The Decibel

After months of escalating violence, Haiti has descended into chaos. Criminal gangs have largely taken control of the country’s capital as they attack civilians and police. Haitian prime minister Ariel Henry has agreed to step down to allow for a transitional government to take over, while a UN-backed security force from Kenya is being called on to restore order.

Chalmers Larose, a Haitian political scientist and lecturer at several Canadian post-secondary institutions, joins the show to unpack the security problems facing Haiti, what can be done about them, and whether international effort could help.

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The dangerous effects of the opioid crisis could be distilled in a single afternoon in February: the town of Belleville, Ont., saw 14 overdose cases in just two hours. The scale of the opioid crisis is often associated with big cities; however, the reality in smaller cities is even worse. Despite smaller cities having higher rates of opioid deaths and hospitalizations, they get less attention.

The Globe and Mail’s reporter and feature writer, Shannon Proudfoot explains the situation in some small towns in the country and how they are trying to deal with it despite having far fewer resources.

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A new series published by the medical journal, The Lancet says menopause is being “over-medicalized.” It argues that treating aging like an illness does women a disservice. The medical community’s approach to menopause has changed a lot throughout the years including the use of hormone replacement therapy to treat symptoms associated with it.

The Globe and Mail’s health reporter Kelly Grant, explains the history of hormone replacement therapy use, the culture shift around our views on menopause and where this all leaves people dealing with its symptoms.

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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced new regulations for renewable power developments that started on March 1st. This comes after the province paused all renewable developments in August. And the rules have some people concerned that it will limit this booming industry in a traditional oil-and-gas powered province.

The Globe and Mail’s energy reporter, Emma Graney, explains what exactly the rules cover and how it could create a chill for new wind and solar investments in Alberta.

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A recent legislative commission in Maine has questioned the 2006 Canadian investigation on the spraying of herbicides that took place in a New Brunswick military base. The latest report says the Canadian government downplayed the effects of Agent Orange on military veterans and their families.

Lindsay Jones is The Globe’s Atlantic reporter. In this episode, she tells us more about the investigations into the use of Agent Orange in Canada, and the fight for compensation and answers for those exposed to the toxic chemicals.

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In 2015, the Vancouver Art Gallery believed it had made a groundbreaking acquisition. 10 sketches by Group of Seven member J.E.H. MacDonald were unearthed in the mid-1970s and sold off. But experts in the Canadian art world weren’t convinced they were authentic. But it wouldn’t be until late 2023 that the truth was finally revealed to the public.

Marsha Lederman is a columnist for the Globe, and has been reporting on this artwork since the Vancouver Art Gallery first announced their acquisition nearly a decade ago. She’s on the show to talk about how the mystery was finally solved, what it means for an art gallery to come clean.

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Measles cases have been popping up all over the world, including in Canada. This highly contagious virus can be devastating – and even deadly – to people who haven’t been vaccinated against it.

The Globe and Mail’s health columnist André Picard explains why we’re seeing this sudden rise and what can be done about it.

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Newly released documents reveal two scientists who worked at a high-security infectious disease lab in Winnipeg provided confidential scientific information to China. Both scientists were fired back in 2021, but for years the exact reasons why had been a mystery. The CSIS documents now reveal that one of the scientists was “a realistic and credible threat to Canada’s economic security.”

Senior parliamentary reporter, Steven Chase explains who these scientists are and the information they were sharing, foreign interference and why the government took so long to release the documents.

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The Liberal-NDP supply-and-confidence deal has passed another test. The two parties managed to table a pharmacare bill before the March 1 deadline. But the compromise legislation is a limited program, supplying universal, single-payer coverage to only two classes of drugs.

Marieke Walsh, the Globe’s Senior Political Reporter, explains how the program will work and how much it will cost.

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There are increasing shortages in the skilled trades in Canada, and provinces and territories are desperate to get people to fill them – so, they’re turning to young people. There are programs across the country to get high school students engaged in the trades, but Ontario has proposed the most radical solution yet – allowing students to leave high school early.

Today, The Globe’s education reporter Caroline Alphonso explains how provinces are trying to encourage young people into the trades, and why we might need to rethink the approach to what happens after high school.

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