An impossible offer for Canadian children detained in Syria

1.4 million refugees arrived in Poland. What happens now?: In two weeks, more than 2.3 million refugees have fled Ukraine because of the ongoing war. It is the fastest exodus since the Second World War. Poland has seen the largest influx of refugees with more than 1.4 million people arriving in the country since Feb. 24. The Globe’s Europe correspondent Paul Waldie has been reporting from border towns in Poland since the war began. He tells us how these towns are handling so many people coming in, the few long term options available for refugees and why the Polish government needs to figure out a plan to help people resettle. by The Decibel

17 min listen

1.7 million warned they may have to pay back CERB relief: Three million people lost their jobs at the beginning of the pandemic. In response, the federal government introduced the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). The program provided $2,000 a month for up to seven months to people living in Canada that had stopped working because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government paid out $81.6-billion to almost 9-million people. Two years later, 1.7 million people may have to pay some of that money back. And it’s not because of a mistake they made on their application. Erica Alini is a personal finance reporter at the Globe and she tells us why some people are being asked to pay back money, how to figure out if you are one of those people and how this isn’t the first time there’s been confusion around CERB. by The Decibel

16 min listen

The pandemic surge in sexually transmitted infections: Sexual health testing took a nose dive during the pandemic, as health care workers and resources were diverted towards the fight against COVID-19. And as Globe reporter Zosia Bielski tells us in this episode, when it comes to sexually transmitted infections: “Less detection equates with more spread.” Now, we’re paying the price: the rate of STIs, from gonorrhea to HIV, has risen precipitously in many places across Canada. Zosia explains why the conditions of the pandemic – from the shame of breaking lockdown rules, to online schooling – have accelerated a decades-long trend of rising STIs in Canada. by The Decibel

16 min listen

This doctor wants to write prescriptions for housing: According to Statistics Canada, more than 235,000 people experience homelessness in any given year, with 25,000-35,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night. During the pandemic, health issues were exacerbated for people experiencing homelessness. Shelters were often crowded and faced outbreaks. One study found that homeless people were over 20 times more likely to be admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 and over 5 times more likely to die within 21 days of a positive test result. Dr. Andrew Boozary is the executive director of social medicine and population health at the University Health Network in Toronto. He tells us why homelessness is a failure of policy – not individual choice – and how he’s working to fix it. by The Decibel

18 min listen

Unpacking Putin’s end game: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has shocked the world with his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But many within Russia don’t know what’s going on just across the border, due to the government’s censoring or shutting down of independent and social media. Russia last week passed a new law making it illegal to spread “fake news” that Human Rights Watch says “criminalizes independent war reporting.” International Affairs columnist Doug Saunders helps us understand what people in Russia are hearing about the war, the two different ways they could react to sanctions, and what Putin might do next. by The Decibel

19 min listen

As missiles fall around her, this Kharkiv citizen fights disinformation: Maria Avdeeva is the research director of the European Expert Association, which analyzes Russian disinformation. With the sound of Russia’s attack in the background, Maria explains what’s happening in her hometown of Kharkiv, and why the decision to stay is her way of fighting the “Information War,” where disinformation is weaponized to change how the world understands the horrors unfolding in Ukraine. by The Decibel

22 min listen

What students think about the end of masking: Almost every province in Canada has now removed its mask mandates in public schools. But many are questioning if now is the right time, and some are even challenging the decision. Today we hear from Sophia Alexanian, a 16-year-old high school student from Toronto, who co-founded a group called Ontario Students for COVID Safety. She organized a province-wide school walkout to protest the end of the mask mandate in schools. We also talk to Caroline Alphonso, an education reporter for The Globe and Mail. She talks to us about how the conversation about removing the mask mandate in schools is playing out across Canada. by The Decibel

20 min listen

What’s causing the massive delays at Canada’s international airports?: Canada’s international airports have experienced major delays getting passengers on and off their flights, as people begin returning to air travel in numbers not seen since before the pandemic. The staff that get travellers through all those lines at the airport – security screening, customs, baggage drop-off – have not returned to the airport in enough numbers to stave off long lines. Transportation reporter Eric Atkins explains why you won’t want to cut it fine if you’re boarding a plane in the near future. by The Decibel

