The Decibel

On Thursday, five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team were found not guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room after a Hockey Canada gala. The men — Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote — were acquitted of all charges by Justice Maria Carroccia. 

The Hockey Canada case has captivated the country — raising complex questions about consent, hockey culture and even how sports organizations handle accusations of assault. Globe reporter Robyn Doolittle has been covering the story since it first became public in 2022. She was in the courtroom for the verdict and joins The Decibel from London, Ontario, to explain how the judge arrived at her conclusion. 

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The population of undocumented migrants living and working in Canada is substantial. And while most of them initially entered the country legally, on visas or work permits, many migrants feel that it is worth it to stay in Canada after their status expires, even if they are not legally allowed to work or live in Canada and risk being deported.

Globe journalist Sarah Efron and freelance photographer Yader Guzman spent months meeting people from Canada’s undocumented migrant community. Today, Sarah and Yader share what they learned about why people choose to stay despite the often dismal conditions they face in employment, health and housing, and how the federal government is responding.

This episode originally aired March 25, 2025.

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Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose 35-per-cent tariffs on imports from Canada starting on Aug. 1. And when it comes to trade negotiations, Canadian dairy – and the supply management system that oversees the industry – is treated like a “sacred cow.”

Trump has repeatedly aired frustrations over U.S. dairy farmers’ limited access to Canada’s market. Despite this, Ottawa has continued to make efforts to protect the industry from trade negotiations – even while Prime Minister Mark Carney makes other concessions.

The Globe’s agriculture and food policy reporter, Kate Helmore, joins the show to explain how supply management works, why it makes negotiating trade deals around dairy so challenging, and just how much political sway the dairy industry has.

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Ottawa’s pledge to spend $150-billion annually on defence-related priorities by 2035 is creating big opportunities for the private sector. Several Canadian companies are preparing to compete for lucrative contracts as Canada aligns its defence spending with NATO allies. 

Pippa Norman, who covers innovation for The Globe, explains the state of Canada’s defence sector, what industry leaders hope Prime Minister Mark Carney will change, and what this government’s focus on military spending could mean for the country’s economy and reputation as a peacekeeping nation.

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A new report has found that 19 of Ontario’s 24 publicly-funded colleges have cut more than 8,000 jobs since January 2024, when the new limits on international students came into effect. It’s the fullest picture yet of the consequences of the government’s changing immigration policy. 

Joe Friesen covers post-secondary education in Canada. He explains the details of the report, the reputational damage this sector has suffered and how colleges became so reliant on international student fees.  

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A connection to a bank is an important financial relationship – between chequing and savings accounts, mortgages and loans, they are crucial for paying off bills and long-term planning.

But what happens when your bank dumps you? The practice is known as ‘debanking,’ and Canadian banks are turning to it more often when they suspect a customer is involved in criminal activity.

Erica Alini, The Globe’s personal economics reporter, explains why debanking is becoming more common and what can happen to someone who’s been ousted by their financial institution.

This episode originally aired February 11, 2025.

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Canadians have been spending a lot of time thinking about identity and their relationship to Canada. As U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war drags on, taking an ‘Elbows Up’ approach isn’t just about economics – it’s also cultural. Many of the songs and albums that make up the soundtrack to your life are written and performed by Canadian artists – and they’ve helped shape what this country sounds like. 

Today, deputy arts editor Rebecca Tucker and reporter Josh O’Kane are here to talk about how they put together a list of 101 essential Canadian albums, and how the music we listen to reflects us as a country. We also called up Tamara Lindeman from The Weather Station, Joel Plaskett, and Torquil Campbell from Stars, all of whom were featured on that list, to tell us about the Canadian album that has inspired their work.

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In May, a Canadian man, 49-year-old Johnny Noviello, was arrested by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a probation office in Florida. He came to the U.S. legally in 1988, and had been a permanent resident. Later, on June 23, he died while in ICE custody. Noviello was one of dozens of Canadians currently in immigration-related detention in the United States, as the Trump adminstration has ramped up deportations. 

Janice Dickson, an international affairs reporter for the Globe, went to Florida to find out what happened to Noviello in the weeks before his death. She’ll tell us what she heard from Noviello’s loved ones, and how his death highlights the lack of transparency in the Trump administration’s push to remove migrants.

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On July 8, Quebec RCMP arrested four men connected to the Canadian Armed Forces. They are accused of trying to create an extremist militia and planning to forcibly take a plot of land north of Quebec City. Two of the four men are active members of the military, three have been charged with terrorism facilitation. The case adds to the growing concerns of extremism in Canada’s military, just weeks after Ottawa committed to the biggest increase in military spending since the Second World War.

Today, Globe staff reporter Colin Freeze joins the show. He will share what we know about the men charged, their significant connections to the Armed Forces and how this case could impact how terrorism is legally defined in Canada. 

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The problem of ticks, and the diseases they carry are well known. But as the climate becomes warmer, ticks are no longer exclusively found in densely wooded areas. The arachnids are spreading and bringing Lyme disease with them to more communities.

The Globe’s health and science reporter Jennifer Yang spoke to residents of Nova Scotia’s South Shore, which has some of the densest tick populations in the country, to see what the future could look like for the rest of us. She shares their shocking stories, as well as some of the latest efforts to fight the spread of Lyme disease.

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