- Ford and the never-ending Ontario Place saga
Thursday, December 28th 2023
For the holidays, The Decibel is sharing their favourite stories of the year, with the producers taking you behind-the-scenes on how the episodes were made, what inspired them and all the tidbits that never made it into the original airing.
***
When Ontario Place first opened in 1971, it was a jewel on Toronto’s waterfront showcasing modern architecture and Ontario culture. But in the 50 years that followed, Ontario Place faced an identity crisis. The space hosted a water park and a night club to name a few. And while a few venues have stayed open much of the park closed in 2012. The Provincial government cited dwindling attendance and soaring costs.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has a new plan that he says will turn the 155-acres of land into a ‘world class’ destination. But the project is already mired in controversy, with critics saying the Premier’s plan is shrouded in secrecy and favouritism.
Decibel producer Sherrill Sutherland toured Ontario place with The Globe’s architecture critic, Alex Bozikovic to learn about why so many people are fighting to keep it a public space. Plus, the Globe’s Queen’s Park reporter Jeff Gray explains the politics behind this lucrative piece of land.
This episode originally aired on May 4, 2023
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]
- The hunt for dark matter, two kilometres under Sudbury
Wednesday, December 27th 2023
For the holidays, The Decibel is sharing their favourite stories of the year, with the producers taking you behind-the-scenes on how the episodes were made, what inspired them and all the tidbits that never made it into the original airing.
***
No one really knows what dark matter is. We just think it exists. And we believe it makes up 85 per cent of all mass in the universe. So how do you solve the mystery of something that is currently unknowable?
Enter SNOLAB. This underground, clean lab is located in Sudbury, Ontario, and researchers there are running experiments to try to solve this cosmic query. Decibel producer Madeleine White, along with Globe science reporter Ivan Semeniuk, go two kilometres underground to visit SNOLAB and bring you up to date on the lab’s quest to discover dark matter.
This episode originally aired on August 10, 2023
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]
- Butter, sugar and a pinch of family
Friday, December 22nd 2023
Food and family are often front and centre during the holidays. These two ingredients also help make up our identities and cultures.
So today, The Decibel is sharing stories of finding family through the act of baking.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]
- A wallet was sent to The Globe with a letter from a dying man
Thursday, December 21st 2023
Earlier this year, The Globe’s sports editor Jamie Ross got a peculiar package in the mail – a wallet, with a request from a man nearing the end of his life, to help return it to its rightful owner. That piqued the interest of investigative reporter Grant Robertson. And that began the saga of trying to track these people down.
Today, Grant Robertson tells us the story of a hockey player, his wallet, and the mystery Grant is trying to solve around it.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]
- The lost art of human pinsetting
Wednesday, December 20th 2023
The Globe’s Carrie Tait recently went to visit a bowling alley in the small town of Kimberley, British Columbia. It’s tucked in the basement of the town’s Elk’s Lodge and has a feature that exists in just a few other locations in North America: the pins are set by humans, not machines. It’s a profession from a bygone era but in Kimberley, this bowling alley from the past, is making a comeback.
Carrie is on the show to tell us about this unique space, the people who put it together and how the bowling alley is helping to revive a small town looking toward its future.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]