17 min listen

What the latest climate plan means for Canada’s oil and gas sector: The federal government has released yet another climate change plan oriented toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions. What’s different this time? This latest Emissions Reduction Plan is a sector-by-sector blueprint that specifically puts pressure on the oil and gas sector to cut its emissions by 42 per cent by 2030. Adam Radwanski is The Globe and Mail’s climate change columnist. He talks about what is required from companies and from the government to meet these goals, and whether the plan is ambitious and feasible enough to give people hope that Canada can actually meet its targets for once. by The Decibel

19 min listen

The early favourites in the Conservative leadership race: The race to become the next federal leader of the Conservative Party of Canada is kicking off, not long after the ousting of Erin O’Toole. Chief political writer Campbell Clark says “blast from the past” Jean Charest could have a shot at the top job, but likely isn’t the favourite. He’ll tell us who the early favourites are – including Charest, Pierre Poilievre, and Leslyn Lewis – and what this election might reveal about the identity and direction of the Conservative Party. by The Decibel

23 min listen

The myth of universal health care in Canada: As we enter the sixth wave of COVID-19, hospitals are bracing for yet another surge. After two years of weathering wave after wave, doctors, nurses, and hospital staff are “burnt to a crisp,” as one Hamilton, Ont. doctor put it. The problems with Canada’s hospitals – from surgery backlogs, to “hallway medicine,” to staffing shortages – stretch back long before the pandemic. Globe and Mail investigative reporter Robyn Doolittle set out with reporter Tom Cardoso to find why Canadian hospitals were so poorly equipped to handle an influx of patients. What she found, Robyn explains, is how the very foundation of Canada’s universal health care system led to the problems that plague it today. by The Decibel

18 min listen

Canada's pushback against Putin: Canada is not a big player on the international stage. But as a medium-sized power, it has been working with the EU, the U.S. and the U.K. to deliver a series of economic sanctions that have been ratcheting up the pressure on Russia’s economy. But what about helping Ukraine and Ukrainians directly? And where is Justin Trudeau’s red line in terms of what he won’t commit Canada to doing in this war? The Globe and Mail’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife explains the various levels of measures that the federal government has enacted since the invasion of Ukraine began and where things might go next. by The Decibel

20 min listen

Why Muslim women are being turned away from school in India: Videos showing Muslim students begging to be let into a school while wearing hijabs has gone viral in India, sparking protests. Several of the students petitioned the government to reverse the decision to ban hijabs in schools, the latest in a series of policies targeting Muslims throughout the country. Neha Bhatt is an award-winning journalist and author in Delhi and a frequent contributor to The Globe and Mail. She explains how India’s politics and history have led to this moment, and why some people are concerned these acts of discrimination could be leading towards genocide. by The Decibel

21 min listen

Three Ukrainian families find refuge in a Polish home: Poland’s capital, Warsaw is struggling to cope with the huge number of people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Of the more than 2.6 million refugees that have left, 1.7 million – and counting – have ended up in neighbouring Poland. Warsaw’s mayor says 300,000 have settled in the city so far. The city has set up a number of sprawling shelters including one at an expo centre for up to 20,000 refugees. Thousands of residents have also taken to social media to offer rooms. Kasia Smith is one of them. She’s a Polish-Canadian living in Konstancin, just south of Warsaw, with her husband and three kids. They have welcomed three Ukrainian families to stay with them for as long as they want. The Globe’s Kathryn Blaze Baum interviewed Kasia along with the families and she’s on the show to bring us their story. by The Decibel

19 min listen

Canada’s tech sector has a brain drain problem: Employment is growing across Canada’s economy, but nowhere near the rate of the tech sector. Jobs in STEM jumped nearly 200,000 since the pandemic. Specifically, jobs in computer systems design are up 22 per cent. It’s good news for skilled tech workers, but not for small to mid-sized Canadian tech companies. That’s because big American tech companies are scooping up Canada’s top tech talent. And with the rise of remote work, competition is even stiffer. Matt Lundy is an economics reporter and Josh O’Kane is a technology reporter at The Globe and Mail. They explain why Canadian tech companies are struggling to compete, what it means for Canada’s tech industry and what needs to be done to retain Canadian talent. by The Decibel

