The Decibel

Prediction trading is exploding in popularity, with the industry set to rake in about US$2 billion in revenue this year alone. Companies like Kalshi and Polymarket have popularized the practice, which lets you bet on nearly anything – from Taylor Swift’s marriage status to election outcomes. This past week, Canadian company Wealthsimple cleared hurdles to offer Canadians something similar, but the...

This week, decisions in two landmark trials in the U.S. found social media companies responsible for harms to youth on their platforms. They follow years of growing concern about the dangers that social media poses to young people. Now those concerns are starting to show up in policy decisions. Back in December, Australia banned those under 16 years old from creating accounts on platforms like You...

Since the U.S. and Israel first attacked Iran almost a month ago, the ripple effects of the war have been felt globally. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has affected oil prices worldwide, but energy shocks are especially felt across the rest of Asia , which is heavily dependent on energy from the Gulf states. The 35 million migrant workers living in the Gulf – the bulk of whom come from South...

The federal government is hoping to make room for the new spending outlined in last year’s budget by making cuts across the public sector. The goal is to save $60 billion over the next 5 years. Departments like Library and Archives Canada and the Correctional Service of Canada are reducing their workforces, while some programs, like one for public transit , are seeing funding cuts. The Globe’s dep...

Amid threats of annexation and U.S.-imposed tariffs, Canadians are using their dollars to purchase Canadian goods. However, consumer complaints about products mislabelled as Canadian have spiked since the Buy Canadian movement began. Some in the food and beverage industry say cracking down too hard on mistaken labelling could backfire, dissuading retailers from promoting Canadian foods. Susan Kras...

Today, a case involving Quebec’s use of the notwithstanding clause is going before the Supreme Court of Canada. In the last decade, many provinces have used the clause to override federal powers to pass controversial laws. While cases involving the notwithstanding clause have been taken to the Supreme Court before, none have had the magnitude of being precedent-setting that could have major implic...

What does it mean to create music? Would you be able to tell if the sounds you were listening to weren’t made or sung by a human? Artists and supporters of the music industry are asking some of these existential questions, as technology in consumer generative AI has grown in leaps and bounds and record companies are settling legal battles with AI companies. Josh O’Kane , Globe reporter on arts and...

Since the U.S. and Israel started a war with Iran , the price of oil has spiked. That’s largely because oil tankers are no longer travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, meaning roughly one fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply remains stranded in the Gulf region. This is having an effect in Canada , even though Canada is the world’s fourth-largest oil producer and exporter. Jeffrey Jones is a...

Late last week, the Ontario government announced it would introduce legislation exempting the Premier, cabinet ministers and their offices from responding to freedom of information requests . The province said these changes are needed to protect privacy and to allow ministers to discuss policy decisions in confidence. Critics say it’s an anti-democratic move designed to shield the government from...

Building cities for the future means building a lot more public transit – and lately, Canadian cities have been planning LRTs, or light rail transit. While these projects are introduced with great promise of moving people around more efficiently, in practice, these projects have a history of disappointment . There’s Ottawa’s LRT project, which opened to great frustration from riders . Then, Toront...

It’s been one year since Mark Carney became Prime Minister. He was long known as a technocrat, having held the position of central banker for both Canada and the United Kingdom. But when Justin Trudeau resigned, Liberals – and later, Canadians – decided Carney was the man for the moment. One year later, his popularity is holding strong: an Angus Reid poll found that 60 per cent of Canadians held a...

On February 28th, the US and Israel struck Iran – and Iran fired back at military bases and allies in the region. The war has since dominated global attention, but it’s not just playing out in Iran . After the Iran-backed militia group, Hezbollah, fired into Israel in solidarity with Iran, a second front in the war opened up in Lebanon. Now, hundreds of thousands have been displaced in Lebanon and...

