The Decibel

As artificial intelligence seeps into every aspect of our lives, white-collar workers are wondering what that means for job security. And some are pre-emptively making the shift to work that they see as AI-proof in fields like skilled trades.

And while there’s not a lot of clear evidence that AI is actively eliminating white-collar jobs, there are trends in the job market to pay attention to. The Globe’s future of work reporter, Vanmala Subramaniam, tells us about the people switching careers and what white-collar workers should be thinking about in this moment.

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GLP-1 medications revolutionized the way we treat chronic weight management and diabetes by helping to quiet “food noise”. Researchers are now looking into whether these medications can also be used to dampen “drug noise” and help treat people with substance use disorders.

Alanna Smith is a health reporter for The Globe and she’s been looking into what’s going on with the research around GLP-1s being used to tread opioid addiction. She’s on the show to talk about the excitement and the reluctance on this potential treatment.

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In early August, OpenAI hosted dozens of lifestyle creators at an upstate New York resort for a weekend they called Summer Club. There was beekeeping. There were farm-to-table dinners. And in between, there were sessions on how to use ChatGPT. The ensuing backlash was swift, especially against the female influencers.

This episode of Machines Like Usdelves into the money pouring into AI marketing that goes far beyond a luxury brand trip. Tech billionaires and super PACs are spending millions to quietly flood your social media feeds. Some have paid influencers for undisclosed deals pushing AI-positive and anti-China messaging. Others have gone so far as to fund radical anti-AI meme accounts that threaten their own CEOs – all to make their critics look unhinged.

Tech and culture journalist Taylor Lorenz has spent more than a decade reporting on online creators. She’s been following the dark money behind these co-ordinated campaigns to buy up digital influence and shift the public debate around AI.

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The European Union has dropped its offer to give Canada the status of ‘associate member.’ This comes after pushback from some member states and reluctance from Canadian politicians to use the term. But both sides insist they are not abandoning their new efforts at forging a closer partnership.

Today, EU and Canadian officials are meeting in Montreal to try to hammer out details around strengthening ties in trade, security and finances. Steven Chase is in Montreal to cover this summit and explains how both governments are trying to build an alliance that makes them less dependent on the U.S.

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Americans will vote for members of the U.S. Congress in the midterm elections on Nov. 3. But in a number of states, this year’s election will have a major factor: Canada. A combination of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on a range of industries, to threats of annexation and a loss of revenue from tourism – has made Canada and its relations with the U.S. prime voting issues.

Nathan VanderKlippe, international correspondent for The Globe, has been covering the U.S. midterms in the lead-up to voting day. He’ll explain why Canada matters in some key races and how the midterms are being seen by observers as a referendum on Trump 2.0

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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Canadians reported over $700-million lost to scams in 2025, up from $645-million the year before; that figure is recognized to be a massive undercount because most scams go unreported. Scams are only getting more sophisticated and convincing. Today, we’re talking about the most common types of scams: investment, authority and romance.

Alexandra Posadzki is The Globe’s financial crime and cybercrime reporter. She’ll walk us through the main scams Canadians face, and why they’re so hard to stop. We also speak with a man who lost thousands of dollars to a scam himself.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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The Canadian government has invested billions in critical mineral companies in an effort to boost the sector so it can compete against China. But mining projects always come with a lot of risk for investors. So is this a smart strategy for a government to adopt?

Niall McGee is the mining reporter for The Globe. He looked into which projects the federal government is investing in, what they hope will come of their investments and whether this bet is worth taking.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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On Saturday, B.C. voters head to the polls in a snap provincial election. BC NDP Leader David Eby’s rationale for the election, held two years ahead of schedule, was to get a stronger mandate amidst a trade war. His critics called it a gamble that could threaten Eby’s government. Now, the BC Conservative party is neck in neck with the NDP and a new, young challenger could come out of the election holding the balance of power.

Mike Hager, Globe reporter in Vancouver, has been covering the election campaign. He’ll take us through the controversial election call, why the Conservatives have made a comeback in the polls and what the biggest voting issues are on the ballot.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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Four people were killed and dozens injured in a fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday. Prime Minister Mark Carney called it one of the worst tragedies for the Armed Forces on Canadian soil in peacetime.

Today, Globe feature writer Jana G. Pruden is on the show. She was in Wainwright this week and she’ll tell us what we know, and what’s still unknown, about the tragedy.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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Albertans firmly rejected the option to separate from Canada in Monday night’s referendum vote, with 75 per cent of voters opting to keep the province in the country. But will that mark the end of the separatist movement in Alberta? And what does it mean for Premier Danielle Smith and her future?