18 min listen

The dangers women and children face after fleeing Ukraine: Women and children make up the vast majority of people who have fled the invasion of Ukraine – now over 3.5 million. And while they are no longer at risk of bombing, shelling and other attacks, their journey to safety remains fraught. Globe and Mail reporter Janice Dickson spoke to us from Slovakia, which shares a 100-km border with Ukraine and has accepted a quarter of a million refugees. Janice tells us about what she saw at the border, the homes these women and children are leaving behind and what dangers they need to avoid moving forward. by The Decibel

17 min listen

Canada’s first count of trans and non-binary people: New data from the 2021 census has been released. For the first time, the Census has counted Canada’s transgender and non-binary populations after making some controversial changes to its questions about sex and gender. Dr. El Chenier, a history professor at Simon Fraser University and founder of Boldly Nonbinary, talks about why this data is important and how it could be miscontrued. by The Decibel

20 min listen

The case for fighting Russia in court: An international court has ordered Russia to stop the war in Ukraine, but the attacks carry on. So what was the point of this case? What impact does the order actually have on the war in Ukraine? Harold Hongju Koh was one of the lawyers representing Ukraine in the case against Russia, and he’s also the Sterling Professor of International Law at Yale University. He tells us about the arguments they brought forward, Russia’s response (or lack thereof), and makes the case for international law, even if the way it’s enforced isn’t always clear. by The Decibel

18 min listen

What ‘no-fly zone’ really means: It’s a plea that has been heard around the world: Ukraine wants its allies to set up a no-fly zone in its airspace. They believe it would give them the tactical advantage in the war that Russia started. But so NATO, U.S. President Joe Biden and other leaders have decisively said no to the idea. But what would establishing a no-fly zone over the country actually look like? Who would be responsible? What’s exactly the case for – and against – it? Dr. Stacie Pettyjohn is a senior fellow and director of the defence program at the Center for a New American Security. She talks us through the complexities of the no-fly zone concept. by The Decibel

20 min listen

To the moon? Where GameStop and other meme stocks landed by The Decibel

19 min listen

On the ground in Ukraine as the war takes a turn: Russia is gaining ground in its invasion of Ukraine. On day 7 of the war, Russia occupied Kherson, a key city in the southern part of Ukraine. Russia started targeting densely populated areas like Kyiv and Kharkiv with heavy shelling, destroying buildings and killing civilians. On March 2, Ukraine’s emergency service said the Russian invasion has killed more than 2,000 civilians in the country. Senior international correspondent Mark Mackinnon is in Lviv, Ukraine. He is back on the show to tell us what Russia’s gains mean for the people of Ukraine and whether they have a chance at holding Russian troops back. Plus, he tells us about his journey out of Kyiv as the invasion on Ukraine began. by The Decibel

21 min listen

Three solutions for airport chaos from a former airline exec: Things are not going well at airports around the world and Canada has taken a particularly bad turn. On Monday, 70 per cent of flights from Canada’s largest carrier Air Canada were delayed – the highest percentage in the world. Duncan Dee is a former Chief Operating Officer for Air Canada. He also worked on a panel that reviewed the Air Transportation Act in 2016, looking closely at what could be improved at Canada’s airports. He’s on the show to talk about what he thinks should be done immediately in order to help with delays and bottlenecks. by The Decibel

19 min listen

Hate crimes in Canada are up. What’s being done to stop them: Hate crimes in Canada are up. Recent data out from Statistics Canada showed that in the first year of the pandemic, incidents reported to police increased by 37 per cent from the previous year. 2,669 hate crimes were reported to police in 2020 – the highest number since data became available in 2009. But in Canada, charging someone for a hate crime rarely happens. A Globe and Mail investigation found that of the 13 largest municipal and regional police forces, laying charges for a hate crime varied from a low of 6 per cent to a high of 28 per cent. A new task force co-chaired by Canadian Race Relations Foundation and the RCMP wants to create national standards to help front-line officers better identify and solve hate crimes. Mohammed Hashim is the executive director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and he’s on the show to tell us why hate crimes are a growing issue in Canada and how the task force will work to co by The Decibel

