The Decibel The Globe and Mail

For the first time in almost a century, North America’s busiest border crossing – between Detroit and Windsor – is expanding. The Gordie Howe International Bridge is finally connected after six years of construction and a slew of delays, cost increases and political woes. The bridge is expected to improve trade between Canada and the U.S., while bolstering Windsor’s economic revitalization.

The Globe’s national science reporter, Ivan Semeniuk, joins the show to discuss the bridge’s progress, what its economic effects will be and why the bridge is more than just a physical connection.

It’s hard making friends as an adult. Time to build new relationships becomes scarce. And despite many ways to keep in contact, people are lonelier than ever – new data from Statistics Canada shows that 47 per cent of Canadians feel lonely always, often, or some of the time.
Zosia Bielski is a national reporter for the Globe and Mail whose work often examines relationships. She’s on the show to talk about how adults seeking friends are turning to apps and speed dating events to make platonic connections.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

Introducing ‘Lately’: a new weekly podcast from The Globe and Mail about the intersection of business and technology. Every Friday, host Vass Bednar dives into the defining trends that shape our lives.
This episode’s guest is author and Polaris Award-winning artist and producer producer Cadence Weapon – the tech skeptic behind the new album Rollercoaster – who breaks down the depressing economics of an industry governed by Ticketmaster trauma, streaming algorithms and an AI invasion.
Subscribe to the Lately newsletter, where we unpack more of the latest in business and technology.
Send your comments, questions or ideas to lately@globeandmail.com.

Last week, Tesla shareholders voted to approve a huge pay package for CEO Elon Musk that a judge previously struck down. If the payout is approved, Musk will receive company shares worth around US $50-billion. Last year, Loblaw’s CEO was paid more than $22-million. These pay packages are supposed to act as incentives for reaching company targets, but most executives can still receive these massive payouts even if they don’t meet their company’s objectives.
David Milstead is a reporter and columnist with The Globe’s Report on Business. He joins the show to discuss why big paydays for executives still happen – and why they matter – even in instances of corporate failure.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

Artificial Intelligence has been creeping into our lives more and more as tech companies release new chatbots, AI-powered search engines, and writing assistants promising to make our lives easier. But, much like humans, AI is imperfect and the products companies are releasing don’t always seem quite ready for the public.

The Globe’s Report on Business reporter, Joe Castaldo is on the show to explain what kind of testing goes into these models, how the hype and reality of AI are often at odds and whether we need to reset our expectations of Generative AI.

Point Pelee National Park juts out into Lake Erie like a finger, as every spring thousands of birds touch down on it. It’s a key stop along their migratory routes from the southern U.S., Central and South America to northern Canada.

But climate change has been shifting the conditions of migration, making it harder for some birds and ultimately affecting bird populations, which are already in steep decline. Decibel host Menaka Raman-Wilms, producer Rachel Levy-McLaughlin and Globe and Mail columnist Marcus Gee headed to Point Pelee to see spring migration up close.

A special thanks to Matt Fuirst and Birds Canada, and, as well as, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, who provided some sounds from their Macaulay Library in this episode.