London Free Press reporters talk with host Rachel Gilbert about their stories and important issues impacting London, the region and the world.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 180: Is a 'flex haus' the fix to housing affordability in London?
14:17
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Jonathan Juha about the London builder who has embraced a unique home design they feel may help ease the local housing affordability crisis.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 179: Remembering Port Stanley drowning victim Omer Buz
13:59
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with reporter Norman De Bono about the tragic death of 14-year-old Omer Buz, who drowned at Port Stanley during a visit to the beach with his family – just the latest tragedy they've endured.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 178: How pricey housing is hurting London's ability to draw new residents
15:00
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with reporter Jonathan Juha, who wrote about a new analysis suggesting expensive housing is hurting London as a destination for immigrants and people from other parts of Ontario.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 177: Youth baseball league to unruly parents – you're out
17:56
17:56
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP's Noah Brennan and Patrick Maloney about Brennan's story on a London youth baseball league forced to erect banners on the fencing behind home plate to curb parental abuse of umpires – some of whom are kids themselves.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 176: Inside a local NHL star's $7.9M mega-mansion
8:46
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Brian Williams, who wrote about NHL star Ryan O'Reilly and the Lake Huron mega-mansion he's selling for $7.9 million.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 175: The Roby family's long path to justice
21:53
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP court reporter Jane Sims, who covered the sentencing of Londoner Jesse Bleck -- five years after he struck teenage cyclist Tristan Roby, who suffered catastrophic injuries, in a hit-and-run crash.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 174: Will city council crack down on renovictions?
14:43
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Jonathan Juha, who has written about city hall's proposed plan to curb "renovictions" – which occur when landlords push out renters to allow for lengthy renovations, knowing they won't return and a new tenant can then be charged higher rent.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 173: The reality facing first-time homebuyers (and their parents)
12:58
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Jonathan Juha, who reported on figures that show a growing trend in the red-hot local real estate market: Many first-time homebuyers are actually only able to buy because their parents are on the mortgage, too.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 172: Our Memorial Cup preview
22:06
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP sportswriter Ryan Pyette to get a preview of the 2024 Memorial Cup, which will be contested by the London Knights, Moose Jaw Warriors, Saginaw Spirit and Drummondville Voltigeurs.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 171: Eight deaths, one inquest set to train spotlight on London jail
22:31
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Randy Richmond about the just-announced coroner's inquest that will examine the deaths of eight men at London's provincial jail, the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre, between 2017 and 2021.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 170: Social agencies vs. Coun. Susan Stevenson
14:55
14:55
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP city hall reporter Jack Moulton about the open letter from local social agencies that called for an end to Coun. Susan Stevenson's public criticisms
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 169: A flaming freight train and loads of questions
10:59
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Jennifer Bieman, who has examined the questions that remain after a flaming train spectacularly rolled through London
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 168: VW, electric vehicles and cooling consumer interest
21:10
21:10
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Norman De Bono, who first broke the story of Volkswagen's electric-vehicle battery plant coming to St. Thomas and continues to examine the EV market, including cooling interest from vehicle buyers.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 167: Congestion troubles looming for northwest London?
15:37
15:37
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP city hall reporter Jack Moulton about a highrise planned near northwest London's Oakridge neighbourhood and the potential for ever-growing congestion in a community already facing traffic headaches.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 166: Can the London Knights win their third Memorial Cup championship this spring?
19:36
19:36
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP sportswriter Ryan Pyette on the eve of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs and examined a key question: Are the London Knights good enough to win the Memorial Cup this spring?
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 165: The unbelievable true story of con man Darko Jovanovich
32:26
32:26
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Randy Richmond about his years-long investigation into Londoner Darko Jovanovich, described by one judge as "a con man extraordinaire."
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 164: Lots of homes being built, but not nearly enough
18:12
18:12
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Norman De Bono about his stories examining construction of houses and apartment highrises, and how it's not nearly enough to match London's population growth.
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The LFP Podcast, Ep. 163: Examining the London Lightning season so far
20:29
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP sportswriter Ryan Pyette about a season of change for the London Lightning, who've had an up-and-down year so far in their new loop, the Basketball Super League
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The LFP Podcast, ep.162: Examining the big London police budget
17:39
17:39
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP city hall reporter Jack Moulton about the 28% year-over-year increase proposed for the 2024 London police budget and the pushback from some taxpayers.
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The LFP Podcast ep. 161: An apartment fire, a two-year wait to return for residents in limbo
13:34
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Brian Williams, who has spent months covering the aftermath of a March 2022 apartment fire - which has displaced an estimated 70 residents for two years and counting.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 160: London property owners brace for 8.7% tax hike
19:25
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP city hall reporter Jack Moulton as city council puts the finishing touches on a municipal budget that will hit London property owners with a relatively huge 8.7% tax hike this year.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 159: What lies ahead legally for Canada's criminally charged world junior hockey champions
22:58
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP court reporter Jane Sims about what lies ahead legally for the five members of Canada's 2018 gold-winning world junior hockey team who are criminally charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault in London.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 158: Local children in need, not enough foster parents to care for them
11:56
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Norman De Bono, who detailed growing concerns at London's Children's Aid Society over a lack of foster parents -- meaning many local youngsters are being sent far away.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 157: New lawsuits filed in crash that killed Girl Guide, 8, hurt troupe members
9:45
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with reporter Jennifer Bieman, who broke the story that children and their families have filed new lawsuits in the 2021 London crash that killed an eight-year-old Girl Guide and hurt several troupe members
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 156: An overview of the OHL's post-trade deadline landscape
16:57
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP hockey writer Ryan Pyett about the Ontario Hockey League landscape after Wednesday's trade deadline, including what the London Knights did (and didn't do).
