The Decibel

There is a universal – but uncomfortable – truth about grief: We will all experience it at some point in our lives. And with the scale of death we witnessed during the pandemic, grief is a lot more present in our lives.

And yet, Canada doesn’t have a cohesive network of support for grief. The Canadian Grief Alliance recently received federal funding to look into this. Paul Adams is one of the co-chairs and is on the show to explain what a better system could look like.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]

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2023 was a rocky year for Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government. The country was grappling with unaffordable housing and grocery prices, high interest rates, accusations of foreign interference. Trudeau and his government have been sliding in the polls, losing significant ground to Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

Today, in our first episode of 2024, The Globe’s political columnist and writer-at-large John Ibbitson explains how the events of 2023 impacted Trudeau and his government, and Pierre Poilievre, and what might be in store for 2024.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]

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For the holidays, The Decibel is sharing their favourite stories of the year, with the producers taking you behind-the-scenes on how the episodes were made, what inspired them and all the tidbits that never made it into the original airing.

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Adrial and Adiah Nadarajah are the most premature twins ever born to survive to their first birthday – they were born at just 22 weeks, about half of a full term pregnancy. If they had been born just two hours earlier, medical staff would not have tried to resuscitate them. They would have been considered too young to live.

Their story is part of the medical and moral challenges that arise when babies are born dangerously early. Kelly Grant spoke with the parents and doctors of the babies – and attended the twins’ first birthday party.

This episode originally aired on April 10, 2023

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]

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For the holidays, The Decibel is sharing their favourite stories of the year, with the producers taking you behind-the-scenes on how the episodes were made, what inspired them and all the tidbits that never made it into the original airing.

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When Ontario Place first opened in 1971, it was a jewel on Toronto’s waterfront showcasing modern architecture and Ontario culture. But in the 50 years that followed, Ontario Place faced an identity crisis. The space hosted a water park and a night club to name a few. And while a few venues have stayed open much of the park closed in 2012. The Provincial government cited dwindling attendance and soaring costs.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has a new plan that he says will turn the 155-acres of land into a ‘world class’ destination. But the project is already mired in controversy, with critics saying the Premier’s plan is shrouded in secrecy and favouritism.

Decibel producer Sherrill Sutherland toured Ontario place with The Globe’s architecture critic, Alex Bozikovic to learn about why so many people are fighting to keep it a public space. Plus, the Globe’s Queen’s Park reporter Jeff Gray explains the politics behind this lucrative piece of land.

This episode originally aired on May 4, 2023

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]

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For the holidays, The Decibel is sharing their favourite stories of the year, with the producers taking you behind-the-scenes on how the episodes were made, what inspired them and all the tidbits that never made it into the original airing.

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No one really knows what dark matter is. We just think it exists. And we believe it makes up 85 per cent of all mass in the universe. So how do you solve the mystery of something that is currently unknowable?

Enter SNOLAB. This underground, clean lab is located in Sudbury, Ontario, and researchers there are running experiments to try to solve this cosmic query. Decibel producer Madeleine White, along with Globe science reporter Ivan Semeniuk, go two kilometres underground to visit SNOLAB and bring you up to date on the lab’s quest to discover dark matter.

This episode originally aired on August 10, 2023

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]

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Food and family are often front and centre during the holidays. These two ingredients also help make up our identities and cultures.

So today, The Decibel is sharing stories of finding family through the act of baking.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]

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Earlier this year, The Globe’s sports editor Jamie Ross got a peculiar package in the mail – a wallet, with a request from a man nearing the end of his life, to help return it to its rightful owner. That piqued the interest of investigative reporter Grant Robertson. And that began the saga of trying to track these people down.

Today, Grant Robertson tells us the story of a hockey player, his wallet, and the mystery Grant is trying to solve around it.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]

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The Globe’s Carrie Tait recently went to visit a bowling alley in the small town of Kimberley, British Columbia. It’s tucked in the basement of the town’s Elk’s Lodge and has a feature that exists in just a few other locations in North America: the pins are set by humans, not machines. It’s a profession from a bygone era but in Kimberley, this bowling alley from the past, is making a comeback.

Carrie is on the show to tell us about this unique space, the people who put it together and how the bowling alley is helping to revive a small town looking toward its future.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]

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A giant squid discovered in Newfoundland in 1873 turned what until then was a mythological creature into the scientifically named Architeuthis dux, or giant squid. In the generations since, more sightings and myth-making have become the stuff of local legend on “The Rock”.

Atlantic reporter Lindsay Jones explores how the giant squid has since entwined itself in the history and culture of Newfoundland, even as sightings have dwindled in the 21st century.

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Nearly every day, The Globe published an editorial cartoon. Around 8,000 of those cartoons were drawn by Brian Gable. After 35 years of drawing cartoons for The Globe, Brian Gable has retired.

Today, we talk to Brian about the complicated art of political cartoons, how he does it, who his favourite people have been to draw, and why he thinks we need editorial cartoons in today’s world.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail us at [email protected]

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