The Decibel

 It’s been almost two years since the mass shooting in Portapique, Nova Scotia, that killed 22 people. An inquiry into the tragedy that will make recommendations on how to prevent it from happening again began its public phase on Tuesday.“Nova Scotia has not been able to fully come to terms with this massacre,” Atlantic Canada reporter Greg Mercer says. He’ll explain the criticism families and politicians have of the inquiry and what we’ve learned about the shooting and its perpetrator since it happened. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After a fiery speech on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Russian troops across the border into Ukraine’s breakaway regions that make up the Donbas region. Western nations are reacting by imposing sanctions on Russia, with Germany going so far as to stop the certification of the NordStream 2 natural gas pipeline that Putin had hoped would deliver fuel to Europe, bypassing Ukraine.So is this move a prelude to a wider invasion? Or has the invasion started? The Globe’s senior international correspondent, Mark MacKinnon, discusses the role of diplomacy now that this conflict has moved into a more inauspicious stage. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When Renford Farrier was given a life sentence for killing a man, he believed he’d be out on parole after 10 years. Thirty years later, he’s still in prison and believes racism is partly to blame.A Globe analysis found that Indigenous, Black and other racialized men are less likely than their white counterparts to be paroled within the first year they’re eligible.Investigative reporter Tom Cardoso explains what that analysis found, and interviews Farrier about his time in prison, why he thinks racism played a role in being denied parole, and what he plans to do when he is finally released. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

British Columbia’s health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, announced on Feb. 15 that the province would be easing COVID-19 restrictions. This includes removing capacity limits at gyms, restaurants and nightclubs – even dancing is back. But the province isn’t getting rid of their vaccine passport and that has set B.C. apart from places like Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba – provinces that have decided to end vaccine mandates.It’s not the first time British Columbia has been on a divergent path from how other parts of the country have responded to COVID-19. Dr. Henry has been praised and criticized for how she’s brought the province through the pandemic. She’s on the show to tell us what’s behind some of her decisions, where she sees the pandemic going in the near future and what it’s like being the face of public health measures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A big part of the federal government’s plan to end the convoy protests and blockades includes targeting the flow of money to them. Banks were granted expanded powers and liability protection as part of the Emergencies Act announcement on February 14.But how comfortable are Canadian financial institutions with policing their own customers and freely sharing information with law enforcement? Banking reporter James Bradshaw has been speaking with officials at the big banks and explains exactly how they think they’ll be proceeding under these new powers. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Canada’s women’s hockey team is going for gold at the Beijing Olympics. They’ll face off against their rivals: Team USA. It’s the sixth time these teams have met in an Olympic final. While these two teams have dominated since women’s hockey was introduced to the Olympics in 1998, other countries have struggled to keep up.Globe sports reporter, Rachel Brady, is in Beijing covering the Olympics. She’s on the show to tell us why Canada and the U.S. keep meeting in the finals, what needs to be done for women’s hockey to continue to grow and why there are still so few opportunities outside of the Olympics for these elite athletes. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Three weeks into the convoy protests, political leaders on all levels of government are looking at what levers they can pull. On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act. Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Doug Ford is keeping the province in a state of emergency. And Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson is attempting to negotiate with the truckers who remain in residential neighbourhoods in the capital.Jeff Gray, The Globe’s Queen’s Park reporter, gives us an update of what happened over the weekend and explains the various moves Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario’s Doug Ford have made in recent days as the public’s patience wears thin on the ongoing protests and blockades at various border crossings and in Ottawa. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Valentine’s Day and red roses go hand-in-hand, and for those of us heading to local shops across Canada to pick up a bouquet, you might be surprised to learn those flowers most likely came from Colombia. The country is the second-largest flower exporter in the world, and they ship about 650-million stems overseas just for Valentine’s Day.Yader Guzman is a freelance photographer based in Bogota who documented the journey of some of these flowers for The Globe. He tells us how they go from greenhouses in Bogota to local stores in Canada and how this became such a huge industry for Colombia. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Life for Zexi Li has been a bit of a roller coaster these last few weeks. The Ottawa resident lives just a few blocks away from Parliament Hill, which meant that after the trucker convoy rolled into town the soundtrack to her life was horns. Protesters had been blaring their truck horns from 7 a.m. to as late as 1:30 a.m., until lawyer Paul Champ approached Zexi and a civil suit led to an injunction that muted the honking.Globe reporter Erin Anderssen spoke to Zexi after an Ontario Superior Court justice granted a 10-day injunction against the use of horns by the protesters. Zexi shares what it’s been like living amongst the cacophony, how she slept and why she agreed to be the public face of the proposed class-action suit. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The occupation of streets in downtown Ottawa and blockades at two border crossings to the US, including our busiest in Windsor, Ont. continues.Reporter Colin Freeze tells us more about who the leaders are of the Freedom Convoy, including those fundraising millions of dollars to support it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.