The Thames Valley District School Board is facing a funding shortfall and problems are showing up in the classroom because of it.

How did we get here?

Beth Mai, the chair of the board, joined Craig in the studio for a wide ranging conversation on education, the provincial government and the future of school boards.

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

On this week's Friday Round Table, Craig welcomes former Thames Centre Deputy Mayor Kelly Elliott, PhD candidate A.J. Wray and former council candidate Jeremy McCall to the studio to talk about the week's top issues.

They dive into the efforts of some London city councillors to save some money on your tax bill - with some controversial ideas to some. Also, a massive deficit at London Health Sciences Centre and the Conservative Party of Canada' safe supply attacks are now targeting a London doctor.

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

At a meeting on Wednesday, members of the London Health Sciences Centre board of directors were told that after running a $78-million deficit in the last year, they project to run one of $150-million in the upcoming fiscal.

How did this happen? How can it be fixed? Acting President and CEO David Musyj spoke with Craig at the hospital to share what he's learned in the short time since taking on his new role.

Economist Mike Moffatt, a founding director of the PLACE Centre, joins Craig on the podcast to talk about how the housing shortage is shaping Canadian politics in the wake of the Liberal by-election loss in Toronto-St. Paul's.

How does a generation being frozen out of home ownership impact voting? Will Justin Trudeau soon exit political life? Will an Ontario election come sooner rather than later?

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

On this week's Friday Round Table, Craig is joined at the Covent Garden Market studio by City of London Budget Chair Elizabeth Peloza, former city councillor Cheryl Miller and political insider Scott Collyer.

They talk about Shmuel Farhi's interesting (but perhaps unwanted) proposal for a new London city hall, changing ward boundaries in London, growing salaries for leaders at the Thames Valley District School Board, and whether we need to have school boards at all.

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

Why are advocates of Safe Supply so passionate about the positives of the program?

Dr. Andrea Sereda of London Intercommunity Health Centre, one of the leading safe supply advocates in the country, joins the podcast to explain her side of the debate.

She and Craig discuss the program's history, it's effectiveness, and the criticisms - both the legitimate ones and the ones made in bad faith.

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

Listen to Dr. Sharon Koivu's concerns about the program from last week's episode here.

On this week's Friday Round Table, Craig is joined at the Covent Garden Market studio by activist Mojdeh Cox, disability advocate Dr. Jeff Preston and political insider Ryan Gauss.

The panel discusses the ongoing London Police investigation into what they're calling a potentially hate-motivated arson, more changes at the London Health Sciences Centre and cuts at the Thames Valley District School Board.

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

London has become one of the centre of the safe supply debate in the medical community. The pro-side says that providing drugs that aren't from dealers will be safer and lead to fewer overdose deaths. The con-side believes that safe supply is only a temporary measure, with more harms than benefits.

Dr. Sharon Koivu, who has been practicing medicine in London for nearly 40 years, is firmly on the con-side of the conversation. She joins Craig to explain why and what she's seeing in the community.

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

Craig welcomes London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis, as well as former city councillors Roger Caranci and Cheryl Miller to talk about the issues of the week.

They talk about the state of long-term care in Ontario and Cheryl's husband being in the system, then they talk about the provincial cabinet shuffle, housing being put over top of farmland, renoviction rules in London and the lawnmower debate being reignited at city hall.

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

If you look at the polls, it shows the chances are high that Pierre Poilievre is going to be the next Prime Minister of Canada.

How did he get to this point?

Craig's former colleague Andrew Lawton has written a book about it. 'Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life' is available now, and Andrew stopped by the Covent Garden Market studio to talk about the book and what the next 18 months may look like in federal politics.

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