The Craig Needles Podcast

Opioid addiction, often impacting people who are homeless, is a massive issue in London and many other communities. There's significant disagreement in the medical community on how best to treat it. Dr. Joseph Mai and PRN Shelley West, who work at Central Community Healthcare Centre in St. Thomas, join Craig on the podcast to discuss the way they treat the addiction. The conversation focuses on homelessness, the safety of prescribing opioids and the debate in the medical community surrounding safer supply.

On this week's Friday Round Table, activist Mojdeh Cox, former council candidate Jeremy McCall and political insider Nathan Caranci join Craig to breakdown the top stories in the city. They discuss the LHSC travel scandal, hospital boards, the city's winter homeless response, and whether the latest fiscal update can do anything to help the Trudeau government's electoral fortunes.

The mother of a man killed in a Richmond Row alley during an interaction with two London Police officers has filed a notice of action. Lorraine Bourassa, who's son Justin died on October 27th, 2021, and Bourassa's family, are seeking $3.9-million in damages from London Police Services Board, former police Chief Steve Williams, current police chief Thai Troung and two unidentified London Police officers. Ontario's Special Investigations Unit has cleared the officer who shot Bourassa of any wrong doing, but during previous episodes of the podcast, Craig has examined how the logic of the story told by the SIU has a lot of gaps in it - to say the least. In this episode, he looks at the notice of action and the latest in the case.

Asylum seekers, LHSC executives taking expensive trips and pedestrian safety in London are this week's topics on the Friday Round Table. Craig is joined by YOU Executive Director Steve Cordes, United Way Elgin-Middlesex CEO Kelly Ziegner and political insider Ryan Guass join Craig to talk about the big stories. They begin with concerns about a lack of support for asylum seekers creating resource challenges at London shelters, and the issue being brought to the forefront by councillor Corrine Rahman and Josh Morgan. Then they look at institutional trust at the LHSC after a story about executives booking nearly half a million dollars in travel, and then they discuss how safe it is to walk in London after two pedestrians were killed in the city this week.

What are bird friendly windows? Why should the province mandate them for certain buildings? Brendon Samuels, a PhD candidate in the Department of Biology at Western University, joins Craig on the podcast to discuss his advocacy on the issue and why it's important.

In an episode of the podcast last week, Craig used some colourful language to describe the events surrounding a hub in northwest London being cancelled. The hubs was cancelled because the CMHA didn't want to make people living at the Lighthouse Inn homeless, and while ignoring the residents was a massive mistake by the city decision makers, Craig suggests that the people in the neighbourhood who were opposed to the hub just wanted the hub stopped and didn't care what the reason was. Michael Lerner, who represents members of the Ward 7 ratepayers association, reached out to Craig to discuss the issue and he appears on the podcast to break it all down.

On this week's Friday Round Table, Craig is joined by disability advocate Dr. Jeff Preston, lawyer Ali Chahbar and former city councillor Cheryl Miller to breakdown the issues of the week. They talk about the plug being pulled on the homeless hub that was set to go on Fanshawe Park Road, Shmuel Farhi's rant at the Downtown London BIA meeting and more.

The homeless hub that was going to be at a motel on Fanshawe Park Road has been cancelled by the Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley. They say it's because people who are long-term tenants of the motel would become homeless if the project goes ahead. What's changed in the last month? Pam Hill of CMHA joins Craig to discuss and then Craig shares his thoughts on how the situation has damaged the credibility of the homeless hub plan. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Clearview Auto Glass.

Craig is joined in the studio by City of London Budget Chair Elizabeth Peloza, political insider Ryan Gauss and former London city councillor Cheryl Miller for this week's Friday Round Table. They talk about who is to blame for London failing to meet provincial housing targets, city hall offering to help out some businesses dealing with issues surrounding homelessness and the idea of getting high school students onto LTC busses to get to and from school. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Clearview Auto Glass.

Some people buy products because they're environmentally friendly. However, in some cases, they're just marketed that way. Dr. Wren Montgomery, an Associate Professor of Sustainability at Ivey Business School, joins Craig to talk about 'greenwashing'. What is it? How do you spot it? Why to companies do it? The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Clearview Auto Glass.

