The Craig Needles Podcast

Is somebody poisoning people in London's downtown core?

London Police are looking for information, after dozens of overdoses in the city's downtown.

Is somebody giving out "free drugs" with the aim of killing people in the core? Is this a dealer experimenting with a new drug?

Craig is joined by a panel of London Cares CEO Chris Moss, political insider and lawyer Matthew Newton-Reid and London Home Builders Association CEO Jared Zaifman to break down the latest.

Then, rents are trending down in London! That's good! Does the Mayor get credit for this? How much has the immigration shift altered the market?

Those questions and more on the Friday Round Table, brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

"We need a Rat Czar? A Rat King?"

We got more rats!

Lots of talk about the rat situation in the east end of London at city hall this week, which makes sense. It's a pretty gross problem.

So how did we get here? And what should we do about it? Dr. Brendon Samuels, a member of the environmental stewardship and action committee at the City of London, joined Craig on the podcast to discuss, and even provide some tips.

Would quicker emptying of garbage containers in parks help?

Then, Craig and Dr. Samuels talk about trees and London being named the 2026 Forest Capital of Canada. Does the city need to do a better job explaining how tree removal works?

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

"I, also am against rats being in the streets"

Political insider Nathan Caranci and former Green Party candidate Carol Dyck joined Craig for this week's Friday Round Table.

They debated Fanshawe College shutting down their south London campus as the feds slash international student numbers.

Also, councillor Susan Stevenson wants to prevent city funded agencies from handing out pipes for drug use in and around the downtown core. Should council even consider this?

And there's a rat issue in East London!

According to CTV, several neighbourhoods have been the source of complaints. Would weekly garbage pickup helps solve the problem?

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

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Would $10k make you feel better about having to move?

As councillors are set to debate a proposed high-rise near the intersection of Ridout and Kent - people who would have to move for the building to be constructed are set to receive a big offer.

York Developments has offered the potentially soon to be displaced tenants $10,000 for their move if they get the go ahead to build a 30-storey, 500+ unit tower on the property.

London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis joined Craig on the podcast to talk about that development - and councillors taking campaign donations from builders in the city.

Does that create a conflict of interest?

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

Is 'safer supply' making downtown drug issues worse?

Craig is joined at the Covent Garden Market studio by former city councillor Cheryl Miller and former YOU executive director Steve Cordes.

They tackle the latest dispute about the homelessness crisis at city hall, where one councillor is questioning per bed spending totals.

Then, a look at the way the safe supply (or, 'prescribed alternatives' as some are now calling it) is administered in London and councillor David Ferriera's criticism of the "corner store" style of the way the program can be accessed.

Also, council expense reports are out! Do we really care how much a councillor spends?

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

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Developer donations cause sparks at city hall

During a contentious debate over a proposed 30 floor residential high rise York Developments wants to build at the corner of Richmond and Kent Streets, there was talk of campaign donations from York employees potentially greasing the wheel for members of the planning committee to vote in favour of the plan.

This was ruled out of order during the meeting - but should it be?

Craig discusses the development plan (a rare downtown intensification proposal he doesn't like) and campaign donation rules with Ward 6 councillor Sam Trosow on this edition of the podcast - which is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

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Can TVDSB avoid classroom cuts?

The Thames Valley District School Board remains in a time of transition.

Trustees are sidelined, the province has put supervision in place, budgets under scrutiny and a director of education who plans on leaving his job.

Lots happening!

TVDSB Education Director Bill Tucker joins Craig on the podcast to talk about the board's future, his time back in the director's office, why education assistants are angry with the board, and more.

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

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CEO defends controversial St. Joe's dog research

Six months after controversial research involving dogs was snuffed out by Premier Doug Ford - St. Joseph's Heath Care and Lawson Research have released reports looking at what happened and what needs to change.

The reports say the research was within medical guidelines and rules - but the communication within the institution and with the public was lacking in some cases.

Roy Butler, President and CEO of St. Joseph's Healthcare, joined the podcast to discuss the findings - and some questions Craig had that weren't addressed in the reports - which leads to an abrupt finish to the conversation.

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

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Craig's podcast exploring this issue with Dr. Brendon Samuels from August can be found here.

"We need real life plans, we don't need paper weights."

A brand new Friday Round Table, as Craig is joined at the Covent Garden Market studio by Ward 13 city councillor David Ferreria, political insider Scott Collyer and consultant Mojdeh Azad.

They look at job losses in the London region and the potential challenges for those looking or work on the horizon. Also, how can we create jobs in the downtown core?

Then, a conversation about winter shelter challenges the city has and whether it's time to not only increase the amount of time when warming centres are open, but how many warming centres there actually are.

Also, the cost of tuition at postsecondary institution is on the rise - after seven years of being frozen. What will that mean for students at Western and Fanshawe?

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

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"Band-Aids are good, but I feel like we need stitches"

The micro-modular shelter in south London is open!

What impact ill it have? Is it in the right spot? How can we get more of them?

Craig was joined in the studio by London Abused Women's Centre Executive Director Jennifer Dunn and community advocate Jeremy McCall to break down that story and some education matters.

First, should high school students get LTC passes? It won't be easy to work out, but Craig says the juice is worth the squeeze. 

Also, more cuts are coming at TVDSB. Craig asks the panel if they're concerned about what that means for kids.

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

Follow Craig on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.