Latest podcasts
- Dispatch calls reveal chaos of deadly floods in Nova Scotia
Wednesday, August 16th 2023
In the early hours of July 22, chaos was erupting in Nova Scotia. Rain was pouring down, causing intense flooding. People were panicked about whether to stay or leave their homes. Emergency crews were overwhelmed. In the end, four people died in the floods.
A series of radio calls made between one volunteer fire department and the emergency dispatch provide a glimpse into when and how things unfolded that night. They also raise questions as to why it took officials almost two hours to issue an emergency alert with instructions to shelter in place.
Lindsay Jones is the Globe’s Atlantic Canada reporter, based in Halifax. She has gone from covering wildfires to floods and is on the show to go through what we’ve learned in the weeks since the fatal flooding.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]
- The unknown health impacts of cannabis smoke
Tuesday, August 15th 2023
It has been five years since the legalization of cannabis in Canada but we still know very little about health impacts from cannabis smoke. Almost no research has been done, despite government promises, so scientists and experts say we need more data so consumers can make an informed decision.
Jameson Berkow is a reporter for the Globe who has covered the cannabis industry extensively. He’s on the show today to explain why this knowledge gap exists and how we can close it.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]
- Ford accused of playing favourites in Greenbelt plans
Monday, August 14th 2023
On Wednesday, Ontario’s Auditor-General, Bonnie Lysyk released an investigative report into the province’s decision to open up 3,000 hectares of its protected Greenbelt area for development. The Ford government claims this will be beneficial for the housing crisis but her report found that they have a different agenda.
Jeff Gray is a Queen’s Park reporter for The Globe and Mail and he will be talking to us about the problems around the Greenbelt plan and where the Ford government went wrong.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]
- Why we need parasites
Friday, August 11th 2023
You’re never far from a parasite, no matter where you are. They’re responsible for illnesses like malaria that cause death around much of the world; the word itself is a derogatory term for something freeloading and disgusting.
They’re also very important to the health of ecosystems.
Parasite ecologist and University of Washington associate professor Chelsea Wood makes her case for parasite conservation, and why they’re actually complex forms of life that need to be protected.
This episode originally aired on August 16, 2022.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]
- The hunt for dark matter, two kilometres under Sudbury
Thursday, August 10th 2023
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.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]