The Decibel

The Globe and Mail’s European Bureau Chief Eric Reguly is in East Jerusalem, covering a very tense moment in Israel’s history. While last month’s ceasefire has held, the dispute over home ownership in the city’s Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighbourhood continues. Some Palestinian families are already being evicted from their homes in favour of Jewish settlers. Protests around these developments have erupted. Conflicts between neighbours have been captured on social media. Police and Israeli officers are stationed in the streets.Meanwhile, tensions are also high in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. Eight parties are attempting to form a coalition government that could oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and end his 12 years of rule. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Police charged a man on Monday for hitting an entire family with his truck on Sunday night in London, Ontario, alleging that he did it intentionally because of their Muslim faith. Four members of the Afzaal family died, leaving the only survivor and youngest child, a boy named Fayez, seriously hurt in hospital.An outpouring of grief from the community and across the country followed; a vigil held Tuesday saw leaders from the three major parties speak. But many Muslims say they don’t feel safe now, and not for the first time.On the show, we’ll hear from two London residents who share their stories about experiencing and witnessing racism in London, and what needs to happen to move the conversation forward on Islamophobia in Canada.Javeed Sukhera is a child psychiatrist, an associate professor at Western University’s medical school, and the outgoing chair of the London Police Services Board.Jeff Bennett was the Ontario PC Party candidate for London West in 2014 and wrote about the Islamophobia he witnessed on the campaign trail in a Facebook post that went viral. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On Sunday, Pope Francis prayed for Indigenous families, addressing the announcement that remains of children were found in unmarked gravesites at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. But despite calls from survivors, some Catholics, and even the Prime Minister to do so, the Pope did not apologize for the Church’s role in running many residential schools.Tavia Grant is a reporter for The Globe and Mail, and joins us to discuss why survivors have struggled to hold the church accountable. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Three First Nations have deferred the logging of old-growth forest in and around Fairy Creek, B.C. This follows months of blockading by environmental activists to stop logging roads being built by forestry company Teal Jones Group, which brought an injunction against the protesters that led to over 170 arrests by RCMP.Meanwhile, Premier John Horgan’s NDP government has signalled through an intention paper possible legislation to put more of the province’s logging industry under Indigenous nations’ control.Justine Hunter is the Globe’s B.C. legislative reporter based in Victoria, and has been covering the tensions around harvesting old-growth forests for decades. She’ll tell us about divisions within the NDP, the changing landscape around Indigenous sovereignty over traditional lands, battling climate change and high lumber prices all converging in the pristine valley of Fairy Creek. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Women have been graduating from university at higher rates than men for decades but are still under-represented in the best-paid jobs, like university deans and full professors.Reporter Robyn Doolittle shares insights from the new investigation she did with Chen Wang, analyzing salaries of Ontario professors over the last 20 years. She also talks about structural issues that explain why women are getting stuck in the lower ranks of professorships at many Canadian post-secondary institutions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tanya Talaga is an Anishinaabe journalist, speaker and columnist for The Globe. After being invited by the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, Tanya travelled to Kamloops, B.C., to report on the Nation’s announcement that ground-penetrating radar had located 215 unmarked gravesites near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.The number for the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is 1-866-925-4419. British Columbia has a First Nations and Indigenous Crisis Line offered through the KUU-US Crisis Line Society, toll-free at 1-800-588-8717. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dr. Konia Trouton is a physician in Victoria, B.C., who provides medical assistance in dying, also known as MAID. She describes the process, discusses recent changes to the laws around MAID and how that may change her practice, and why we need to become more comfortable with talking about dying.You can read her opinion essay on MAID here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How did a junior oil company from Calgary end up at the heart of a dispute over wildlife preservation in Namibia? Energy reporter Emma Graney talks about the effort by a company called Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. to drill for oil in Namibia’s Okavango Delta area, at a time when governments and investors are looking toward a future without fossil fuel consumption to stop climate change. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The remains of 215 children were found on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. Residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad tells us the significance of this discovery. Plus, Stephanie Scott and Raymond Frogner of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation explain the history of residential schools in Canada.The number for the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is 1-866-925-4419. British Columbia has a First Nations and Indigenous Crisis Line offered through the KUU-US Crisis Line Society, toll-free at 1-800-588-8717. