The Craig Needles Podcast

The Temporary Foreign Worker program has come under criticism both in Canada from the opposition Conservatives and internationally from the United Nations - is it time to get rid of it? Peter Fragiskatos says no. The London Centre MP - who also serves as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship - joined Craig on the podcast to explain. Episode 429 of the...

Craig welcomes political insider Scott Collyer, advocate Dr. Jeff Preston and former Green Party candidate Carol Dyck to the studio for the last Friday Round Table of 2025! First, they talk about this "good neighbour" clause proposed at London City Hall, that would require... something of social services. We just don't know exactly what. It seems to be about maintaining property standards - or som...

We have an addictions crisis and a homelessness one - is it time for the province to step up? Ontario's big city mayors say so. Will Doug Ford act? Meantime, there's been some big debates at city hall about the micro-modular housing in south London, and a manager at the city of London is threatening to sue a member of the media. Craig breaks down those stories - plus the latest Conservative-to-Lib...

London is in crisis - but will the province acknowledge it? Ontario's Big City Mayors have all signed a letter urging the Ford government to declare homelessness and the addictions crisis a state of emergency. Will they actually do it? What would that mean? London Mayor Josh Morgan joined Craig on the podcast to discuss that story and the new micro-shelters being built in South London - far from t...

We're still trying to figure out what's next for trustees, the standard testing/EQAO results are pretty bad, school boards all over the province are in flux - strange times! Craig was joined by education expert Debbie Kasman to tackle all of these issues and more on the latest podcast - brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

It's Friday Round Table time, and Craig opens the podcast by sharing what he knows about the Mariam Hamou arrest story. He goes over where this all may have started, how was got to the point of an arrest being made, what may have been the catalyst for St. Thomas Police filing the charges and more. Then, London Home Builders Association Executive Director Jared Zaifman and United Way Elgin Middlese...

Teaching kids about food can help fight food insecurity. It's true - and that's one of the many things Growing Chiefs Ontario does. The London-based non-profit has helped thousands of people learn about cooking, food preparation, food costs and more. Executive Director Andrew Fleet joins Craig on the podcast to talk about the organization, the growing amount of food insecurity in London and more....

On this week's Friday Round Table, Craig welcomes former Thames Centre Deputy Mayor Kelly Elliott and community advocate Jeremy McCall to the Covent Garden Market Studio. First, they breakdown a new report from the Middlesex-London Health Unit showing that opioid overdoses and poisonings are trending down. Have we turned a corner here? Is this report not showing what's happening on the street? The...

Unpopular take alert: Craig actually like speed cameras. And polling data says most people agree with him! Maybe the take is not so unpopular after all. Robyn Robertson, President & CEO of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation joined Craig on the podcast to talk about speed cameras, how Doug Ford missed the mark in banning them and what other road safety measures London can deploy in school z...

Craig welcomes London Abused Women's Centre Executive Director Jennifer Dunn, London Cares Executive Director Chris Moss and organizational consultant Mojdeh Azad to the Covent Garden Market studio for this week's Friday Round Table. They discuss the latest satisfaction survey from London City Hall - where 24% of people in the community say their quality of life is 'poor' or 'very poor'. Are you s...

The reviews are in for Mark Carney's first federal budget, and, in a lot of cases, they are not good. Economist Mike Moffatt, co-host of The Missing Middle podcast, joined Craig to breakdown what his concerns are and what he thinks would have helped create more housing in Canada. Craig and Mike also discussed former cabinet minister Nate Erskine-Smith's criticism of the budget and whether premiers...

London city councillors have voted themselves a 35% raise. Will they pay for it at the ballot box next October? Craig is joined at the Covent Garden Market studio by former city councillor Cheryl Miller and former YOU CEO Steve Cordes to discuss whether this is a story that will have staying power. Then, thy breakdown the harassment scandal at London City Hall - should administration be asking cou...

