The Craig Needles Podcast

Episode 405: Fixing London-Middlesex Community Housing

London-Middlesex Community Housing has a lot of problems.

Buildings that are falling apart. Pest infestations. Plumbing issues. But - are those things getting better?

Is the organization turning a corner - even if they're staring down more than $100-million in repair bills?

Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis and Ward 1 Councillor Hadleigh McAlister both sit on LMCH's board and joined Craig on the podcast to discuss.

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

Episode 404: Friday Round Table with Kelly Elliott, Mojdeh Azad and Carol Dyck

On this week's Friday Round Table, Craig is joined by former Thames Centre Deputy Mayor Kelly Elliott, organizational consultant Mojdeh Azad and former Green Party candidate Carol Dyck to breakdown the week's top stories.

They look at the misogynistic graffiti found in northwest London and analyze the way politicians and police have reacted to it - and discuss the safety of women and girls in our society.

Then, discussions about landlords skirting bylaws, whether now is the time to build a new London City Hall and when Canadians may be ready to start travelling to the US again.

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

Episode 403: Is London Transit getting better?

Six months after the London Transit commissioners were unceremoniously removed by council - is bus service in this city any better?

Ward 11 councillor Skylar Franke, who is also the chai of the commission now, joins Craig for an update on where transit is in the city, how they hope to improve and what the future of the commission may look like.

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

Episode 402: Friday Round Table with Chris Moss, Ryan Gauss and Steve Cordes

Craig welcomed London Cares Executive Director Chris Moss, political insider Ryan Gauss and former YOU CEO Steve Cordes to the studio to talk about the week's top issues.

They tackle some developments in the homelessness space - including how the homelessness hubs are working and the ongoing issues with the building at Queen's and Adelaide.

Then, they examine the latest at the Thames Valley District School Board - where supervisor Paul Boniferro doesn't feel the need to actually come to the meetings.

The panel wraps up by discussing London Police finding some budget savings and how it may impact the 2026 property tax rate.

Episode 401: London Hydro CEO Ysni Semsedini on the grid and the future

Ysni Semsedini, about a year into his role as CEO at London Hydro, joined Craig on the podcast to talk about his time on the job so far, your hydro bill, the city's grid, their affiliates and the future of the organization.

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

Episode 400: Friday Round Table with Cheryl Miller, Roger Caranci and Devin Munro

It's the 400th episode of The Craig Needles Podcast!

Craig welcomes former London city councillors Cheryl Miller and Roger Caranci to the studio, as well as political insider Devin Munro to talk about the week's top stories.

They go over the brewing federal battle over the temporary foreign workers program and why the Carney Liberal clearly have a problem with the file.

Then, they discuss the updated timelines for the HART hub in London and what the impact on homelessness in the community might be, followed by going over the latest multi-million dollar lawsuit launched by LHSC.

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

Episode 399: Shmuel Farhi

Well-known and infamous-to-some London property owner Shmuel Farhi joined Craig on the podcast for a wide ranging conversation.

They tackle Farhi's purchase of Westmount Mall, why he builds far more in other communities than he does in London, his proposal to move London City Hall, separating some facts from some fiction and more.

Craig also shares some of his past criticisms of Farhi's approach to downtown property management and they find some common ground on what needs to happen next to help revitalize London's core.

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

Episode 398: Friday Round Table with Scott Collyer, Mojdeh Azad and Jared Zaifman

Last Friday Round Table of the summer!

Craig welcomed political insider Scott Collyer, organizational consultant Mojdeh Azad and London Home Builders Association CEO Jared Zaifman to the Covent Garden Market Studio to breakdown the issues of the week.

They start with the state of public housing in the City of London. It is not good. A piece in the London Free Press this week shows buildings that are infested with pests and falling apart. What do we need to do to improve our affordable housing stock?

Then, the Premier announced some cash for the city because housing targets are being met. Good news, but how do we keep those numbers up? It might be a challenge. 

They finish by discussing some delays in getting busses into London - which means delays for new London Transit routes.

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

Episode 397: United Way pushes for more affordable housing

The United Way has released their Built for Good report and it's ambitious.

They want to spend more than $60-billion to bring new affordable homes online, prevent homes from deteriorating, and keep people in the places they're living now.

The CEO of United Way Elgin-Middlesex, Kelly Ziegner, joined Craig on the podcast to breakdown the report.

What role should government play here? What about developers? Where can we find the cash to make this happen?

They tackle those questions and more on The Craig Needles Podcast - brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

Episode 396: Friday Round Table with Jennifer Dunn, Nathan Caranci and Jeremy McCall

Summer is winding down! Craig was joined at the Covent Garden Market Studio by London Abused Women's Centre Executive Director Jennifer Dunn, political insider Nathan Caranci and community organizer Jeremy McCall for the second last round table of August.

The group tackles stories like the provincial government openly musing about eliminating elected school board trustees, when HART hubs may actually arrive in London (it was supposed to be in the spring), Doug Ford's comments about a man facing charges for fighting off a burglar who broke into his home and the Crown's decision not to appeal the Hockey Canada trial verdict.

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