16 min listen

Separatism’s new shape in Quebec: On Monday, a by-election in a Montreal suburb ended in defeat for the Parti Quebecois, the province’s champion of separatism for the last fifty years. And yet 35 per cent of Quebeckers still believe in independence for Quebec. The Globe’s Quebec correspondent Eric Andrew-Gee explains why that isn’t translating into support for the PQ anymore. by The Decibel

14 min listen

Putting a name to the hidden pattern behind domestic abuse: Every six days, a woman in Canada is killed by an intimate partner, and yet the topic of intimate partner violence (IPV) – more commonly referred to as domestic abuse – is rarely talked about. Because of this, many of the red flags that precede physical violence are often missed. These warning signs can include a pattern of controlling behaviour, which is called coercive control. Elizabeth Renzetti is a columnist for The Globe who has been reporting on and off on violence against women for over 30 years. She tells us about the stigma surrounding IPV, how to recognize coercive control and the debate surrounding the criminalization of it. by The Decibel

23 min listen

In Bucha and Chernihiv after Russia withdraws by The Decibel

21 min listen

Wastewater is filling the COVID-19 data gap: COVID-19′s sixth wave is here. Quebec’s institute of public health says the sixth wave began in mid-March. On Monday, Ontario premier Doug Ford said the province is in the midst of a “little spike” but that it’s manageable. Hospitalizations are up by about 30 per cent since the week before. And in Alberta, the province’s Health Minister Jason Copping acknowledged an uptick in case positivity rate. With PCR tests not as widely available as they once were, scientists and public health officials have found another way to track COVID-19: wastewater, or sewage. Dr. Lawrence Goodridge is a professor of food microbiology at the University of Guelph who is leading a team of people testing wastewater. He’s part of Ontario’s wastewater Surveillance Initiative which samples 170 locations across the province accounting for more than 75 per cent of the population. He tells us what the samples are telling him right now, and why this tool is an important by The Decibel

17 min listen

What’s next for making $10-a-day child care a reality in Canada?: On March 28, it was announced that Ontario had finally signed onto the federal child-care deal. With all provinces and territories now signed on, families across the country will eventually be paying only $10 a day for child care. To make this possible, the federal government is investing $30 billion to open 146,000 new child-care spots by 2026, but that investment may be useless if we don’t have the early childhood educators to fill them. The Globe’s Dave McGinn has been reporting on the federal child-care deal. He talks to us about why early childhood educators have been leaving the industry in droves, and what needs to happen to make this plan work. by The Decibel

18 min listen

What the Liberal-NDP deal means for Canadian democracy: The Liberals and NDP have set aside their differences and come to a partnership agreement – a pledge from the Liberals to act on major NDP policy issues in exchange for the NDP’s support of the Liberal government on votes that could trigger an election. This deal will keep the Liberal government in power until 2025. It also means we may soon see forward movement on dental care, Pharmacare, housing, and climate policies. Dr. Lori Turnbull is the director and an associate professor at the School of Public Administration at Dalhousie University. She joins us to talk about what this deal is really about, how it affects the Liberal, NDP and Conservative parties, and what it means for the future of Parliament. by The Decibel

20 min listen

Kamal Al-Solaylee on the war we chose to forget: The UN has called it the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Yemen’s now seven-year-long war has killed almost 400,000 people, mostly children younger than five years old. Millions of people in the country are at risk of famine. And the war, between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and a Saudi-led coalition trying to push them out, rages on. Kamal Al-Solaylee was born in Yemen. He’s a journalist, author, professor, and Director of the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media at the University of British Columbia. He explains that the war is deliberately forgotten by the world, why that is, and why he thinks Canada’s millions in aid to Yemen doesn’t tell the full story of our role in the conflict. by The Decibel

20 min listen

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An impossible offer for Canadian children detained in Syria

An impossible offer for Canadian children detained in Syria

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