Meet Ribal Zebian. He's received the Governor General’s Award of Honour and a $120,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship for his engineering work - which included building a Mercedes out of wood. Now, he's turning his attention to the big issue Canadians are facing - housing. How can engineering help make housing more affordable? Zebian has some ideas. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Down...

Friday Round Table! Craig was joined at the Covent Garden Market studio by former city councillor Cheryl Miller, political insider Devin Munro and former Green Party candidate Carol Dyck. They discuss councillors in London getting a raise - and severance pay. Clearly it won't be popular politically, but was it needed? Also, a look at the budget. Mayor Josh Morgan has tabled a buget with an expecte...

A massive rights violation at Maplehurst Correctional Complex in the GTA has resulted in three men who stood accused of murder having their cases thrown out - due to the, as the judge said, torturous conditions at the facility. Will this continue at Maplehurst? Will there be other issues like this at other Ontario jails - like Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre? Defense lawyer Alison Craig thinks so...

It's the Friday Round Table! Craig was joined by a panel of community advocate Jeremy McCall, former NDP candidate Shawna Lewkowitz, and Blackburn Media news manager Scott Kitching. First, a quick discussion about Donald Trump saying he's cutting off trade talks with Canada because of an ad the Ontario government placed. Then, a look at the news out of Queen's Park that the Ford government is look...

It's been another banner week at the Thames Valley District School Board. One former executive (Linda Nicholls) was arrested by London Police for alleged mail theft. Meantime, former general counsel Ali Chahbar has officially left the board after going on leave back in March. What does this tell us about what was going on at the board? How should education governance look in Ontario? Leroy Osbourn...

The Forest City Film Festival starts on October 24th! Screenings, workshops and more all coming to the city's core - and there's still a chance to get tickets to check it all out . The festival's executive director - Dorothy Downs - joined Craig on the podcast for a preview and to highlight some key events! The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market...

London Police Chief Thai Truong - just two and a half years in to his original five year deal - has signed a contract extension with the service that goes until the end of 2031. That's a lot of term. So, why did the London Police Services Board give it? Why did the chief want to sign it? Truong and board chair Ryan Gauss joined Craig on the podcast to breakdown those questions and take a look at t...

London is growing - but may not as fast as we thought? New population projections show we may not have as many people living in the Forest City as we thought in the years to come, so does that mean we change were we can build housing?  The Urban Growth Boundary has been debated at city hall this week, and Craig decided to get both sides of the discussion on the podcast. London Home Builders Associ...

Detective Gary Bezaire has been with London Police for over 20 years, so he's seen a lot. How has the service evolved? Bezaire, who is in charge of the London Police Human Trafficking Unit, joined Craig on the podcast to talk about how that evolution has impacted the fight against human trafficking in the community. They also discuss the impact the budget increase has had on frontline officers, an...

Multiple YouTubers have created videos calling London, among other things, a zombie city or the most drug addicted place in Canada. Of course, those sorts of claims are unfounded and quite frankly, dangerous. London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis joined Craig in the studio to discuss the videos and what the city may do in response. Then, they look at the expansion of London's Urban Growth Boundary and t...

There's still anger and unrest in London and all over the country after the verdict in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial. Even beyond just the verdict - which most legal experts understood - the way the trial went and the lack of systemic control for organizations like Hockey Canada and the NHL remain question. ANOVA and London abused Women's Centre have joined together to write a letter aime...

Rhys Mendes, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada, was in London this week and made some time to come chat with Craig on the podcast. They discussed ongoing concerns about tariffs and how they may impact the local economy, whether Canada has avoided a recession and whether we could see further interest rate cuts in 2026. The Craig Needles Podcast is brought to you by Downtown London and the Coven...

The City of London had an update on the Whole of Community response this week and it actually is helping! Good news! But, there's a lot more people who need help, so how can we increase capacity? Craig breaks down that story with advocate Frances Moore, Dr. Jeff Preston and former TVDSB trustee Matthew Newton-Reid - while also looking at the progress made in the 10 years since the Truth and Reconc...