The Decibel

On Monday, Calgary-based discount airline Lynx Air, which launched a mere two years ago, ceased operations. For customers, that means they’re likely not getting refunds and will have to find alternate and possibly more expensive tickets to their destinations.

This is a familiar story in Canada. Discount airlines have come and gone with only a few years of operation under their belt. The Globe’s transportation reporter, Eric Atkins is on the show to explain why discount airlines keep failing in Canada and what that means for flyers looking for a deal.

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Exclusive deals struck between insurance companies and pharmacies are increasingly drawing scrutiny from patients, pharmacists and cabinet ministers. The arrangements, known as preferred pharmacy networks (PPNs), are meant to deal with rising prices of pharmaceutical drugs. But detractors say these plans mean less transparency, competition and consumer choice.

The Globe’s retailing reporter Susan Krashinsky Robertson and wealth management and insurance reporter Clare O’Hara explain why the blowback against PPNs is rooted in questions about who gets to approve treatment for patients.

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For the first time ever, a spacecraft built by a private company has landed on the moon. The robotic lander, named Odysseus, touched down in the south polar region on Thursday. But not before a nerve-wracking communications blackout and an off-kilter landing that have scientists racing against time.

What is Odysseus’ purpose? What could this mean for future space projects like NASA’s Artemis missions in 2026? Ivan Semeniuk, The Globe’s science reporter, joins the show to explain the historic feat.

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Since the murder of a Muslim family by a self-described white nationalist in London, Ont. in 2021, debate has raged over whether this crime was an act of terrorism under Canadian law. Last week’s Ontario Superior Court ruling has settled the matter: Nathaniel Veltman’s targeted attacks on the Afzaal family is a ‘textbook’ example of terrorism.

Globe reporter Colin Freeze has been covering the case and joins The Decibel to explain the precedent-setting decision, why defining terrorism matters in Canada, and what this means in protecting the victims of terrorist crimes.

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Two years ago, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Now, with Russia on the front foot, many towns that have been safe for months are being thrust back onto the frontlines, like Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine.

Today, The Globe’s senior international correspondent Mark MacKinnon, who’s in Kharkiv, tells us about the frontlines of the war two years on, how the soldiers are doing, and what it means for Ukraine’s army that Western support is slowing down.

If you’d like to learn more, The Globe is doing a live Q&A with Mark on Saturday, February 24 at 10 a.m. ET, here.

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The latest poll numbers are looking grim for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals. According to an Abacus poll in February, the Trudeau-led Liberals are polling at 24 per cent and the PM himself is deeply unpopular among voters of all ages. More than a year out from the next election, is the incumbent government already doomed?

John Ibbitson, The Globe’s Writer-At-Large, explains the factors that have led to the Liberals’ steep decline and whether this is simply the end of a political cycle – as a new one could soon begin.

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As health care across Canada struggles with staffing shortages, a Globe investigation has found that provincial use of private nursing agencies has recently skyrocketed – in some cases costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Globe’s Kelly Grant and Tu Thanh Ha have been investigating these private agencies – and one agency in particular – for months. Today, they tell us how these agencies work, why it’s costing so much, and the concerns with how some of these companies are operating – including some questionable expenses that are being passed onto taxpayers.

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Canada’s first federal housing advocate released her first-ever formal review last week: Housing is a human right and that the federal government is failing people who are unhoused and violating a 2019 law by not providing adequate housing. That has led directly to a poverty and encampment crisis affecting cities and towns across Canada, leaving thousands of people struggling to survive.

Marie-Josée Houle, Canada’s Federal Housing Advocate, joins the show to explain the full findings of her report and the pressure on governments to act now.

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Worried about total economic collapse because of government mismanagement? Bow Valley Credit Union might be for you. The Alberta credit union is leaning hard into anti-government, anti-regulation rhetoric. And it’s buying up precious metals like gold in a bid to shore up its depositors’ investments.

They’re proud of the fact that they’ve run afoul of regulators, using their distrust of authority as a selling point, and recently sponsored Tucker Carlson’s interview with Alberta premier Danielle Smith.

The Globe’s Carrie Tait explains how Bow Valley’s CEO has built up the credit union and why they appeal to thousands who’ve invested with them.

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Back in the fall of 2021, Canadian news headlines were dominated by the story of the Rogers family battling for control of Rogers Communications Inc. It was a very dramatic, and very public, power struggle that was frequently compared to the TV show Succession.

The fallout from that saga is still playing out today. Alexandra Posadzki has been breaking news on this story since it started. She recently published a book, Rogers v. Rogers: The Battle for Control over Canada’s Telecom Empire. Today, she explains the saga that pulled the Rogers family apart, risked a $20-billion deal, and what it all means for Canada’s telecom industry now.

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