Tyler Dawson is a Globe columnist and Opinion editor based in Edmonton. He is also the author of the book The Republic of Alberta: An Idea That Won’t Go Away. He explains the political consequences of the results of the separation question as well as the other nine questions that Albertans voted on.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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Household chores can be seen as a drain on your time. But to some AI companies, how you do those chores is valuable data. Apps like Atlas Capture are using videos of people sweeping or cleaning a toilet to train humanoid robots. Who are the people doing this work for AI companies? And is the pay (usually around US$3 per hour) worth their time?

Joe Castaldo is The Globe’s AI and tech reporter and he tried out the technology firsthand. He’s on the show to tell us what this work looks like, what the people doing this labour think about it and what it means for humanity when we teach robots to do chores.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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Today is the referendum in Alberta, where Albertans will cast their vote either to remain part of Canada or start the process to hold another referendum to leave (among other ballot questions). But this issue stretches far beyond the past few years – it goes back to before Alberta was a province of Canada.

Today, we’re going through the history of the Alberta separatist movement with Tyler Dawson. He’s an opinion editor for The Globe based in Edmonton, and the author of The Republic of Alberta: An idea that won’t go away.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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This past week, a judge in Washington state heard arguments around whether a woman accused of conspiring with the Tumbler Ridge shooter should be released before her trial. James Cody Bryant – who identifies as a woman and uses she/her pronouns – was arrested by U.S. authorities at the beginning of the month.

Jesse Winter is a reporter and photographer with The Globe. He went to report on Ms. Bryant’s pretrial hearing in person. He explains the specific allegations against her, what the judge ruled regarding whether to keep her in custody and gives an update on the other legal proceedings surrounding the fallout from one of Canada’s worst mass shootings.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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For many, AI is no longer a curiosity but increasingly built into our daily lives. Whether through intentional use of chatbots or its inclusion in online searches, it’s radically changing the way we receive information. Products, brands, services are all being tailor-made for you, through the use of AI.

But what if these recommendations are being manipulated behind the scenes?

Today, we have Nick Koudas joining us on the show. Dr. Koudas is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Toronto.

He’ll tell us how the way you are marketed products is changing, whether you’re aware of it or not and what that means for both consumers and businesses alike.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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The populations of Vancouver and Toronto have doubled in the past 50 years, but in certain neighbourhoods of those cities, populations have declined by as much as 40 per cent.

The Globe’s architecture critic Alex Bozikovic explains why neighbourhoods have lost so many residents, what that means for the areas, and how it might present a solution to the housing crises.

This episode’s headline has been updated to clarify that the cities discussed are two of Canada’s biggest, not the biggest, as previously published.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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Amidst the news about Canada’s strained and struggling healthcare system, there is a bright spot. The Globe and Mail published a series recently about volunteers filling in the gaps, called Care Between the Lines – about the volunteers who take a patient-first approach in a system that can often be isolating.

Today, we’re bringing you a few of those stories of the volunteers getting rural Canadians to medical appointments, helping families in a pediatric hospital and getting seniors out for a bike ride.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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Albertans will go to the polls to vote in a referendum on October 19. By now, everyone knows about the question on whether Alberta should stay in Canada, or hold another referendum on whether to separate. But there are, in fact, nine other proposals Albertans are being asked to vote on.

Matthew Scace is a staff reporter for The Globe based in Calgary. He’s on the show to explain what else Albertans are being asked to vote on, and what those results could mean for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., is on the front lines of Canada’s trade war with the U.S.. The city lies just a few kilometres away from the U.S., across a river from a city with the same name in Michigan. Its core economic industry is steel, which has been hit with U.S. President Donald Trump’s 50 per cent tariffs.

The Globe and Mail’s staff reporter, Patrick White, recently went to ‘The Soo’ to see how the residents are faring after layoff notices and previous years of economic hardship.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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The law governing income tax in Canada is as complex as the legislation is thick – it’s over 3,000 pages long. All of this complexity isn’t just a nuisance for taxpayers. It can cost people and businesses money if they are unaware of deductions or exemptions, or if they have to hire help to make sure they are compliant.

Chris Wilson-Smith looked into how the Income Tax Act became a Frankenstein’s monster, as one tax expert put it. Chris is on the show to explain why politicians keep adding to the income tax code but can’t seem to simplify it.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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A secret meeting with Republican strategists near an airport hanger, and talks of access to Alberta water and royalties from oil. These are some of the revelations from a Globe investigation looking into some separatists courting American support in their pursuit of independence.

Carrie Tait, a reporter in the Globe’s Calgary bureau, Globe investigative Grant Robertson and Globe international correspondent, Nathan VanderKlippe are behind the investigation. Carrie and Grant are on the show to explain what they’ve learned.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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