The Craig Needles Podcast

It's a post-election round table with three members of London's new city council

Ward 2 winner Shawn Lewis and Ward 11 winner Skylar Franke joined Craig to breakdown their re-elections - along with Ward 4 councillor-to-be Tom Cull, who was elected the first time.

The panel breaks down how the vote unfolded, why it clearly wasn't a "change" election, what the big priorities will be for the next council and what they can get started on right away.

They look at how to help the downtown, they discuss advocacy on homelessness issues, and the future of transit funding in London.

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

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There's an election on Monday!

That means there's only a weekend between now and voting day, so Craig is breaking down all the angles on the Friday Round Table.

He was joined by AORS Executive Director Kelly Elliott and London Property Management Association Executive Director Nathan Caranci and political insider Ryan Gauss to discuss the final days of the Mayoral race in London.

Has Susan Stevenson done enough work win this thing? Has a blitz of late announcements swung it in Josh Morgan's favour?

Also, they look at some close council races, and breakdown an odd school board trustee election.

Then, after a series of incidents involving drivers ignoring signage leading to tragic results - AORS has announced their closed means closed campaign.

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As the race to be London's next mayor moves closer to its final week, Craig is joined by London Development Institute Executive Director Scott Collyer and former London Transit Commissioner Sheryl Rooth to breakdown what's happened in the last week and look ahead to the campaign's final days.

Has there been a shift in messaging from Josh Morgan? How should Susan Stevenson's campaign respond?

Four councillors seeking re-election have appeared with the Mayor at news conferences this week - is what a wise move for all involved?

Also - voter turnout is way up at advanced polls! Is that a good sign for what the final turnout numbers will be on October 26th?

They also discussed the life and legacy of former London-Fanshawe MP Irene Mathyssen, who passed away this week.

Those discussions and more on this week's Friday Round Table - powered by London Hydro, Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

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Downtown London is in the midst of a tight council race.

Ward 13 is unique in the city - what are voters there prioritizing?

Council candidate Stephen D'Amelio joined Craig to share his thoughts on the race, what voters are talking about and the future of the city's core.

Meantime, Mayor Josh Morgan has announced his plans to combat the homelessness crisis. Craig spoke to the Mayor at a news conference and shared his thoughts on the podcast.

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

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A new study from the University of Toronto paints a disturbing picture of what's happened in Ontario with the legalization - and proliferation - of sports gambling.

A major increase in emergency department visits by patients with gambling addiction, especially among men between ages 18 and 29.

What caused this and what can they do about it on Parliament Hill or at Queen's Park? Or is it too late?

Craig was joined by Rachael MacDonald-Spracklin, one of the study's authors and a PhD candidate at Dalhousie Unversity, to try and answer those questions and more.

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

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We're just over two weeks from election day in London.

Is the race between Josh Morgan and Susan Stevenson going to come down to the wire? Is it getting closer?

Craig is joined by former city councillor Cheryl Miller and community advocate Jeremy McCall joined Craig for their analysis on the Friday Round Table.

They also looked at some of London's closer council races - including Wards 1, 4, 13 and 14.

Also, the panel remembers former London Board of Control member Gord Hume, who passed away this week at the age 76.

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

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Glen Dietz first donated blood when he was 17.

Now he's 73 and he has rolled up his sleeve 304 times - with number 305 coming up later this month.

Why is donating blood so important to Glen? The former LHSC lab technician shares his story and explains why blood donation is so important to him - and to the community.

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

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London Mayor Josh Morgan is asking for your vote in his campaign for re-election.

Why should you give it to him?

Morgan joined Craig at the Covent Garden Market Studio for the second of back-to-back conversations with London's top two mayoral candidates.

They talked about his plans for homelessness, taxes, transit, and more.

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

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The biggest promise of London's mayoral campaign is Susan Stevenson's pledge to get the tax increase down to between zero and one percent each of the next two years, which will require millions in spending cuts.

Where will those cuts be?

In the first of two sit-downs with the top two mayoral candidates this week, Craig was joined by Councillor Stevenson at the Covent Garden Market studio to breakdown that promise and more.

How can we improve transit in London? If she were Mayor - how would the downtown core be improved? Those questions and more on the Craig Needles Podcast - powered by London Hydro, Downtown London and the Covent Garden Market.

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Ward 13 council candidate Andrew Crook had a bit of a disagreement with Craig this week - so they decided to talk it out on the podcast.

They breakdown the homelessness crisis in London, what can be done to help alleviate it, and what the role of a councillor will be in bringing those plans to fruition.

Then they look at other campaign issues and Crook explains his vision for the downtown core.

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

Follow Craig on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.