The Craig Needles Podcast

Episode 391: Friday Round Table with Devin Munro, Carol Dyck and Jeremy McCall

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.

Episode 390: Chief Thai Truong On Bail Reform, Downtown Safety

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.

Episode 389: Goodbye London!

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.

Episode 388: Friday Round Table With Shawn Lewis, Kelly Elliott and Scott Kitching

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.

Episode 387: Community orgs needing, getting help

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.

Episode 386: Friday Round Table with Cheryl Miller, Ryan Gauss and Scott Collyer

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.

Episode 385: Get used to these heatwaves

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.

Episode 384: Friday Round Table with Steve Lehman, Shawna Lewkowitz and Chris Moss

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.

Episode 383: How Unity Project Navigates the Homelessness Crisis

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.

Episode 382: Friday Round Table with Jared Zaifman and Mojdeh Azad

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.