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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On this week's Friday Round Table, Craig welcomes former Thames Centre Deputy Mayor Kelly Elliott and community advocate Jeremy McCall to the Covent Garden Market Studio.
First, they breakdown a new report from the Middlesex-London Health Unit showing that opioid overdoses and poisonings are trending down.
Have we turned a corner here? Is this report not showing what's happening on the street?
Then, they chat about the work environment at London City Hall. Councillor Susan Stevenson says she's been harassed by fellow councillors and staff.
Does she have a point or is this just a political play?
Then, Bill 33.
Education Minister Paul Calandra wants to get rid of trustees. But, the panel says his plans are poorly thought out.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Unpopular take alert: Craig actually like speed cameras. And polling data says most people agree with him! Maybe the take is not so unpopular after all.
Robyn Robertson, President & CEO of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation joined Craig on the podcast to talk about speed cameras, how Doug Ford missed the mark in banning them and what other road safety measures London can deploy in school zones.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Craig welcomes London Abused Women's Centre Executive Director Jennifer Dunn, London Cares Executive Director Chris Moss and organizational consultant Mojdeh Azad to the Covent Garden Market studio for this week's Friday Round Table.
They discuss the latest satisfaction survey from London City Hall - where 24% of people in the community say their quality of life is 'poor' or 'very poor'. Are you surprised?
Also, the top issue, according to the survey - homelessness.
Does the city have real answers there?
Also, they discuss London Police looking for feedback on their drug strategy, the latest at TVDSB (Student and Family Support offices?), London West MP Arielle Kayabaga getting slammed for a some big expenses, and more.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
The reviews are in for Mark Carney's first federal budget, and, in a lot of cases, they are not good.
Economist Mike Moffatt, co-host of The Missing Middle podcast, joined Craig to breakdown what his concerns are and what he thinks would have helped create more housing in Canada.
Craig and Mike also discussed former cabinet minister Nate Erskine-Smith's criticism of the budget and whether premiers like Doug Ford and Danielle Smith have escaped criticism for their own housing failures.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
London city councillors have voted themselves a 35% raise.
Will they pay for it at the ballot box next October?
Craig is joined at the Covent Garden Market studio by former city councillor Cheryl Miller and former YOU CEO Steve Cordes to discuss whether this is a story that will have staying power.
Then, thy breakdown the harassment scandal at London City Hall - should administration be asking councillors to avoid media interviews about anything?
And finally, a conversation about the federal budget, which is heavy on red ink and low on housing announcements.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Meet Ribal Zebian.
He's received the Governor General’s Award of Honour and a $120,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship for his engineering work - which included building a Mercedes out of wood.
Now, he's turning his attention to the big issue Canadians are facing - housing.
How can engineering help make housing more affordable? Zebian has some ideas.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
Friday Round Table!
Craig was joined at the Covent Garden Market studio by former city councillor Cheryl Miller, political insider Devin Munro and former Green Party candidate Carol Dyck.
They discuss councillors in London getting a raise - and severance pay. Clearly it won't be popular politically, but was it needed?
Also, a look at the budget. Mayor Josh Morgan has tabled a buget with an expected 3.6% tax hike in 2026 and 4.7% in 2027.
Good number? Will people in London accept it? This this an "election budget"?
Then, the Ford government is, uh, speeding... to get rid of speed cameras. Are they right? Is the process here a red flag?
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
A massive rights violation at Maplehurst Correctional Complex in the GTA has resulted in three men who stood accused of murder having their cases thrown out - due to the, as the judge said, torturous conditions at the facility.
Will this continue at Maplehurst? Will there be other issues like this at other Ontario jails - like Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre?
Defense lawyer Alison Craig thinks so.
She joined Craig on the podcast to discuss the state of corrections in the province - and call on the government for action.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
It's the Friday Round Table!
Craig was joined by a panel of community advocate Jeremy McCall, former NDP candidate Shawna Lewkowitz, and Blackburn Media news manager Scott Kitching.
First, a quick discussion about Donald Trump saying he's cutting off trade talks with Canada because of an ad the Ontario government placed.
Then, a look at the news out of Queen's Park that the Ford government is looking at making major changes to residential rental rules in the province - and the potential pitfalls that come from that. Would it lead to more homelessness in London?
Also, London finally has a HART hub! Will that help our homelessness issues? What about those 'micro shelter' spaces south of the 401? The panel discusses.
They wrap up with a look ahead to next year's municipal election. Will Josh Morgan have any serious challengers?
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
It's been another banner week at the Thames Valley District School Board.
One former executive (Linda Nicholls) was arrested by London Police for alleged mail theft. Meantime, former general counsel Ali Chahbar has officially left the board after going on leave back in March.
What does this tell us about what was going on at the board? How should education governance look in Ontario?
Leroy Osbourne and Marianne Larsen - who were elected as TVDSB trustees in 2022 - joined Craig on the podcast to talk about it.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
The Forest City Film Festival starts on October 24th!
Screenings, workshops and more all coming to the city's core - and there's still a chance to get tickets to check it all out.
The festival's executive director - Dorothy Downs - joined Craig on the podcast for a preview and to highlight some key events!
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
London Police Chief Thai Truong - just two and a half years in to his original five year deal - has signed a contract extension with the service that goes until the end of 2031.
That's a lot of term.
So, why did the London Police Services Board give it? Why did the chief want to sign it?
Truong and board chair Ryan Gauss joined Craig on the podcast to breakdown those questions and take a look at the state of policing in London.
Open air drug enforcement, violent crime, gang enforcement. What's working? What's not?
Those questions and more on the Craig Needles Podcast, brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
London is growing - but may not as fast as we thought?
New population projections show we may not have as many people living in the Forest City as we thought in the years to come, so does that mean we change were we can build housing?
The Urban Growth Boundary has been debated at city hall this week, and Craig decided to get both sides of the discussion on the podcast.
London Home Builders Association CEO Jared Zaifman and environmental advocate Dr. Brendon Samuels to discuss.
The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.
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.
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