Claim OwnershipThe Craig Needles Podcast
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Longtime London, Ontario media personality Craig Needles talks about the biggest stories in the Forest City with local newsmakers and commentators.
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Detective Gary Bezaire has been with London Police for over 20 years, so he's seen a lot. How has the service evolved?
Bezaire, who is in charge of the London Police Human Trafficking Unit, joined Craig on the podcast to talk about how that evolution has impacted the fight against human trafficking in the community.
They also discuss the impact the budget increase has had on frontline officers, and work London Police officers are doing in the community.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Multiple YouTubers have created videos calling London, among other things, a zombie city or the most drug addicted place in Canada.
Of course, those sorts of claims are unfounded and quite frankly, dangerous.
London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis joined Craig in the studio to discuss the videos and what the city may do in response.
Then, they look at the expansion of London's Urban Growth Boundary and the push to get more housing in the city.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
There's still anger and unrest in London and all over the country after the verdict in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial.
Even beyond just the verdict - which most legal experts understood - the way the trial went and the lack of systemic control for organizations like Hockey Canada and the NHL remain question.
ANOVA and London abused Women's Centre have joined together to write a letter aimed at addressing both.
The executive directors of both organizations - Jessie Rodger and Jennifer Dunn - joined Craig on the podcast to explain the change they're looking to make.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Rhys Mendes, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada, was in London this week and made some time to come chat with Craig on the podcast.
They discussed ongoing concerns about tariffs and how they may impact the local economy, whether Canada has avoided a recession and whether we could see further interest rate cuts in 2026.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
The City of London had an update on the Whole of Community response this week and it actually is helping! Good news! But, there's a lot more people who need help, so how can we increase capacity?
Craig breaks down that story with advocate Frances Moore, Dr. Jeff Preston and former TVDSB trustee Matthew Newton-Reid - while also looking at the progress made in the 10 years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report.
Then, the panel looks at removing speed cameras from Ontario cities and whether municipalities should fight the province on this one. Also, a conversation about the federal Liberals ending door-to-door delivery at Canada Post. Bad decision, or long overdue?
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
London-Middlesex Community Housing has a lot of problems.
Buildings that are falling apart. Pest infestations. Plumbing issues. But - are those things getting better?
Is the organization turning a corner - even if they're staring down more than $100-million in repair bills?
Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis and Ward 1 Councillor Hadleigh McAlister both sit on LMCH's board and joined Craig on the podcast to discuss.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
On this week's Friday Round Table, Craig is joined by former Thames Centre Deputy Mayor Kelly Elliott, organizational consultant Mojdeh Azad and former Green Party candidate Carol Dyck to breakdown the week's top stories.
They look at the misogynistic graffiti found in northwest London and analyze the way politicians and police have reacted to it - and discuss the safety of women and girls in our society.
Then, discussions about landlords skirting bylaws, whether now is the time to build a new London City Hall and when Canadians may be ready to start travelling to the US again.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Six months after the London Transit commissioners were unceremoniously removed by council - is bus service in this city any better?
Ward 11 councillor Skylar Franke, who is also the chai of the commission now, joins Craig for an update on where transit is in the city, how they hope to improve and what the future of the commission may look like.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Craig welcomed London Cares Executive Director Chris Moss, political insider Ryan Gauss and former YOU CEO Steve Cordes to the studio to talk about the week's top issues.
They tackle some developments in the homelessness space - including how the homelessness hubs are working and the ongoing issues with the building at Queen's and Adelaide.
Then, they examine the latest at the Thames Valley District School Board - where supervisor Paul Boniferro doesn't feel the need to actually come to the meetings.
The panel wraps up by discussing London Police finding some budget savings and how it may impact the 2026 property tax rate.
Ysni Semsedini, about a year into his role as CEO at London Hydro, joined Craig on the podcast to talk about his time on the job so far, your hydro bill, the city's grid, their affiliates and the future of the organization.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
It's the 400th episode of The Craig Needles Podcast!
Craig welcomes former London city councillors Cheryl Miller and Roger Caranci to the studio, as well as political insider Devin Munro to talk about the week's top stories.
