The Craig Needles Podcast

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 bugler 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 the University of Windsor, 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 the University of Windsor, 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 the University of Windsor, 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.

Do we need bail reform? How is the legal system's backlog impacting London? Police Chief Thai Truong joins Craig on the podcast to discuss changes he'd like to see in the legal system, safety in London and more. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

Planning expert and regular podcast guest Dr. A.J. Wray is leaving London to take a job teaching at the University of Tennessee. So, as he waves goodbye, Craig invited him on the podcast for some thoughts on where the city is, what the future might hold, and areas London needs to improve. The Craig Needles Podcast is presented by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

An unbelievable pair of lawsuits has been filed by London Health Sciences Centre. They allege several former executives and co-conspirators aligned to steal tens of millions of dollars via faulty contracts and a corrupt bidding process. Meantime, they say former CEO Jackie Schleifer-Taylor - among others - was altered to the scheme multiple times and did nothing to stop it. The hospital is hoping to collect $60-milion dollars, according to the two statements of claim. How did this happen? What should the future of hospital governance look like? Who do we blame for this mess? Craig is joined by a panel of London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis, former Thames Centre Deputy Mayor Kelly Elliott and Blackburn Media News Manager Scott Kitching to analyze those questions and more. Then, the group looks at the criminal justice system after St. Thomas Chief of Police Marc Roskamp called the suspect in a million dollar arson a "prolific offender", and noted he was out on bail on several serious charges. How does bail reform even look? Do the provincial and federal governments have the political will to take an honest look at the system? The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

Craig is back from vacation and rather than getting back at it by talking about scandal, he wanted to focus on London organizations trying to help the community. First, Lisa McIntosh, the interim executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters London and Area joins the podcast to talk about what their organization does, the importance they have in the lives of kids in the community and why they need an influx of volunteers. Then, BGC London (formerly Boys and Girls Club London) is celebrating their 70th anniversary! Susana Martinez, their Manager of Fund Development and Communications, joins Craig to talk about their impact, the upcoming celebration events and a big donation they just received. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

Craig is joined by a panel of former city councillor Cheryl Miller along with political insiders Ryan Gauss and Scott Collyer. They breakdown the way London's council is structured. Should it be fulltime? Should we elect a Deputy Mayor in a city-wide election? Cheryl may have some Board of Control takes to share. Then, the province is taking over another four school boards in Ontario, is it time to just end the trustee system? Locally, the Thames Valley District School Board will have a budget (great!), it will only be presented on the internet (weird?). Craig and the panel chat about the latest. The Craig Needles Podcast is powered by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

On another 30+ degree day in London, Craig wondered - is this just going to be what the month of June is like from now on? Nobel Prize winning climatologist Dr. Gordon McBean from Western University and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction joined Craig on the podcast to talk about where our climate is going, what policy makers should be doing and some of the less obvious problems caused by climate change. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

Is the London Police open air drug strategy working? They - once again - are showing off a report saying that it is. Craig and the panel break it down on this week's Friday Round Table, as he's joined by Ward 8 councillor Steve Lehman, former federal NDP candidate Shawna Lewkowitz and London Cares Executive Director Chris Moss. Later on, the panel breaks down the City of London putting those portable toilets back in Watson Park and the Thames Valley District School Board announcing another executive exit - amid questions about their budget. Has the transparency element been completely removed now that the province has taken over? The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

After last week's blow up at city hall, Unity Project Executive Director Chuck Lazenby joins Craig to talk about the homelessness crisis, what's happening in the community, the next steps for the organization and more. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

The London tax increase seems like it'll get under 5% - a win for council or will there be fallout for services? Craig is joined in the studio by London Home Builder's Association CEO Jared Zaifman and organizational consultant to breakdown that story, plus turning city-owned parking lots into housing and some concerning job trends on this edition of the Friday Round Table. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

Ward 4 councillor Susan Stevenson is back in the news - this time because of a motion perceived by some to have questioned the integrity of some local social service providers. Stevenson says that is not the case, and joined Craig on the podcast to explain why she wanted to see some agreements the city completed with Unity Project, London Cares and Atlohsa. Why did Stevenson want to see these contracts? Why does she think the backlash was so intense? And what would she do differently in the future? These questions and more on The Craig Needles Podcast - brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

The Ford government's highly controversial Bill 5 was the big Ontario political story this week, so Craig is joined by advocate Frances Moore, former Green Party candidate Carol Dyck and first time round tabler Sara Mai Chitty to break it all down. Why is the bill so controversial? Why are Indigenous communities, especially, so concerned by it? And what could the political impacts be? Then, Craig and the panel look at the potential budget cuts at London City Hall. Council wants to save money, can they do that without major service impacts? What should council be focused on to bring down the tax rate. Then, they wrap up by quickly discussing the city and Farhi Holdings working together to convert office space into housing. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.