The Craig Needles Podcast

Craig is joined at the Covent Garden Market studio by former city councillor Cheryl Miller and former YOU executive director Steve Cordes. They tackle the latest dispute about the homelessness crisis at city hall, where one councillor is questioning per bed spending totals. Then, a look at the way the safe supply (or, 'prescribed alternatives' as some are now calling it) is administered in London and councillor David Ferriera's criticism of the "corner store" style of the way the program can be accessed. Also, council expense reports are out! Do we really care how much a councillor spends? The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market. Follow Craig on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.

During a contentious debate over a proposed 30 floor residential high rise York Developments wants to build at the corner of Richmond and Kent Streets, there was talk of campaign donations from York employees potentially greasing the wheel for members of the planning committee to vote in favour of the plan. This was ruled out of order during the meeting - but should it be? Craig discusses the development plan (a rare downtown intensification proposal he doesn't like) and campaign donation rules with Ward 6 councillor Sam Trosow on this edition of the podcast - which is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market. Follow Craig on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.

The Thames Valley District School Board remains in a time of transition. Trustees are sidelined, the province has put supervision in place, budgets under scrutiny and a director of education who plans on leaving his job. Lots happening! TVDSB Education Director Bill Tucker joins Craig on the podcast to talk about the board's future, his time back in the director's office, why education assistants are angry with the board, and more. The Craig Needles Podcast is powered by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market. Follow Craig on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.

Six months after controversial research involving dogs was snuffed out by Premier Doug Ford - St. Joseph's Heath Care and Lawson Research have released reports looking at what happened and what needs to change. The reports say the research was within medical guidelines and rules - but the communication within the institution and with the public was lacking in some cases. Roy Butler, President and CEO of St. Joseph's Healthcare, joined the podcast to discuss the findings - and some questions Craig had that weren't addressed in the reports - which leads to an abrupt finish to the conversation. The Craig Needles Podcast is powered by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market. Follow the show on your favourite podcast app: Amazon Music | Spotify | TuneIn | Apple Podcasts | iHeart Follow Craig on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook. Craig's podcast exploring this issue with Dr. Brendon Samuels from August can be found here.

A brand new Friday Round Table, as Craig is joined at the Covent Garden Market studio by Ward 13 city councillor David Ferreria, political insider Scott Collyer and consultant Mojdeh Azad. They look at job losses in the London region and the potential challenges for those looking or work on the horizon. Also, how can we create jobs in the downtown core? Then, a conversation about winter shelter challenges the city has and whether it's time to not only increase the amount of time when warming centres are open, but how many warming centres there actually are. Also, the cost of tuition at postsecondary institution is on the rise - after seven years of being frozen. What will that mean for students at Western and Fanshawe? The Craig Needles Podcast is powered by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market. Follow Craig on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.

The micro-modular shelter in south London is open! What impact ill it have? Is it in the right spot? How can we get more of them? Craig was joined in the studio by London Abused Women's Centre Executive Director Jennifer Dunn and community advocate Jeremy McCall to break down that story and some education matters. First, should high school students get LTC passes? It won't be easy to work out, but Craig says the juice is worth the squeeze.  Also, more cuts are coming at TVDSB. Craig asks the panel if they're concerned about what that means for kids. The Craig Needles Podcast is powered by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market. Follow Craig on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.

There's no way around it, the federal government's gun buyback program isn't working. Police services say they don't have the resources - or even the desire -to participate, so, where does that leave this? Elgin-St. Thomas-London South MP Andrew Lawton - who worked with Craig for years - joins him on the podcast to break it all down, plus a conversation about bail reform. Is the federal government going to finally get something done on this lightning rod file? The Craig Needles Podcast is powered by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market. Follow Craig on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.

Two former London City Councillors - Roger Caranci and Cheryl Miller - joined Craig in the studio for this week's round table. First, they breakdown a CBC story about a man who was sent to London by health officials in Huron County because he was homeless. Are Ontario municipalities selling each other out in the fight against homelessness? Shouldn't the province act on this? Then, a look at Mayor Josh Morgan's State of the City address this week. Did it seem like a pre-election speech? Will the new homeownership program actually help those trying to get into the market? The Craig Needles Podcast is powered by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market. Follow Craig on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.

There multiple several big discussions about London's homelessness crisis at city hall this week - and Ward 4 councillor Susan Stevenson helped bring two of them to the table. She joined Craig on the 434th episode of the podcast to break them all down. One was about when warming centres open and how cold it needs to be for that to happen. Stevenson explains how changing one word could mean the centres are open more frequently and she and Craig talk about how many warming centres the city should have. Then, they talk about shifting funding from outreach towards longer hours at homelessness providers and the good neighbour clause - which Craig still doesn't understand. The Craig Needles Podcast is powered by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market. Follow Craig on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.