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Two women got COVID-19 while in their third trimester of pregnancy and landed in the ICU, isolated from their newborn babies.They tell their stories, plus national health reporter Kelly Grant on why COVID-19 hits pregnant people harder and why doctors recommend getting vaccinated if you’re expecting. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Remote learning has allowed for education to continue in the COVID-19 pandemic, but at what cost? Some students are lost and disengaged, parents are exhausted trying to help and many teachers feel frustrated.Caroline Alphonso, The Globe and Mail’s education reporter, talks about the barriers different kinds of kids face, what educators know about how far behind students are sliding in basic skills like reading, and what schools are doing to try to help. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After the death of George Floyd, American politicians faced huge pressure to institute changes to reform standards of policing and hold officers to account. Adrian Morrow, The Globe and Mail’s U.S. correspondent, discusses what progress has been made a year later and how movement on one specific issue – qualified immunity – has drawn both controversy and commendation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As warmer months and higher vaccination rates bring hope of a return to normal life for Canadians, the summer job market for young people is still dampened for now by public health restrictions in its most important sectors.Economics reporter Matt Lundy tells us why young people’s jobs got hit the hardest in the pandemic, and how people starting their working lives during the pandemic may feel the effects for years to come. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For months now, Brampton resident Dr. Amanpreet Brar has been going on different Punjabi-language shows to talk about the COVID-19 pandemic and take audience questions. She is on The Decibel today to talk about her outreach efforts, her former life as a temporary factory worker and why Brampton is one of Canada’s worst coronavirus hot spots.This episode is part of The Globe and Mail’s L6P project. It is a multi-story examination of Brampton’s L6P neighbourhood, which not only has some of the highest COVID-19 positivity rates in Canada, but is also home to a huge population of essential workers. Read the series, in English, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi and Gujarati: tgam.ca/L6P Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a mutual ceasefire, ending nearly two weeks of fighting. This came after escalating pressure from U.S. President Joe Biden. American politics expert and Globe contributing columnist David Shribman explains the history and relationship between the two countries. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mars is a busy place right now. There are two rovers and a helicopter on the surface, along with many orbiters circling around it. Science reporter Ivan Semeniuk talks about the lure of the red planet and how new players in the space race are propelling us closer and closer to getting humans on Mars. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Despite the fourth wave of coronavirus now hitting Japan, the Olympic Games are scheduled to take place in Tokyo at the end of July. Columnist Cathal Kelly tells us why that’s still the plan even in the face of widespread disapproval among Japanese and the threat of COVID-19 infecting the games. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you were able to work from home for much of the pandemic, you might be looking forward to getting back to the office – or dreading the commute, the bad lighting and the work clothes. So what does corporate Canada think about a shift to remote work and flexible hours – and what might workers be missing out on if they keep the home office?Zabeen Hirji is an executive adviser on the future of work for the consulting company Deloitte, and she says HR departments across the country are trying to keep the best parts of how we learned to work together, apart. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ron Siwicki spent two years in prison for failing to look after his bedridden mother. Wency Leung discusses how his family’s tragic story reveals the difficulties of at-home elder care. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The worst fighting in years between Israel and Palestinians broke out this week following a police raid at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Senior international correspondent Mark MacKinnon discusses the forces at play behind the recent violence, and where this conflict is headed. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alberta has the most active COVID-19 cases per capita, more than any other province in Canada – twice as many as Manitoba, which is in second place. James Keller, The Globe and Mail’s Alberta Bureau Chief, joins Tamara to discuss Alberta’s steep third wave, what is happening inside the province’s hospitals and the political fallout for Premier Jason Kenney. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How did big companies that had a great 2020 overall end up qualifying for millions of taxpayer dollars from the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program? Capital markets reporter Vanmala Subramaniam discusses the Globe’s latest investigation into how much relief money went to companies that ended up profiting during a pandemic year. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Fewer spontaneous coffees, commuting costs and vacations have left some with a tidy sum in their savings. Personal finance journalists and co-hosts of the Stress Test podcast Rob Carrick and Roma Luciw talk about what to do with new-found savings, the meaning of ‘revenge spending,’ and how to stave off FOMO in a post-vaccine world. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Globe and Mail health columnist André Picard discusses how Canada has fared nearly 14 months into its COVID-19 pandemic, what to do if you have vaccine-hesitant friends or family, and whether the end of this pandemic is in sight. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The new podcast from The Globe and Mail. Coming May 10, 2021. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.