The Craig Needles Podcast

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. 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.

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.