The 2016 Instagram trend seems to have made its way to London City Hall. Bus rapid transit is back! Council is asking the province for cash to put a bus rapid transit route on Wharncliffe Road that runs by Western and to Masonville Mall. Good idea? Or have we gone down this road before? Craig looks at that story with London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis, United Way Elgin Middlesex CEO Kelly Ziegner and former Green Party candidate Carol Dyck on a brand new Friday Round Table. On the 433rd episode of the podcast, the panel also looks at council's upcoming debate over the winter response to homelessness, and a new ranking that says London has the 11th best quality of life in Canada (we did it!). The Craig Needles Podcast is powered by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market. Follow Craig on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.

Flu season has been especially brutal this year with the Middlesex-London Health Unit tracking some large case counts. Why have so many people been getting sick? Dr. Jennifer Guthrie, a professor at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, joined Craig on the podcast to explain why this year seems to be worse than flu seasons past - and what you can do to avoid getting ill. The Craig Needles Podcast is powered by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

On this week's Friday Round Table, Craig is joined in the studio by former Thames Centre Deputy Mayor Kelly Elliott, London Cares Executive Director Chris Moss, and organizational consultant Mojdeh Azad. They breakdown new numbers that show homelessness is on the rise -  85,000 Ontarians were homeless last year, up 8% from 2024. Craig and the panel talk about potential solutions, how bad this can get and whether governments are actually serious about the issue. Then, a look at the construction delay with the micro modular shelters in south London, and why the build started as late as it did. They wrap up with Mark Carney's trip to China - did he, as Doug Ford says damage Ontario's auto sector with this new deal? Episode number 431 of the Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

It's the first Friday Round Table of 2026! Craig was joined at the Covent Garden Market Studio by former city councillor Cheryl Miller, political insider Nathan Caranci and former TVDSB trustee Matthew Newton-Reid. The panel looks ahead to the big political event in London this year - the municipal election. What will the key issues be? How much turnover will there be on council? Will Josh Morgan have an easy road to re-election? Should there be online voting in London? Woodstock is doing it! Also, what's going on with those thrown out books at Beal? Who is to blame? Episode 430 of the Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

The Temporary Foreign Worker program has come under criticism both in Canada from the opposition Conservatives and internationally from the United Nations - is it time to get rid of it? Peter Fragiskatos says no. The London Centre MP - who also serves as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship - joined Craig on the podcast to explain. Episode 429 of the Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

Craig welcomes political insider Scott Collyer, advocate Dr. Jeff Preston and former Green Party candidate Carol Dyck to the studio for the last Friday Round Table of 2025! First, they talk about this "good neighbour" clause proposed at London City Hall, that would require... something of social services. We just don't know exactly what. It seems to be about maintaining property standards - or something. Anyway, will this be effective? Or actively bad for front facing social services agencies? Craig and the panel discuss. Then, London Police have made some new hires. And the headliner is Ali Chahbar, who is their new general counsel. Of course, Chahbar is the former chair of the London Police Services Board and also left the Thames Valley District School Board amid their financial mess. Was this a good hire? Doesn't it look too much like cronyism? Those questions and more on the 428th episode of the Craig Needles Podcast, brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

We have an addictions crisis and a homelessness one - is it time for the province to step up? Ontario's big city mayors say so. Will Doug Ford act? Meantime, there's been some big debates at city hall about the micro-modular housing in south London, and a manager at the city of London is threatening to sue a member of the media. Craig breaks down those stories - plus the latest Conservative-to-Liberal floor crossing - with former city councillor Cheryl Miller, CUPE Local 101 President Steve Holland and former TVDSB trustee Matthew Newton-Reid. The 427th episode of the Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

London is in crisis - but will the province acknowledge it? Ontario's Big City Mayors have all signed a letter urging the Ford government to declare homelessness and the addictions crisis a state of emergency. Will they actually do it? What would that mean? London Mayor Josh Morgan joined Craig on the podcast to discuss that story and the new micro-shelters being built in South London - far from the city's downtown core. How will they operate? How did security firm Xpera get the contract? The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

We're still trying to figure out what's next for trustees, the standard testing/EQAO results are pretty bad, school boards all over the province are in flux - strange times! Craig was joined by education expert Debbie Kasman to tackle all of these issues and more on the latest podcast - brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

It's Friday Round Table time, and Craig opens the podcast by sharing what he knows about the Mariam Hamou arrest story. He goes over where this all may have started, how was got to the point of an arrest being made, what may have been the catalyst for St. Thomas Police filing the charges and more. Then, London Home Builders Association Executive Director Jared Zaifman and United Way Elgin Middlesex Kelly Ziegner joined Craig to analyze the big stories of the week, including council finalizing a budget - will voters be willing to live with a 3.4% tax hike? Then, they talk about potential changes to the 'renoviction' bylaw in the City of London and another exit at the London Police Service Board. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

Teaching kids about food can help fight food insecurity. It's true - and that's one of the many things Growing Chiefs Ontario does. The London-based non-profit has helped thousands of people learn about cooking, food preparation, food costs and more. Executive Director Andrew Fleet joins Craig on the podcast to talk about the organization, the growing amount of food insecurity in London and more. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.