The Decibel

Smoking cigarettes is cool again. Apparently. Social media and accounts online are raving about the habit, turning it into a trend with images from celebrities and appealing to Gen Z . But this rebirth in popularity runs counter to widespread anti-smoking campaigns warning about the dangers of getting addicted and the health effects of cigarettes. Where did this cultural resurgence for smoking and...

The federal government released its plan for AI , and it includes a lot of new money ($2.3 billion, to be precise) towards training, adoption and supporting Canadian businesses and tech companies. There was a lot of anticipation leading up to this strategy’s release, both from those excited about how Canada plans to build and harness the technology , but also from those who are concerned about the...

As Canada builds out its military, there has been an increasing focus on arctic security. But military strategies that work in the southern part of the country do not always work in the North. Gavin John was embedded in a patrol with Canadian rangers as part of Operation Nanook-Nunalivut . John, who covers national defence  for The Globe, shares what it was like to patrol more than 1,000 km in the...

Canada’s economy has stalled . According to Statistics Canada, Canada’s real GDP contracted 0.1 per cent on an annualized basis in the first quarter of 2026. In the previous quarter, there was a 1-per-cent annualized decline. Two consecutive quarters of decline has sparked debate in Ottawa and on Bay Street about whether the country is in a recession . Mark Rendell is The Globe’s economics reporte...

Interprovincial trade within Canada is complicated. Existing barriers mean that many goods, like alcohol, often can’t be sold across provincial and territorial lines. Prime Minister Mark Carney has been pushing for ‘one Canadian economy’ in the wake of attempts to diversify away from the U.S. Opening up interprovincial alcohol sales, especially direct to consumer sales, have been a litmus test for...

The Canadian trucking industry touches almost every aspect of commercial  life — most Canadian products on store shelves made at least some part of their journey on the back of a truck. The conditions for drivers who got them there, however, are getting worse.  A Globe investigation by Sara Mojtehedzadeh , an investigative reporter at The Globe, and Mahima Singh , a Globe data editor, looked into...

Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault has announced his resignation from Mark Carney’s government , after stepping down from cabinet last fall.. During his time in Canadian parliament Mr. Guilbeault has become a symbol for the Liberal party’s climate conscience. His decision to depart centres on the Prime Minister’s approach to climate policy and it signals the most public disruption in the perceived unity...

Vancouver and Toronto are getting ready to host FIFA World Cup matches in June and July, and the demands FIFA makes tend to be costly. Requirements from FIFA go from stadium renovations to branding enforcement, transportation and even tax exemptions. All three levels of government have already spent hundreds of millions of dollars in preparation.     Contracts between FIFA and host cities aren’t u...

Canada has been pushing to increase its defence efforts. Earlier this year, Canada reached their NATO defence spending target of two per cent of GDP . On Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to obtain new early warning aircraft technology . And, the Canadian military is seeing an increase in enlistment rates . Janice Dickson is The Globe’s international affairs reporter. Earlier t...

Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation near Kamloops, B.C. was the site of a national reckoning over the legacy of residential schools. On May 27, 2021, the First Nation announced it had discovered 215 probable unmarked graves on the ground of a former residential school, using ground-penetrating radar technology. The number was later revised to around 200 probable graves.  Since that revelation, lea...

Political tensions are rising in Alberta. Last week, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced the province will hold a referendum on whether to hold a subsequent referendum on secession from Canada. Division and debate has been stirred up between federalists and separatists . And those who want to leave argue that Alberta will be better off, more economically successful and have full control over...

Getting paid for plasma – the yellow-gold liquid part of blood – in Canada is still pretty new. It’s full of protein and antibodies and can be used to make medicine for immunodefficient people. But following the deaths of two plasma donors, the practice is facing criticism and concerns are being raised about its safety. Chris Hannay is a business of healthcare reporter for The Globe. He’s on the s...

Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, sat down with The Globe’s editorial board for an interview last week. They asked him about a range of issues, from the current state of the Conservative Party to the Alberta separatism movement and tariff-free trade. Patrick Brethour is the editorials editor at The Globe, and he’s on the show to discuss what they learned in this exc...

Drones have become a part of everyday life for many Ukrainians. Now, they’re showing up in the airspace of Baltic countries. On Wednesday, people in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, were instructed to take shelter when drone activity was detected near the border with Belarus. The day before, a NATO jet shot down a Ukrainian drone over southern Estonia. This followed an incident earlier this month whe...

Finding the time to cook can be a challenge. The solution for many Canadians looks like using convenient pre-prepared foods. Ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) are branded, commercial foods made from cheap ingredients and contain little to no whole foods. But despite their convenience, foods like these are usually known for being bad for your health. So is it possible to go without UPFs? Kelly Grant , on...

“Birth alerts” were a controversial practice in several Canadian provinces that allowed hospitals and child-welfare agencies to flag pregnant patients they deemed to be high-risk without their knowledge or consent. They were in place until as recently as 2023 in Quebec. Last week, a proposed settlement worth $66-million was reached in a class action lawsuit over British Columbia’s use of birth ale...

U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to China to meet President Xi Jinping this week is full of jeopardy. From tense talks over trade and tariffs, the role of each superpower in the war in Iran, and the future of Taiwan – each leader has been full of praise, while also talking past each other on the thorniest issues . Will any substantial deals get done? And where does this leave the U.S.-China rel...

Once relegated to paperback stands in grocery stores, the business of romance novels is hot right now – especially in Canada. In a moment when book sales in other genres appear to be relatively flat or declining, what is it about romance novels that’s making readers fall in love? Deborah Aarts is a freelance business journalist. She’s on the show today to discuss what’s driving this “ swoon boom ,...

This month, the World Health Organization linked a hantavirus outbreak to a cruise ship in the south Atlantic. Since the outbreak, three people have died from the virus and nine people have been confirmed to be infected with it. 10 Canadians who have been exposed to the virus have returned to Canada and are quarantining . To some, there are familiar anxieties about how widespread the outbreak coul...

From trade wars to the war in Iran, there has been a lot of geopolitical tension in the world. This can sometimes cause jitters on the stock market, but that hasn’t been the case as of late. In fact, the stock market has been thriving , even at a time when Canadians are feeling like there is an affordability crisis. Tim Shufelt is an investment reporter for The Globe. He’s been looking into what’s...

Canada has seen a decline in deaths related to drug overdose the past two years. But the reality at the local level is a little more complicated. In some cities, like Edmonton, this rate is increasing. The city saw its deadliest year for drug deaths in 2025. One of the Globe’s health reporters, Alanna Smith was in Alberta to figure out what’s going on. She’s here to share what she learned about wh...

The war in Iran has radically changed the way that oil and gas moves around the globe . Since the war began, North American energy exports – such as petroleum and liquefied natural gas – have increased. Now, there is pressure on Canada to meet the increased demand . The Globe’s energy reporter, Emma Graney , is on the show to explain how some Canadian companies are changing course to try to meet t...

Saudi Arabia has spent a decade pouring billions into investments to modernize their finance, entertainment, sports, technology and tourism industries, to help shift their economy away from oil. Now these efforts, called Vision 2030, are being challenged , in part, by the war in Iran, the missile and drone strikes against Saudi and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Doug Saunders is the Globe’s...

This week marked an important milestone in the separatist campaign in Alberta. After months of getting people to sign their petitions to trigger a referendum on independence, the separatist leaders submitted their signatures to Elections Alberta for verification. But Elections Alberta cannot count the signatures right now. That’s because of a court injunction that was put in place last month while...

Canada has spent the last year shoring up defence spending . Now a new multilateral financial institution, the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank , is being established with the promise of offering stable financing to member countries. After months of negotiations, Canada was selected to be the bank’s host country last week. Pippa Norman is the Globe’s innovation reporter, and also covers Canad...