A wide-scale investigation into police corruption in Ontario – Project South – led to the arrests of 27 people, including seven Toronto Police Services officers and one retired Toronto Police officer. The allegations range from a conspiracy to traffic Toronto Police uniforms , to selling data to members of organized crime groups, to a plot to murder a corrections officer . But one of the civilians...

Members of Canada’s Iranian community have been living through a complex set of emotions since the United States and Israel started a war with Iran nearly two weeks ago. They worry for their loved ones in Iran, but they want to see the Islamic Republic regime destroyed. Others are divided on whether a return to a monarchy or a newly created democracy is in their future. Today on the show, we featu...

A month has passed since the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., where eight people were killed by 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who then turned the gun on herself. In the weeks since, more information has emerged about the shooter — from a history of troubling posts online, to years of mental health challenges. Her family spoke about how challenging it was to access the care she needed. And...

The first episode of Skinny Inc. was all about the science behind GLP-1s , and the second episode was about the business , from the pharmaceutical companies who make GLP-1s to the insurance plans that may or may not cover it. Today, we’re exploring how the so-called “Ozempic era,” affects people’s mental health. First, business owner Maiyhet Burton tells us how using a GLP-1 has helped her body im...

On Sunday, most Canadians lose an hour of sleep as the clocks get turned forward to daylight time . But while most of us have gotten used to the bi-annual time change, our bodies have not. And with a growing number of experts saying the practice messes with our sleep – should Canadians stop messing with the clock? Today, psychology professor Joseph De Koninck is here. He studies sleep at the Unive...

When it comes to one economic indicator, Canada is lagging behind one of the U.S.’s poorest states : Alabama. And while GDP per capita is an imperfect metric of wealth, Globe reporter Tim Kiladze went down to Alabama and found that there are some things the state has done that are worth taking note of. Tim joins the show to share what he saw down south, explore the criticisms of GDP per capita and...

Prime Minister Mark Carney finished his trip to India this week, marking the start of what he says is a new partnership between the two countries. The relationship between Canada and India has been tense for years , with allegations of Canadian election interference from India and accusations against Indian government agents over the killing of a Sikh-Canadian activist. The Globe’s senior parliame...

Since the U.S. and Israel first struck Iran on Saturday, energy prices have been on the rise . Oil prices are up around 13 per cent, and LNG – liquefied natural gas – is up around 75 per cent. 20 per cent of the world’s oil and LNG pass through the narrow Strait of Hormuz , a passageway between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea that is effectively being blocked by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. E...

The U.S. and Israel are continuing attacks on Iran for the fourth day. Iran’s leadership has been devastated, hundreds have been killed and retaliatory attacks have been launched against Israel and neighbouring nations . U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on Iranians to topple the theocratic government that has held power for 47 years. Thomas Juneau , professor at the University of...

You can listen to the first episode of this three-part series here . GLP-1 medications to treat diabetes, obesity and several other illnesses have exploded in popularity since Ozempic was approved for use in Canada back in 2018. Ozempic and Wegovy, the GLP-1s which contain semaglutide, are the third-most prescribed drug in Canada, and by far the best-selling one. Chris Hannay , The Globe’s busines...

Months before the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. , earlier this month, the shooter was banned from OpenAI , the company behind ChatGPT, for violating its usage policy. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported this, said that the interactions with ChatGPT were describing scenarios involving gun violence. That has furthered calls for the Canadian government to regulate AI companies and th...

On Tuesday night, U.S. President Donald Trump touted his tariff regime, after a Supreme Court decision that severely limited his ability to impose tariffs. Now countries trading with the U.S. are left with even more uncertainty about what will come next. Jason Kirby is a staff reporter for The Globe’s Report on Business. He explains what the court ruling means for Canada, what other tariffs could...

On Tuesday, Canadian airlines began to resume operations in Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. They had been suspended days earlier after the Mexican army killed El Mencho, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, leading to a wave of violence across Jalisco and elsewhere in Mexico. Residents of Puerto Vallarta, the popular tourist destination, and Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city,...