They go over the brewing federal battle over the temporary foreign workers program and why the Carney Liberal clearly have a problem with the file.
Then, they discuss the updated timelines for the HART hub in London and what the impact on homelessness in the community might be, followed by going over the latest multi-million dollar lawsuit launched by LHSC.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Well-known and infamous-to-some London property owner Shmuel Farhi joined Craig on the podcast for a wide ranging conversation.
They tackle Farhi's purchase of Westmount Mall, why he builds far more in other communities than he does in London, his proposal to move London City Hall, separating some facts from some fiction and more.
Craig also shares some of his past criticisms of Farhi's approach to downtown property management and they find some common ground on what needs to happen next to help revitalize London's core.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Last Friday Round Table of the summer!
Craig welcomed political insider Scott Collyer, organizational consultant Mojdeh Azad and London Home Builders Association CEO Jared Zaifman to the Covent Garden Market Studio to breakdown the issues of the week.
They start with the state of public housing in the City of London. It is not good. A piece in the London Free Press this week shows buildings that are infested with pests and falling apart. What do we need to do to improve our affordable housing stock?
Then, the Premier announced some cash for the city because housing targets are being met. Good news, but how do we keep those numbers up? It might be a challenge.
They finish by discussing some delays in getting busses into London - which means delays for new London Transit routes.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
The United Way has released their Built for Good report and it's ambitious.
They want to spend more than $60-billion to bring new affordable homes online, prevent homes from deteriorating, and keep people in the places they're living now.
The CEO of United Way Elgin-Middlesex, Kelly Ziegner, joined Craig on the podcast to breakdown the report.
What role should government play here? What about developers? Where can we find the cash to make this happen?
They tackle those questions and more on The Craig Needles Podcast - brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Summer is winding down! Craig was joined at the Covent Garden Market Studio by London Abused Women's Centre Executive Director Jennifer Dunn, political insider Nathan Caranci and community organizer Jeremy McCall for the second last round table of August.
The group tackles stories like the provincial government openly musing about eliminating elected school board trustees, when HART hubs may actually arrive in London (it was supposed to be in the spring), Doug Ford's comments about a man facing charges for fighting off a burglar who broke into his home and the Crown's decision not to appeal the Hockey Canada trial verdict.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Is the Thames Valley District School Board too big?
Is it time to separate London's schools from the ones in Oxford and Elgin Counties?
The Warden of Oxford County thinks to.
Marcus Ryan joins Craig to talk about his ideas and how they've been received by politicians at the municipal and provincial levels.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Craig welcomes London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis and former city councillor Cheryl Miller to the Covent Garden Market studio to breakdown the issues of the week.
First, they tackle the ongoing debacle at St. Joseph's Health Care. In the wake of the National Post story about research done with beagle puppies, Dr. Lisa Porter, the scientific director and vice president of research at Lawson Research Institute, has left the organization.
Will there have to be more turnover at the organization before this story goes away? Should the Premier have gotten involved in ending the research? Craig and the panel discuss those questions and more.
Then, they look at the City of London cracking down on short term rentals violating bylaws, and looking to build a new community centre in (or near?) Old South.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Last week: National Post breaks story about puppies being kept in brutal conditions at St. Joseph's Health Care and Lawson Research.
This week: Doug Ford kiboshes the entire project.
Clearly, the Premier's move is politically popular, but was that the right decision? Or maybe it was more complicated than some believe?
Maybe hospital leadership could have done more to mitigate the PR nightmare?
Dr. Brendon Samuels, a researcher and a member of the City of London's Environmental Stewardship and Action Community Advisory Committee joined Craig on the podcast to discuss the story.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Some former TVDSB trustees are speaking out after the province turfed them due to financial irregularities at the board.
Was poor financial planning from the province to blame for the board's red ink? Marianne Larsen says yes.
She joined Craig on the podcast to discuss that and the events that led to the trustee model being scrapped in Thames Valley.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Is downtown getting more safe? Do we need bail reform? How should LTC be managed? Should 16-year-olds be able to vote in Canada?
Those questions and more on this week's Friday Round Table, as Craig is joined by political insider Devin Munro, former Green Party candidate Carol Dyck and community builder Jeremy McCall.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
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