The Decibel

Ukraine and U.S. intelligence officials, as well as online sleuthers, have noticed a buildup of Russian troops along most of the border separating the former Soviet country from Russia. It has sparked worries that an invasion may be imminent and we could see a repeat of 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula.Senior International Correspondent Mark MacKinnon recently travelled to Kyiv to talk to Ukraine’s defence minister and get a sense of how concerned people are of the possibility of Russian aggression. Meanwhile, Russia says these fears are overblown and President Vladimir Putin recently held a call with U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss the situation. But was it enough to diffuse the tensions? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In December of 2020 there was a lot of hope in the air as the first shots of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered in Canada. Fast forward a year and more than 75 per cent of the population is considered fully vaccinated with two doses. But with the Delta variant still dominant and public health officials on high alert about the new Omicron variant, another shot of the vaccine is being recommended by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization. That means a third dose of the vaccine could soon be made available for many Canadians 18 years of age and older.The Globe’s health reporter, Carly Weeks, explains why a booster shot is being recommended, how it will help with waning immunity and what we should expect as we head into a second COVID-19 winter. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The experts said there’d be about 38,000 jobs added to Canada’s labour force in November. So when Statistics Canada announced that that number was actually 154,000, people were left scratching their heads. Especially since this news comes at a moment when Canada is facing a labour shortage.So what’s going on? And just how good is this news, actually? Economics reporter for The Globe and Mail Matt Lundy digs into the new labour numbers, explains what experts think is causing this surge and what it means for the rest of the economy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It has been 32 years since the École Polytechnique massacre, which left 14 women dead and spurred a debate about gun control in Canada. Progress on this file has been mixed, with various pieces of legislation over the decades that have made some efforts to prevent more mass shootings but stopped short of full-on bans of certain weapons.The Globe and Mail’s Patrick White clarifies which guns are legal, how our gun laws compare to those in the U.S. and what gun-control advocates would like to see changed. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The debate over the place and importance of the French language in Canada erupted into the corporate world after Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau gave a speech, mainly in English, in Montreal, and afterward said it was “testament” to the city that he hasn’t needed to learn French in the 14 years that he has lived there.His comments caused a cascade of criticism from politicians and ended up having a ripple effect for other English-speaking CEOs. Now Michael Rousseau is vowing to learn the language. Report on Business columnist, Rita Trichur, explains why bilingualism is a key component of being a corporate leader in Canada. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Barbados has moved on to a new future after the country declared itself a republic and replaced Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state with its recently elected president, Sandra Mason. The land was colonized by Britain 400 years ago, eventually becoming a slave society where hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans were brought to work on plantations growing tobacco, cotton, and sugar, among other crops.And while this moment was met with joyous celebration – and pop star Rihanna became, officially, a National Hero – the idea of the country becoming a republic had actually been debated for many years.Kareem Smith, a reporter for the online publication Barbados Today, explains what the future holds for the country and how the younger generation pushed for this moment to happen. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A bill first introduced in March 2020 is back in Parliament, as its backers try for the third time to put conversion therapy in the Criminal Code of Canada. And this time, the bill would ban the practice for adults as well as children.Globe Parliamentary reporter Janice Dickson has the latest on the effort to effectively ban the disgraced practice that purports to change people’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Last week the world learned about Omicron, the new COVID-19 variant. It was first detected in Southern Africa and many countries quickly tightened restrictions on travellers arriving from the region and imposed travel bans. The World Health Organization declared Omicron “a variant of concern” because of the very large number of mutations that could pose a high global risk of infection surges.The Globe’s Science Correspondent Ivan Semeniuk tells us what is currently known about the new variant and what it could mean about the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines that are currently available. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Many producers and investors had high expectations that cannabis-infused drinks would offer new and existing users a new way to get high. Some predicted hundreds of millions of dollars in annual sales from this type of product. But so far, reality hasn’t lived up to the hype, as THC drinks struggled to break into an extremely competitive and regulated market with only mellow sales.The Globe’s business reporter Irene Galea looks into what those problems are and what they could mean for the future of the industry. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Last week, two Cineplex movie theatres in Richmond Hill and Oakville Ontario were vandalized. Both theatres were showing the South Indian film, Kurup, and had multiple screens slashed. The mysterious incident is not the first time South Indian movie screenings have been targeted. It’s something that’s been happening since 2015.Joe Castaldo is a reporter for the Report on Business at The Globe. He explains what exactly has been going on and what some people in the industry think might be behind the incidents. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.