The Decibel

Dr. Daniel Drucker’s research helped pave the way for Ozempic, the blockbuster GLP-1 class drug. The endocrinologist has been researching the effects on Ozempic’s active ingredient semaglutide in the body for decades.Today he’ll show us around his lab and explain how a stout lizard kept in a freezer helped unlock the science behind a drug taken by more than a million Canadians. 

Then, health reporter Kelly Grant tells us about rising obesity rates in Canada, and we’ll hear from a doctor who prescribes GLP-1s— and a patient who takes them. 

After this episode was published, Dr. Stephen Glazer let The Globe know that he misstated the ratio of fat to muscle loss during a typical weight loss experience. The typical ratio is around two-thirds fat loss and one-third muscle loss.

This is part of a three-part series. The next episode is next Monday, March 2nd. 

You can contact the National Eating Disorders Information Centre at their toll-free hotline at 1-866-NEDIC-20 or visit their website.

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A conversation between two acclaimed Canadian authors – Margaret Atwood and Michael Crummey on ‘The Art of the Story’. A live discussion about writing, reading, what makes Canadian authors unique and the publishing landscape. Atwood is one of Canada’s most celebrated writers, recently published Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts. Crummey is the author of numerous short stories, poetry and novels, his most recent work being The Adversary.

This recording was from a live event at The Globe and Mail headquarters in Toronto on Dec.1, 2025, as part of celebrations for The Globe 100, an annual list of the most notable reads.

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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 well as leaders of around 250 Canadian businesses. It’s the largest Canadian trade delegation to Mexico in recent memory, and it’s set against the backdrop of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s goal of diversifying Canadian trading partners.

Mark Rendell, the Globe’s economics reporter, joins the show to talk about the opportunities for growth in Mexico, and how the two countries are preparing for discussions around the renegotiation of USMCA later this year.

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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 Defence Industrial Strategy. The document was finally released this week, and it details the blueprint for bolstering Canada’s defence industry.

Pippa Norman is The Globe’s innovation reporter, and she covers the business side of defence. She’ll explain why this document is important, the key takeaways, and what the plan means for broader conversations about protecting Canada’s sovereignty.

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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 see their posts – especially those about humans – as worrisome. Others are wondering if this is evidence that we’re inching closer to a world where an artificial intelligence system attains consciousness.

Dr. Karina Vold is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto. She studies the philosophy of cognitive science, and also researches technology, AI and ethics. She discusses the problems with anthropomorphizing AI and the difference between sentience and consciousness.

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The Globe exclusively reported that Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford discussed the possibility of a snap federal election this spring. The next federal election is scheduled for no later than 2029, though historically, minority governments usually last around two years. But just how realistic is this speculation of another election?

Laura Stone, who broke the story, and Shannon Proudfoot, a feature writer and columnist based in Ottawa, join host Sherrill Sutherland for a political roundtable about whether Canadians will head to the polls this spring.

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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 Olympics in nearly 100 years. She’s had a remarkable journey to get to the Milan Cortina Winter Games, including 16 years away from the ice.

Today, Globe reporter (and passionate figure skater) Robyn Doolittle tells us the story of how Stellato-Dudek got to these Olympic Games, what it takes to become an elite athlete in your 40s, and how athletes are pushing the time limits of their careers.

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Tuesday’s deadly mass shooting in the community of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, marks the second deadliest school shooting in Canadian history. Nine people are dead, including the shooter, and at least 25 others are injured.

Many details are still unknown, but today, we’re talking about the aftermath of the tragedy. Globe reporters Matthew Scace and Alanna Smith give us the view from Tumbler Ridge, and you’ll hear from community members about how they’re making sense of what has happened in their town.

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This week, Ontario’s Inspector-General announced it is launching a provincewide review of corruption among police services in the wake of the arrests of seven Toronto police officers and a retired constable. The allegations – including corruption, leaking of information to organized crime members, accepting bribes and drug trafficking – have rocked civic institutions and are proving to be a threat to public trust in policing.

Mike Hager, reporter for The Globe, details the allegations against the officers and why cases of police corruption are difficult to investigate. Later, The Globe’s justice reporter David Ebner joins the show to explain why the investigation of the accused officers may put other criminal trials in the justice system at risk.

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The federal government recently announced that it is scrapping the zero emissions vehicle mandate – brought in by the Trudeau government in 2022. Zero emissions vehicles such as EVs were supposed to make up 20 per cent of all new car sales this year, increasing to 100 per cent by 2035. This is the latest Trudeau-era climate policy that Prime Minister Mark Carney has rolled back or outright abandoned.

Today, we speak with Adam Radwanski, The Globe’s policy columnist and feature writer. He’ll explain why the electric vehicle mandate was scrapped, what Carney has brought in instead, and what his strategy is towards climate change more broadly.

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