The Craig Needles Podcast

Episode 369: Friday Round Table with Jennifer Dunn, Jeremy McCall and Mojdeh Cox

On this week's Friday Round Table, Craig is joined by London Abused Women's Centre Executive Director Jennifer Dunn, former council candidate Jeremy McCall and organizational consultant Mojdeh Cox.

 

The panel touches on the final days of the federal election and then gets into that $60-million surplus that the City of London has and where the money should go.

 

They also look at the Thames Valley District School Board and the province taking the board over. Will this finally calm things down at one of Ontario's biggest boards?

 

Then, they wrap the conversation with a look at the latest in the Hockey Canada sexual assault case at the London Court House.

 

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

Episode 368: Steve Cordes retiring from Y.O.U.

One of the longest serving leaders in London's non-profit sector is stepping away.

Steve Cordes, the the executive director of Youth Opportunities Unlimited, says he'll be leaving the role in August after more than 40 years with the organization.

Craig and Steve talk about his time with Y.O.U., how the organization has grown, key success stories and more.

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

Episode 367: Friday Round Table with Elizabeth Peloza, John Fyfe-Millar and Steve Holland

An election, an explosion and the future of London's downtown.

Three big issues on this week's Friday Round Table and Craig is joined in the studio by City of London budget chair Elizabeth Peloza, former city councillor John Fyfe-Millar and CUPE Local 101 President Steve Holland to talk about them.

First, the Conservatives are talking about not believing the polls and there appears to be some infighting. Is the campaign going as poorly as it looks from the outside?

Then, a look at three issues that are linked.

First, should council break up the encampment at Watson Park after the explosion there this week?

What could the proposed London Police enforcement surrounding open air drug use mean for people who are homeless in the community?

And what is the city doing to help commercial building owners in the downtown?

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

Episode 366: Will a Signal chat derail Andrew Lawton's campaign?

Craig's former colleague Andrew Lawton is back in the news - this time, after PressProgress uncovered he was involved in a Signal chat with leaders of the convoy protest that shutdown Ottawa in 2021.

He's the Conservative candidate in Elgin-St. Thomas-London South, and the story - along with others from Andrew's history in media - have been much discussed on the campaign trail.

In an effort to separate fact from fiction on these stories, Craig is joined by PressProgress reporter Luke LeBrun on this episode of the podcast, where they discuss Luke's reporting on the convoy Signal chat and more.

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

Episode 365: What's happening with the NDP?

The NDP has struggled to break though during this campaign - with some polling aggregators saying they may have less than ten seats in the new parliament. 

London-Fanshawe candidate Lindsay Mathyssen, who is projected to be one of those NDP MP's, joined Craig on the podcast to talk about the race, what she's hearing at the doors, how the party can break though and more.

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

Episode 364: Friday Round Table with Jeff Preston and Jared Zaifman

LTC is officially in council's hands, we have a new plan for battling London's homelessness crisis (again) and the Liberals seem to be in control of the federal election.

Advocate Dr. Jeff Preston and London Home Builders Association CEO Jared Zaifman joined Craig in the studio to break it all down.

What will the future of London Transit be? Can council right the ship (or the bus?) here? Meantime, Ark Aid got (some of) their funding request... will there finally be some stability in the homelessness sector?

And what can Pierre Poilievre do to turn this election around?

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

Episode 363: Talking Housing and Election with Mike Moffatt

Turns out housing is still a problem!

The election is about Donald Trump, but let's talk about housing, too. Economist Mike Moffatt of the Missing Middle Initiative and the Smart Prosperity Institute joins Craig on the podcast to discuss the various platforms - plus some new data on housing in London and elsewhere in southern Ontario.

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

Episode 362: What's the future of London Transit?

Some councillors want to axe the London Transit Commission - at least the portion of it that involve people from the community as commissioners.

Sheryl Rooth - one of the current members of the commission, joined Craig in the studio to talk about the last week of transit talks and her hopes for the future of LTC.

Why dissolve the commission now? What could council have done differently? Can the current commissioners work with effectively with councillors?

The Craig Needles Podcast is powered by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

Episode 361: Friday Round Table with Cheryl Miller, AJ Wray and Nathan Caranci

A busy week!

A city hall, they dealt with issues like disbanding the London Transit Commission, widening Wonderland Road (again?) and the ring road conversation make a return! Oh, and they may fire the integrity commissioner.

Craig breaks it all down with former city councillor Cheryl Miller, planning expert Dr. A.J. Wray and political insider Nathan Caranci.

Then, the panel tackles the federal election. Is the Liberal lead real? What should the Poilievre team be doing to change the momentum?

The Craig Needles Podcast is powered by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

Episode 360: Bridging the gap in the homelessness crisis

There's been a lot of conversation and arguments about London's homelessness crisis - both at and away from city hall.

But, is there common ground between the city and service providers? How should we move forward?

 London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis Ark Aid Street Mission Executive Director Sarah Campbell joined Craig in the studio for an in-depth conversation.

The Craig Needles Podcast is powered by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.