On this week's Friday Round Table, Craig is joined in the studio by London City Councillor Sam Trosow, Green Party candidate Carol Dyck and Blackburn Media News Manager Scott Kitching to talk about this week's top stories. They dive into the City of London's winter homelessness response, why it took the city so long to finally send out green bins and the Trudeau government backtracking on the carbon tax. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Clearview Auto Glass.

Sarah Jama has been booted from the Ontario NDP caucus. The recently elected Hamilton MPP was removed following her controversial statements on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and issuing a letter indicating she may sue Doug Ford. Some Ontario NDP members are furious and the party is in disarray. Journalist Erica Ifill joins Craig to share her thoughts on how leader Marit Stiles handled what happened and what the next steps for the party might be - both provincially and federally. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Clearview Auto Glass.

On this week's Friday Round Table, Craig welcomes United Way Elgin Middlesex CEO Kelly Ziegner, former Thames Centre Deputy Mayor Kelly Elliott and former London City Councillor John Fyfe-Millar to talk about the week's top stories. They discuss the largest housing development in London's history being approved by council, the cancellation of a downtown festival for 2024, the potential of a teacher's strike in Ontario and the legal battle between Premier Doug Ford and NDP MPP Sarah Jama. The Craig Needles Podcaast is brought to you by Clearview Auto Glass.

Craig is joined in the studio by London Abused Women's Centre Executive Director Jennifer Dunn, activist Mojdeh Cox and former London city councillor Roger Caranci. They talk about the RCMP's criminal investigation of the Ford government, the LHSC stepping up to combat homelessness by creating a new apartment building and whether city hall needs a lobbyist registry. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Clearview Auto Glass.

With some concerns in the community about how homeless hubs will impact neighbourhood - Craig asked CMHA Regional Director of London, North Middlesex and Huron Pam Hill to join him on the podcast and discuss those issues. What will security be like? What will the rules be for the people living at the hubs? How quickly to they hope to get the people from the hubs to permanent housing? They tackles these questions and more on the Craig Needles Podcast, which is brought to you by Clearview Auto Glass.

Another busy news week in London and Craig welcomes city councillor Steve Lehman, former Green party candidate Carol Dyck and political insider Nathan Caranci to the studio to break it all down. First, they discuss the council approval of the homeless hub locations. What will the markers for success be for this plan? How well council, as a whole, handled this discussion? The panel tackles those questions and more. Then, they discuss the biggest housing development in London's history at 50 King. Neighbours aren't happy. Should council approve it next week? Also, York Development has, rather than affordable units, promised $500,000 to Indwell. Is that the wave of the future? The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Clearview Auto Glass.

As London City Councillors get set to vote on the final approval for the locations of the city's homeless hubs, Corrine Rahman joins the podcast to explain why she's opposed to the location at 705 Fanshawe Park Road. She discusses concerns about communication with residents and business owners in the area, and why she's supportive of some of the hubs - just not the one in the northwest end. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Clearview Auto Glass.

A busy news week! Craig is joined by City of London budget chair Elizabeth Peloza, lawyer Matthew Reid and political insider Scott Collyer to break it all down. They discuss the locations for the city's homeless hubs, an integrity commissioner complaint against a city councillor, some pushback to a major residential building in downtown London and the Nazi scandal for the former speaker at the House of Commons. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Clearview Auto Glass.

The homeless hub decision at SPPC this week had some applauding and others angry. What will the hubs actually accomplish? Why is the cost-per-bed ratio higher than some expected? When can we expect more hubs? And what was the reaction at city hall to a councillor posting photos of people who are homeless on her social media accounts? London Mayor Josh Morgan and Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis joined Craig on the podcast to explain.

London's homeless hubs are going ahead - despite some pushback on the Fanshawe Park Road location. Melissa Sheehan, who has experience being homeless in London, joins Craig to talk about the hubs, what she hopes to see accomplished next, NIMBYism, costs and more. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Clearview Auto Glass.