The Craig Needles Podcast

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.

Episode 359: Friday Round Table with Jessie Rodger, Devin Munro and Jeremy McCall

We're gearing up for a federal election!

Craig is joined in the studio by Anova executive Director Jessie Rodger, political insider Devin Munro and community builder Jeremy McCall.

The panel discusses the upcoming vote, how everything appears to be going the Liberal's way right now, how that might change and more.

Then, conversation about Mayor Josh Morgan's quest to get the tax hike under 5% and where the money could be found, plus the TVDSB spent $300,000 on legal bills - in a month.

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

Episode 358: Can we still talk housing during a Trump-focused election?

Nate Erskine-Smith, the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, stopped by the 700 Richmond studio to chat with Craig about his (relatively) new portfolio, how the political landscape has changed in Canada, how housing will be discussed in what will undoubtedly be a Trump-focused election and why voters should give the Liberals another chance to fix this file.

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

Episode 357: Friday Round Table with Scott Collyer, Shawna Lewkowitz and Carol Dyck

Well, it has been a week.

Tariff talk, meetings in Washington, a new Prime Minister and more dominate the national news. Meantime in London, the turmoil at the Thames Valley District School Board seems to be getting worse and more executives have left the board or taken a leave of absence.

Plus, London West MP Arielle Kayabaga is a cabinet minister!

Craig is joined by a panel of political insider Scott Collyer, former federal NDP candidate Shawna Lewkowitz and former Green Party candidate Carol Dyck to break it all down.

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