Craig welcomes London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis and former city councillor Cheryl Miller to the Covent Garden Market studio to breakdown the issues of the week.

First, they tackle the ongoing debacle at St. Joseph's Health Care. In the wake of the National Post story about research done with beagle puppies, Dr. Lisa Porter, the scientific director and vice president of research at Lawson Research Institute, has left the organization.

Will there have to be more turnover at the organization before this story goes away? Should the Premier have gotten involved in ending the research? Craig and the panel discuss those questions and more.

Then, they look at the City of London cracking down on short term rentals violating bylaws, and looking to build a new community centre in (or near?) Old South.

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

Last week: National Post breaks story about puppies being kept in brutal conditions at St. Joseph's Health Care and Lawson Research.

This week: Doug Ford kiboshes the entire project.

Clearly, the Premier's move is politically popular, but was that the right decision? Or maybe it was more complicated than some believe?

Maybe hospital leadership could have done more to mitigate the PR nightmare?

Dr. Brendon Samuels, a researcher and a member of the City of London's Environmental Stewardship and Action Community Advisory Committee joined Craig on the podcast to discuss the story.

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

Some former TVDSB trustees are speaking out after the province turfed them due to financial irregularities at the board.

Was poor financial planning from the province to blame for the board's red ink? Marianne Larsen says yes.

She joined Craig on the podcast to discuss that and the events that led to the trustee model being scrapped in Thames Valley.

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

Is downtown getting more safe? Do we need bail reform? How should LTC be managed? Should 16-year-olds be able to vote in Canada?

Those questions and more on this week's Friday Round Table, as Craig is joined by political insider Devin Munro, former Green Party candidate Carol Dyck and community builder Jeremy McCall.

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

Do we need bail reform? How is the legal system's backlog impacting London?

Police Chief Thai Truong joins Craig on the podcast to discuss changes he'd like to see in the legal system, safety in London and more.

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

Planning expert and regular podcast guest Dr. A.J. Wray is leaving London to take a job teaching at the University of Tennessee.

So, as he waves goodbye, Craig invited him on the podcast for some thoughts on where the city is, what the future might hold, and areas London needs to improve.

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

An unbelievable pair of lawsuits has been filed by London Health Sciences Centre.

They allege several former executives and co-conspirators aligned to steal tens of millions of dollars via faulty contracts and a corrupt bidding process. Meantime, they say former CEO Jackie Schleifer-Taylor - among others - was altered to the scheme multiple times and did nothing to stop it.

The hospital is hoping to collect $60-milion dollars, according to the two statements of claim.

How did this happen? What should the future of hospital governance look like? Who do we blame for this mess? Craig is joined by a panel of London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis, former Thames Centre Deputy Mayor Kelly Elliott and Blackburn Media News Manager Scott Kitching to analyze those questions and more.

Then, the group looks at the criminal justice system after St. Thomas Chief of Police Marc Roskamp called the suspect in a million dollar arson a "prolific offender", and noted he was out on bail on several serious charges. How does bail reform even look? Do the provincial and federal governments have the political will to take an honest look at the system?

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

Craig is back from vacation and rather than getting back at it by talking about scandal, he wanted to focus on London organizations trying to help the community.

First, Lisa McIntosh, the interim executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters London and Area joins the podcast to talk about what their organization does, the importance they have in the lives of kids in the community and why they need an influx of volunteers.

Then, BGC London (formerly Boys and Girls Club London) is celebrating their 70th anniversary! Susana Martinez, their Manager of Fund Development and Communications, joins Craig to talk about their impact, the upcoming celebration events and a big donation they just received.

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