The Decibel – Details, episodes & analysis

Sage Morin’s life changed on May 19, 2013. A tragedy altered her family forever, and Sage was left to pick up the pieces, all while navigating her own deep grief and a complicated legal system.

More than a decade later, the trauma of her loss has become a badge of resilience and healing. Sage’s transformation is literal: She enters a wrestling ring, donning the character of a proud Cree fighter, inspiring a new generation of Indigenous youth.

Jana G. Pruden, feature writer for The Globe, tells the story of Sage and her rebirth into The Matriarch.

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This year is off to a bad start for wildfires. To date, more than 40,000 people have had to evacuate their homes, and both Manitoba and Saskatchewan declared provincial states of emergency. Even people in communities thousands of miles from the fires have faced hazardous smoke.

Temur Durrani has been covering this year’s wildfires for The Globe. He joins us to talk about how wildfires in the summer have become the new normal and why fire chiefs are pushing for a more centralized approach to handling them.

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Maryam Fatima was born with a condition called hemimegalencephaly, a rare birth defect where one side of the brain is abnormally large. She suffered from severe seizures from the moment she was born. They became so bad that they stopped Maryam from feeding, sleeping and breathing. Her life was at risk.

That’s when a team at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto decided to attempt a first-in-Canada procedure to save Maryam’s life.

Health Science reporter Jennifer Yang interviewed some of the medical professionals who performed the procedure, as well as Maryam’s mother, Muzna Nafees. She tells the story of how Maryam’s life was saved.

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Hours before historic, damaging tariffs were set to be imposed between Canada and the U.S., the two nations stepped back from the brink.

The Globe’s international correspondent, Nathan VanderKlippe, joins the show to break down the phone call that led to the 30-day pause, Canada’s increased measures at the border, and what may be the beginning of a troubling trend: Trump threatening tariffs to get whatever he wants.

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The economies of Canada and the United States are on a collision course. On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed off on 25 per cent tariffs to be imposed on all Canadian goods, beginning February 4. In response, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau levelled tariffs back toward the U.S., warning that “the coming weeks will be difficult for Canadians and they will be difficult for Americans.” The trade war effectively transforms a decades-long economic partnership, with serious implications for millions of workers.

Jason Kirby is reporter for The Globe and Mail and Report on Business section. He breaks down the details of the tariffs, what it will mean for major industries and why this fight will likely send Canada into a recession.

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If it seems like everyone you know is sick right now, that’s because respiratory virus season is in full swing. On top of influenza, COVID-19 and RSV, this year, medical professionals are seeing a surge of norovirus cases – also known as ‘winter vomiting disease.’

Alanna Smith is a health reporter with the Globe. Every week, she’s publishing data on respiratory virus season across the country, including links to resources about where you can get vaccinated. Today, she’s on the show to talk about what the spread of illnesses looks like in Canada, how hospitals are affected, how to best prevent illness, and what you need to know about avian flu.

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Ontario is officially in an election campaign. Voters will go to the polls on February 27 – more than a year before they were supposed to cast their votes. So what is behind this early snap election? And will Premier Doug Ford’s political calculations pay off? 

Laura Stone covers Ontario politics for The Globe. She is on the show to explain what Doug Ford has said about why he is calling this early election, what the other party leaders think is actually behind his decision and political insiders are talking about the 1990 election in Ontario. 

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After an 18-month long public inquiry, the final report on foreign interference in Canada has been released. Justice Marie-Josée Hogue’s seven-volume report weighs in on allegations of parliamentarians participating in foreign interference, outlines concerning examples of when foreign states have tried to influence our elections and gives 51 recommendations on what to do about it. 

Steven Chase is the Globe’s senior parliamentary reporter. His reporting over the years with colleague Robert Fife uncovered allegations of foreign interference before the inquiry even started. Today on the show, he breaks down the key findings of the public inquiry and what the report says should be done to counter further attempts to interfere with Canadian democracy. 

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Phase one of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been in place for just over a week, but so far, it has been incredibly fragile. In the first days of the ceasefire, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners, and Hamas released three Israeli hostages. On the second weekend, two hundred Palestinian prisoners were released, as were four Israeli hostages. 

But the deal hit a snag on Saturday, when Palestinians were set to return to northern Gaza. When Hamas did not release Arbel Yehoud, one of the hostages Israel was expecting, Israel kept the corridor closed. On Monday morning, Qatar announced Hamas will return Yehoud this week, along with two other hostages, and Palestinians began returning to northern Gaza. 

Janice Dickson is the Globe’s international affairs reporter, and she’s been reporting from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Ramallah over the last week. She’s on the show to talk about how the ceasefire has been playing out for people on the ground, and what’s been happening in the West Bank in the meantime.

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Donald Trump is not a fan of international coalitions. He is also not a fan of intelligence agencies. And yet, the U.S. is the biggest member of the Five Eyes network – one of the world’s most powerful spying operations. As a second Trump administration begins in Washington, Canada and the other Five Eyes countries await to see what will happen. 

Richard Kerbaj is a journalist and author. His new book is called The Secret History of the Five Eyes: The Untold Story of The International Spy Network. He explains Canada’s role in the Five Eyes, how the alliance has evolved over the years and whether it can withstand another Trump presidency. 

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