The Decibel

As the new deadline for U.S. tariffs approaches, Canadian businesses are trying to suss out whether it’s possible for them to diversify their trading partners to help soften the blow if American demand dries up.

Chris Wilson-Smith – who writes The Globe’s daily Business Brief newsletter – recently looked into how feasible diversification is and found there are some significant barriers. But not all hope is lost.

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In this special weekend edition of The Decibel, two Canadian authors discuss their new memoirs on divorce. 

Scaachi Koul is a senior writer at Slate, and co-hosts the podcast Scamfluencers, as well as the Netflix show Follow This. Her second book is called Sucker Punch: Essays, and is a collection of essays about her divorce, among many other life-changing events.

Haley Mlotek is a writer, editor, and organizer and has been published in the New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker and many other places. Her first book is called No Fault: a Memoir of Romance and Divorce.

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Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump had a 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the end of the war in Ukraine. That call ended three years of U.S. isolation of Russia – former President Joe Biden hadn’t spoken to Putin since before Russia invaded Ukraine – and caught Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky by surprise. Days later, U.S. and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to discuss a plan for the end of the war, once again, without Ukraine.

Mark MacKinnon is a senior international correspondent for the Globe. Today, he’s on the show to talk about how the relationship between the U.S. and Ukraine is deteriorating as the three-year anniversary of the war approaches, and what that signals for Ukraine’s future.

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Body weight often gets conflated with overall health, and the BMI — body mass index — has helped solidify that belief. But in recent years, the measurement has come under increased criticism. Some doctors have started using a new measurement of health called the body roundness index, or BRI.

But does BRI address the issues so many have with the BMI? And how do these measurements that tie weight and overall health together impact the experiences of fat people navigating the Canadian healthcare system?

Dr. Kelsey Ioannoni is a critical health sociologist and fat studies scholar. She studies weight based politics and discrimination. Dr. Ioannoni joins the show to explain the benefits and drawbacks of BRI, and if it could change people’s experiences in the doctor’s office.

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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government is facing scrutiny after serious allegations were in a wrongful dismissal lawsuit launched by Alberta Health Services’ former CEO, Athana Mentzelopoulos. The lawsuit alleges that government officials interfered with the health system on behalf of private firms. It also claims that Mentzelopoulos was fired because of “an internal investigation,” she was launched into how Alberta Health Services’ contracts are procured. 

Carrie Tait, one of The Globe’s reporters covering Alberta, broke this story. She explains the allegations made against the government, their ties to for-profit medical companies and what Smith’s government has said publicly so far. 

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Rates of cancer diagnosis and death are climbing worldwide in people under 50, according to the World Health Organization. A report, with data between 1990 and 2019 in 204 countries, showed early onset cancer grew 79 percent, while deaths also went up by 28 percent in the same time period.

We follow the stories of two cancer survivors along with Kelly Grant, The Globe’s national health reporter. She’ll detail what we know about why younger people are being diagnosed with cancer, the symptoms to look for and why fighting cancer at a young age carries new challenges for Millennials and Gen Xers.

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Less than a month into his second term, U.S. President Donald Trump has already threatened to impose tariffs on half a dozen allies and adversaries. This week, he announced incoming universal tariffs on steel and aluminum, along with reciprocal tariffs on a range of foreign imports at ‘different levels’.

But when and why did Trump decide that tariffs would be the centrepiece of his plan in redefining America’s role in the global trading system?

Mark Rendell is the Globe’s Economics Reporter. He’ll explain how Trump is using tariffs, its role in achieving his administration’s vision for U.S. trade, and whether all of this... could actually backfire.

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At universities across Canada, requests for disability accommodations are on the rise. Since the 2013-2014 school year – the number of students requesting accommodations – has doubled to 12 per cent. And at Queen’s University in Kingston, about one in four students now access accommodations. This aid is often a lifeline for students but schools are now struggling to keep up with demand.

Joe Friesen is the Globe’s postsecondary reporter. He’s on the show to talk about what’s driving this increase in requests for accommodation, and how universities may need to change their approach to students.

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Canada wants to position itself as a leader in the critical mineral industry, as the world becomes more reliant on renewable energy. But its young mining companies are struggling, due to a mix of factors including changes to the local investment landscape, heavy restrictions on money from Chinese investors and, according to some industry insiders, excessive red tape. 

The struggle is particularly acute for mining companies in the middle stages of development, which is known in the industry as the “valley of death.”

The Globe’s mining reporter Niall McGee breaks down why companies are sounding the alarm, and what it means for Canada’s future in the industry. 

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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 for 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.

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