The Craig Needles Podcast

How will nursing cuts impact LHSC care?

The London Health Sciences Centre says 288 nursing positions at the hospital will be eliminated as they continue to battle a large deficit.

However, there won't be any layoffs - the positions will be eliminated over several years via attrition.

Supervisor David Musyj joined Craig on the podcast to explain how the plan will work, how they hope to limit the impact on patient care and why this move isn't related to the ongoing lawsuits against former LHSC executives.

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

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Could the 2026 election be more dramatic than we thought?

The 2026 municipal election could be a real snoozer in London - unless it isn't?

City Hall writer Mike Donachie joined Craig to breakdown the latest important issues at city hall - and how they may impact our upcoming vote.

Will Josh Morgan have a cakewalk to re-election? How many councillors will be back in 2027? Is Susan Stevenson being underestimated by her opponents?

These questions and more on this week's episode!

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

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Home builders warn of looming crisis

London's home builders have laid off nearly 6,000 people as production stagnates for a variety of reasons. That number could increase rapidly.

How did we get here and what can we do about it?

London Home Builder's Association CEO Jared Zaifman joins Craig to discuss those questions and look at the societal impacts of home ownership becoming more and more out of reach for people in the twenties and thirties.

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

Follow Craig on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.

"You're going to have more open drug use on the street"

Friday Round Table!

Craig was joined at the Covent Garden Market by city councillor and budget chair Elizabeth Peloza, former Thames Centre Deputy Mayor Kelly Elliott and former city council candidate Jeremy McCall.

They breakdown the decision by the Ford government to cut off funding to the Carepoint supervised consumption site. Why do this now? What will the impact be? Craig also shares a theory on why the Premier shut down the site now, and the panel discusses London Police Chief Thai Truong's comments on the issue.

Also, tiny homes for veterans! Good news story! Is it possible we see more of them?

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

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St. Joe's dog research whistleblower strikes back

A report done by St. Joseph's Healthcare London and some external bodies says the dog research being done by the hospital and Lawson was within the rules and not cruel to the animals involved.

One of the whistleblowers who made the story public disagrees with those findings.

"Alex" joined Craig on the podcast to explain the concerns about the report, why coming forward with the story was the right decision, and discuss why animal research rules need to change.

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

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Ford's supervised consumption shutdown disaster

The supervised consumption site Carepoint has been operating in London since 2018.

Now, the Ford government says they're going to shut it down in June. What will the public health fallout be?

Dr. Alex Summers, the Medical Officer of Health in Middlesex-London, joined Craig on the podcast to explain what Carepoint actually does, the impact it has had on the health of the community, and what may come after the potential closure later this year.

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

Follow Craig on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.

Is somebody poisoning people in London's downtown core?

London Police are looking for information, after dozens of overdoses in the city's downtown.

Is somebody giving out "free drugs" with the aim of killing people in the core? Is this a dealer experimenting with a new drug?

Craig is joined by a panel of London Cares CEO Chris Moss, political insider and lawyer Matthew Newton-Reid and London Home Builders Association CEO Jared Zaifman to break down the latest.

Then, rents are trending down in London! That's good! Does the Mayor get credit for this? How much has the immigration shift altered the market?

Those questions and more on the Friday Round Table, brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

"We need a Rat Czar? A Rat King?"

We got more rats!

Lots of talk about the rat situation in the east end of London at city hall this week, which makes sense. It's a pretty gross problem.

So how did we get here? And what should we do about it? Dr. Brendon Samuels, a member of the environmental stewardship and action committee at the City of London, joined Craig on the podcast to discuss, and even provide some tips.

Would quicker emptying of garbage containers in parks help?

Then, Craig and Dr. Samuels talk about trees and London being named the 2026 Forest Capital of Canada. Does the city need to do a better job explaining how tree removal works?

Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

"I, also am against rats being in the streets"

Political insider Nathan Caranci and former Green Party candidate Carol Dyck joined Craig for this week's Friday Round Table.

They debated Fanshawe College shutting down their south London campus as the feds slash international student numbers.

Also, councillor Susan Stevenson wants to prevent city funded agencies from handing out pipes for drug use in and around the downtown core. Should council even consider this?

And there's a rat issue in East London!

According to CTV, several neighbourhoods have been the source of complaints. Would weekly garbage pickup helps solve the problem?

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

Follow Craig on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.

Would $10k make you feel better about having to move?

As councillors are set to debate a proposed high-rise near the intersection of Ridout and Kent - people who would have to move for the building to be constructed are set to receive a big offer.

York Developments has offered the potentially soon to be displaced tenants $10,000 for their move if they get the go ahead to build a 30-storey, 500+ unit tower on the property.

London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis joined Craig on the podcast to talk about that development - and councillors taking campaign donations from builders in the city.

Does that create a conflict of interest?

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.