The Craig Needles Podcast

Episode 128: Housing in rural communities, dental coverage for kids

Craig welcomes Bradford West Gwillimbury councillor Jonathan Scott to the podcast. He talks about policies for rural communities - and how housing growth can happen there. Then, London North Centre Liberal MP Peter Fragiskatos discusses the Canada Dental Benefit and how Canadians can access it. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Lexus of London.

Episode 127: Friday Round Table with Cheryl Miller, Nathan Caranci and Scott Kitching

On the latest edition of the Friday Round Table, former city councillor Cheryl Miller, political insider Nathan Caranci and Blackburn Media News Manager Scot Kitching join Craig to talk about the issues of the week. They examine remaining parks and schools in London, the impact Bill 23 will have on housing and spending more than $330-million on a new headquarters for LTC.

 

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Lexus of London.

Episode 126: Does Bill 23 actually fix housing shortages?

The Ford government says Bill 23 will create more housing for a province in desperate need of it. Critics - including city councillors in London and all over the province  - say all it will do is cause municipal budget carnage. AJ Wray is a PhD candidate at Western in their environment department and joins Craig for his take on the bill and talk about what could happen with Green Belt development.

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Lexus of London.

Episode 125: The Cannons, Rob Thomson

Craig chats with AJ Messier and Steven Hoffner, who directed and produced a documentary called The Cannons, about a mostly Black youth hockey team in Washington DC. It's being shown at Hyland Cinema on Saturday.

Then, a conversation with Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson following their trip to the World Series and his history playing baseball in the Intercounty League.

Also, Craig shares some thoughts on the passing of Bill 23.

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Lexus of London.

Episode 124: Friday Round Table with Mojdeh Cox, Shobhita Sharma and Nathan Smith

On the Friday Round Table, Craig welcomes activist Mojdeh Cox, along with political insiders Shobhita Sharma and Nathan Smith to the studio. They discuss Bill 23 and the impact on housing and cities in Ontario, along with overcrowded children's hospitals and the emergency act inquiry.

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Lexus of London.

Episode 123: Prachi Srivastava on education in Ontario

There won't be another strike, at least for now, but what is the state of Ontario's education system? How has the Ford-Lecce era impacted it? Dr. Prachi Srivastava is a professor in the department of education at Western University and joins Craig to discuss.

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Lexus of London.

Episode 122: When diversity moves backfire

At London City Hall on Wednesday, councillors appointed Londoners to various boards and commissions. However, the process for the London Public Library Board was unusual. Council had voted on seven members, but decided to re-vote because some members didn't like the gender breakdown of those seven members. The result? Ryan O'Hagan, who is non-binary, got removed from the board.

Ryan joins Craig on the podcast to discuss what happened and why picking board members based on unknown criteria has significant pitfalls.

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Lexus of London.

Episode 121: Friday Round Table with Shawn Lewis, Kelly Elliott and Cheryl Miller

On the latest edition of the Friday Round Table, Craig is joined by London City Councillor Shawn Lewis, Thames Centre Deputy Mayor Kelly Elliott and former city councillor Cheryl Miller to talk about the top issues of the week.

They talk about the ongoing negotiations between the province and CUPE, the future of education minister Stephen Lecce, the location of a casino in London and the city's proposed plan to help with homelessness this winter.

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Lexus of London.

Episode 120: Questions remain after Justin Bourassa’s death

Over a year after Justin Bourassa's death, both the SIU and London Police internal investigations have wrapped up. But, questions still remain about the moments leading up to his death on October 28th, 2021 when he was shot by a London Police officer on Richmond Row. London Police Deputy Chief Trish McIntyre spoke to some of those questions at the London Police Services Board meeting on Monday, and on this episode of the Craig Needles Podcast, you'll hear that conversation and get Craig's thoughts on where the case may go next.

The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Lexus of London.

Episode 119: Suze Morrison and Andrew Lokan

With CUPE education workers off the job, Craig asks former MPP Suze Morrison for her take on what's happened at Queen's Park and what might be next. Then (25:59) Andrew Lokan, the board chair from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association joins the podcast to talk about the notwithstanding clause and why he thinks it's time to remove it from the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Lexus of London.