Podcast
The Decibel
Episodes — page 32
- What open banking could mean for you
Open banking could eventually be available to Canadians, which would change how we access our personal finances. This style of banking is consumer-driven and would bring transparen…
- How schools are dealing with the problem of phones in class
Social media use among students is a big concern for schools across Canada. Ontario school boards and educators are taking matters into their own hands by suing social media compan…
- The man shaping Alberta’s controversial drug policy
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 decriminalization trial. And the feder…
- The money behind the boom of women’s pro sports
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 team; this one’s in Toronto. And…
- Why aren’t there more public toilets?
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, public bathrooms aren’t easy to find…
- In Chornobyl, after the Russian invasion
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 exclusion zone around the nucl…
- A CEO battle, a Honduras factory, and the shirt in your closet
Gildan t-shirts are everywhere. The ubiquity of their products has turned Gildan into one of the biggest clothing manufacturers and wholesalers in the world, bringing in billions i…
- How 2016 looms over the wildfires in Fort McMurray today
It has been eight years since the infamous Fort McMurray wildfire that levelled several neighbourhoods and businesses. As wildfires are once again on the rise in Western Canada, th…
- Introducing: Machines Like UsBonus
In the last few years, artificial intelligence has gone from a novelty to perhaps the most influential technology we’ve ever seen. The people building AI are convinced that it will…
- Alice Munro, remembered
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 short story,” and the Man Booker…
- How Ottawa is preparing for a possible second Trump term
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 term. They are assembling a tea…
- Hydrogen trains might be the future of Canadian rail
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 a new hydrogen train in Alberta…
- How nurse practitioners could help Canada’s primary care crisis
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 turning to nurse practitioners to f…
- The problem with Canada’s affordable housing
The housing affordability problem in Canada continues, and people are desperate for solutions. The federal government is handing out billions of dollars as part of the Apartment Co…
- The $34-billion bet on boosting Canada’s economy
After more than a decade, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project (TMX) has finally been completed. One of the country’s biggest infrastructure projects is seen as a major wi…
- Understanding Israel’s push into Rafah during ceasefire talks
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 of Palestinians sheltering the…
- TD Bank caught up in drug money-laundering scheme
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 bank First Horizon Corp. Regu…
- How do we solve our global plastic problem?
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 Ottawa last week, but there ar…
- Police, campus unrest and the power of student protests
Campus protests are spreading across Canada including at the University of Toronto and McGill. It comes after high profile demonstrations in the United States where students are de…
- The ‘stain’ of foreign interference on Canadian elections
The public inquiry into foreign interference aimed to provide answers critical to Canada’s democracy: who are the main perpetrators of the threats against the country’s electoral s…
