The Decibel

The war in Ukraine has been intensifying after a series of escalations in the last week. And as a result of that, Ukrainian forces are entering the ‘most difficult’ phase of the war since it started, according to The Globe’s Mark MacKinnon.

Mark explains how Russia’s recent nuclear sabre-rattling by Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to fire American long-range missiles into Russia and the looming inauguration of Donald Trump have accelerated all fronts of the war.

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In recent years, cyber attacks have become increasingly frequent and wide-reaching. In 2023, the Toronto Public Library, Canada’s largest-circulation library system, was the subject of a ransomware attack. Its systems were down for months, and the library was taken back to a pre-internet age. Now, hackers are turning to water treatment plants – and it’s not money they’re after.

Patrick White is the Globe’s water reporter. He’s on the show to talk about how these attacks have been unfolding, why they look different from other kinds of infrastructure hacks, and how governments are preparing for this new threat.

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Last Thursday, the Liberals announced a multibillion-dollar plan to help improve the cost of living. It includes a 2-month break from GST on dozens of products and services – from restaurant meals and liquor, to children’s toys and diapers – and a one-time $250 cheque for working Canadians.

But it’s unclear exactly how these measures will get through the House of Commons, which has been the site of a months-long stalemate.

Today, the Globe’s senior political reporter, Marieke Walsh, is here to explain what’s included in this tax break, the impact these changes could have on household expenses, and the politics at play.

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There’s an experiment underway in Kingston, Ont. The regional health care team is starting to assign people without a doctor to nearby clinics based on their postal code. And one of those clinics has adopted a different way to serve patients and doctors. It’s called a health home.

But is this a feasible solution for an overstressed health care system? Kelly Grant, national health reporter for The Globe and Mail, reports on this new model, how it’s working in Kingston and what it could mean for the rest of Canada.

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Taylor Swift starts the second week of her Eras tour in Toronto today. And since the record-breaking tour landed in the city, it’s been the site of Swiftie pandemonium.

Tens of thousands have travelled for the concerts, and even a number of out-of-town Swifties without tickets took the trip. The kind of dedication Taylor Swift attracts is rare, even as pop-star fandoms become more fervent. So what’s so special about Taylor Swift? And what sets her fandom apart from others?

Niko Stratis is a freelance culture writer based in Toronto who writes the newsletter Anxiety Shark. Her debut book, The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman, will be out May, 2025. Niko joins us to explain the sensation of Taylor Swift, why being a fan has become more intense, and how it changed the relationships between artists and their fans.

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In the midst of the Israel-Hamas war, the idea of lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians seems farther away than it has been in a long time. But there are still people working to create the conditions for a two-state solution; among those are Canadian troops, working in the West Bank in a mission called Operation Proteus.

Claire Porter Robbins is a freelance journalist and former aid worker. She’s on the show to talk about what Canadian soldiers are doing in the West Bank, how the operation has changed since October 7, and what it means for the prospects of a two-state solution.

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In the small Newfoundland community of Portugal Cove south, the town church is considered its lifeblood, a community hub and historical touchstone, all rolled into one. But at the end of August, parishioners were told their church would be sold off to help the Roman Catholic Church pay a $104 million settlement.

And when locals learned they couldn’t stop the sale, they took matters into their own hands.

Today, the Globe’s Atlantic reporter, Lindsay Jones joins the podcast to tell the story of a small Newfoundland town seizing their own church, the historic court case it’s connected to, and how this standoff between one tiny town and the Roman Catholic Church, could end.

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When the pandemic hit, nearly 40 per cent of Canada’s workforce went remote. More than four years later, that number has dropped by more than half.

In a moment when bosses push for a return to the office – and workers cling to hybrid schedules – we’re learning just how much remote work has changed our habits, routines … and personal hygiene. 

Globe reporter Zosia Bielski recently turned her focus to examining our relationship with time: time use at work, unpaid labour and our hours off the clock. She joins the podcast to explain what researchers have learned about productivity in Canada and abroad, and how the fight over remote work is about how we use our time and what power our employers have over it.

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The Decibel presents ‘Lately’, a Globe and Mail podcast taking on shifts in business, tech and economy with newsmakers and thinkers.

In this episode, award-winning journalist Luc Rinaldi takes us behind the curtain of Big Tobacco’s machinations to report on how an industry built on addiction is looking to reinvent itself for the wellness age. His cover story on the topic appears in this month’s edition of the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business Magazine.

New episodes of ‘Lately’ hosted by Vass Bednar are available every Friday.

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After nearly two years of touring across five continents, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is coming to Canada. Thursday is the first of six dates in Toronto, and the tour will wrap up with three dates in Vancouver in December. When the Eras Tour rolls through town, money tends to follow; fans and concert-goers spend on merch, hotels, restaurants… and of course, tickets. Tickets make for attractive auction items, and people fundraising for charitable causes have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

For some people, thousands of Swifties descending upon downtown Toronto can be more like a ‘nightmare dressed like a daydream.’ Public transit systems, like Metrolinx and the TTC, say they’re ‘ready for it,’ but that amount of people will no doubt make getting around the city a challenge. Even couples planning their weddings were warned against booking dates while Swift is in town. 

Josh O’Kane is here to break down how businesses are getting in on the fun, and how to make the most of the Eras Tour weekends, whether or not you’re a Swiftie. 

The Globe has created Taylor Swift playlists for every type of listener: for people who want to rock out to her greatest hits, to the elder millennials who loved her since high school, to the songs to put your kids to sleep, to the ones who are soundtracking their walk to the stadium with swagger, to the sneaky covers to convert the non-Swifties and ending with the classic, lyrical ballads to make you shed a tear. https://open.spotify.com/user/kswfenu8tkbjszl0ebou72cgq/playlists

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