The Craig Needles Podcast

Episode 376: Executives, trustees failed TVDSB students

The TVDSB audit is out, and the results are bad.

Unauthorized promotions, random COVID payouts, questionable executive decisions - all that and more on the list of things that shouldn't have happened at the school board.

Craig's question: Why are some people letting the trustees off the hook here? Shouldn't they be accountable for the actions of now former Education Director Mark Fisher?  Could there be criminal charges here? And could these revelations change the way we run Ontario's education system?

Education analyst & researcher Debbie Kasman joins Craig to tackle these questions and more.

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

Episode 375: Friday Round Table with Frances Moore, Matthew Newton-Reid and Devin Munro

We know where that $60-million surplus the City of London has is going - sort of.

Some councillors may still try to see some of the cash get to community groups. Should it?

Meantime, London politicians and police are extolling the virtues of month one of their open air drug use crackdown. Is it actually working?

Also, week one of the new Carney government. Do the missteps on the housing file show they're going to have a rough time?

Advocate Frances Moore, political insider Devin Munro and former TVDSB trustee Matthew Newton-Reid joined Craig at the Covent Garden Market studio to discuss those questions and more.

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

Episode 374: The future of TVDSB with Cheryl Miller

Former London City Councillor and Thames Valley District School Board Trustee Cheryl Miller joins Craig to talk about the future of the board now that trustees have essentially been fired by the province.

How did this happen? Did the province make the right choice? Those questions and more, plus Cheryl shares thoughts on council compensation and the budget surplus debate.

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

Episode 373: Shawn Lewis on Council Workload, London Transit and TVDSB

It's been another whirlwind news week in London.

Councillors anonymously sniping at each other (via survey), London transit busses are late (surprise) and we still don't really know what's happening with the Thames Valley District School Board after the province essentially turfed the trustees.

London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis joined Craig on the podcast to talk about these issues and more.

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

Episode 372: Over 100 Supportive Housing units coming to London

A huge announcement from Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services - as they're creating 115 new highly supportive housing apartments thanks to a big investment from the Health and Homelessness Fund for Change.

The units won't be online until fall 2026 (in SoHo) and winter 2027 (on Huron Street) but Mayor Josh Morgan says the announcement is a huge step in battling the homelessness crisis in the city.

Morgan joined Craig on the podcast to talk about the announcement and some of the positive trends he's seeing in London's core areas.

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

Episode 371: Friday Round Table With Carol Dyck, Ryan Gauss and Nathan Caranci

The Liberals are back in government! What's next for Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party? What about the NDP? Will the party survive?

Those election questions and more with former Green Party candidate Carol Dyck and political insiders Ryan Gauss and Nathan Caranci.

The panel then discusses the latest surrounding that City of London $60-million budget surplus and where the money might go.

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

Episode 370: Election Fallout with Andrew Lawton

We had an election! Interesting stuff happened!

The Liberals won a minority - which was nearly a majority - and the Conservatives had a big night in London, while the NDP had a total disaster evening.

Craig is joined in the studio by the MP-elect for Elgin-St. Thomas-London South Andrew Lawton to talk about the results of the race, what sort of MP Andrew will be and what will be next for the Conservative Party of Canada after the loss and Pierre Poilievre losing his seat.

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

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.