04 Jan 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...

Where grief fits into Canada’s healthcare system

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There is a universal – but uncomfortable – truth about grief: We will all experience it at some point in our lives. And with the scale of death we...

It was a rough year for Trudeau – what will 2024 bring?

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

2023 was a rocky year for Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government. The country was grappling with unaffordable housing and grocery prices, high inte...

The story of the world's most premature twins to survive

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the holidays, The Decibel is sharing their favourite stories of the year, with the producers taking you behind-the-scenes on how the episodes were...

Ford and the never-ending Ontario Place saga

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the holidays, The Decibel is sharing their favourite stories of the year, with the producers taking you behind-the-scenes on how the episodes were...

The hunt for dark matter, two kilometres under Sudbury

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the holidays, The Decibel is sharing their favourite stories of the year, with the producers taking you behind-the-scenes on how the episodes were...

Butter, sugar and a pinch of family

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Food and family are often front and centre during the holidays. These two ingredients also help make up our identities and cultures.So today, The Deci...

A wallet was sent to The Globe with a letter from a dying man

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this year, The Globe’s sports editor Jamie Ross got a peculiar package in the mail – a wallet, with a request from a man nearing the end o...

The lost art of human pinsetting

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Globe’s Carrie Tait recently went to visit a bowling alley in the small town of Kimberley, British Columbia. It’s tucked in the basement of th...

The myth and the reality of Newfoundland’s giant squids

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A giant squid discovered in Newfoundland in 1873 turned what until then was a mythological creature into the scientifically named Architeuthis dux, or...

The complicated art of political cartoons, with Brian Gable

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly every day, The Globe published an editorial cartoon. Around 8,000 of those cartoons were drawn by Brian Gable. After 35 years of drawing cartoo...

The man accused of selling toxic substances used for suicide

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this week, a man from Mississauga, Kenneth Law, was charged with 14 counts of second-degree murder. Police allege he helped people end their l...

What a bad back tells us about Canada’s chronic pain problem

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One in five Canadians suffer from chronic pain. According to one estimate, in 2019 the direct and indirect costs of chronic pain totalled $40-billion....

School shutdowns, hospital delays and a massive strike in Quebec

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There are over a half million public-sector workers on strike in Quebec this week. This comes after an offer from François Legault’s government, wh...

Can carbon capture solve emissions problems for oil and gas?

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Canada’s oil and gas industry has been facing immense pressure to reduce emissions. Last week, the federal government announced a cap and trade syst...

Cervical cancer is on the rise in Canada

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A recent report from the Canadian Cancer Society underlines a troubling trend: cervical cancer is on the rise and seeing its most significant increase...

Why climate change is driving up the cost of your insurance

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As storms become more frequent and more severe, insurance claims for damage to homes are piling up. Disaster claims in Canada have more than quadruple...

How a Ukrainian teen fought to get her brother back from Russia

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Your personal finance questions answered, with Rob Carrick

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Managing personal finances while navigating 2023′s economic landscape is stressful, especially for young people. Is now the time for a down payment ...

What Google’s deal with Canada means for the rest of the world

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 millio...

Ranking Canada’s most livable cities

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Where is the most livable city in Canada? The Globe and Mail ranked more than 400 cities across the country to find out. Using data to capture qualiti...

Tensions over Israel-Hamas war and free speech on campus

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday, a walkout and rally at York University’s campus in Toronto saw 200 faculty and staff protesting the administration’s decision to suspe...

Money laundering, crypto trading and Canada’s richest man

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ma...