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 155: Why Coun. Susan Stevenson was reprimanded by her city council colleagues
16:17
16:17
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Jack Moulton about the 9-6 vote by city council to formally reprimand Ward 4 Coun. Susan Stevenson over social-media posts relating to homelessness.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 154: City budget season begins and the pressure builds
16:51
16:51
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Jack Moulton about city council's just-started budget season, which opened with a proposed 5.4% property tax hike next year that could get much higher.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 153: Examining the record-setting crunch facing food banks
12:07
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Jennifer Bieman, who wrote about the record-setting demand at the London Food Bank and how it's reflected at agencies across Ontario.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 152: London Health Sciences Centre faces foreign-travel controversy
16:40
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP health reporter Jennifer Bieman about her recent stories uncovering details of the $470,000 approved for London Health Sciences Centre hospital executives to travel to overseas conferences.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 151: Remembering the Afzaals, reflecting on Nathaniel Veltman's conviction
26:37
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Jane Sims, who reflected on her two-month coverage of the Nathaniel Veltman trial and on the legacy of his victims, the Afzaal family.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 150: How the Western Mustangs won another Ontario university football title
16:29
16:29
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16:29
Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with sportswriter Ryan Pyette about how the Western Mustangs overcame injuries to win their third straight Ontario university football title, and their hopes to play for a national championship.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 149: What's the price for public safety?
12:32
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP police reporter Dale Carruthers about a just-proposed London police budget that would require a whopping 11% jump in 2024 and another 16% spread over the following three years.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 148: Is this really the end for Home County Music & Art Festival?
12:17
12:17
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Jennifer Bieman, who has written extensively about the financial and volunteer woes pushing London's Home County Music & Art Festival to the brink as its 50th anniversary nears.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 147: A crackdown on short-term rentals
12:10
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Brian Williams about a local beach community's crackdown on short-term rentals like Airbnbs, part of a pattern across Ontario and the country.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 146: What's next for London's groundbreaking homeless hubs plan
21:24
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Randy Richmond about what's next now that city council has approved the rollout of the first 'hubs' that are part of London's new plan to aid the homeless.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 145: Budweiser Gardens needs a $33-million upgrade. Who's paying?
10:04
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Jack Moulton, who has been covering the political debate over a proposed $33-million overhaul of Budweiser Gardens, most of which would be covered by city taxpayers.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 144: Our 2023-24 London Knights season preview
19:36
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP sportswriter Ryan Pyette about what to expect as the puck drops on what could be a powerhouse season for the London Knights.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 143: Reflecting on the Nathaniel Veltman trial so far
25:53
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP justice reporter Jane Sims about the Nathaniel Veltman murder trial so far. The 22-year-old is on trial for the killings of the Afzaals, a London Muslim family.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 142: WSIB HQ coming to London, but not downtown
15:17
15:17
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Norman De Bono, who broke the story that WSIB's 500-job headquarters, leaving Toronto for London, will touch down on the city's eastern edge -- not downtown, which is wrestling with high office vacancy rates
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 141: Setting the stage for Nathaniel Veltman's murder trial
20:57
20:57
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20:57
Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP justice reporter Jane Sims, who is set to spend much of the next three months covering the trial of Nathaniel Veltman, the Londoner charged with killing four members of the Afzaal family and injuring one more in an alleged hate-motivated hit-and-run.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 140: Should you get a COVID-19 booster shot?
9:54
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP health reporter Jennifer Bieman about the push by public-health officials to have people in and around London get a COVID booster shot before the fall.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 139: Are the London Knights already a 2024 Memorial Cup favourite?
15:28
15:28
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15:28
Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP sportswriter Ryan Pyette about the London Knights, who’ve added Finnish goal scorer Kasper Halttunen and may be an early favourite to win the 2024 Memorial Cup.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 138: A terrifying rampage, a fatal police shooting
19:14
19:14
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP crime reporter Dale Carruthers, who has pieced together details of a gunman’s stunning July 21 rampage through a suburban London neighbourhood, which ended with a fatal police shooting.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 137: Speaking with the sister of The Boy With Two Names
40:31
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Randy Richmond about his remarkable feature, The Boy With Two Names, on the life and jailhouse death of Clayton Bissonnette. They’re joined by his sister, Adrienne Clarke, who offered her powerful perspective on the Sixties Scoop, its toll on her family and the truth about Canada and reconciliation.…
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 136: Amazon’s local mega-plant is set to open . . . when?
13:38
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP business reporter Norman De Bono, who broke the story that the massive Amazon plant built south of London still has no date to start hiring and operating. They discuss what’s caused the delay and what’s next.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 135: Dog days of summer for the London Majors
14:10
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP sportswriter Ryan Pyette about the rough-so-far season for the London Majors, who’ve won two straight Intercounty Baseball League titles but are struggling at the midway point this summer.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 134: Homeless encampments and how to handle them
13:50
13:50
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Jennifer Bieman about how city hall’s response to London’s homelessness crisis has been received by downtown businesses and about the vote by city council to fund a plan to service four encampments.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 133: The dark crimes of disgraced ex-priest David Norton
17:32
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP justice reporter Jane Sims about the latest convictions for David Norton, the disgraced former Anglican priest already in prison for sexually abusing young boys.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 132: Inside London’s controversial hospital split
15:05
15:05
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP reporter Jennifer Bieman about the story she broke on the split that looms between London’s two hospitals, London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care, and what it might mean for patients and the community.
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The LFP Podcast, ep. 131: Randy Richmond on speaking with London’s secret $25M homelessness donor
16:04
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Host Rachel Gilbert spoke with LFP’s Randy Richmond about his interview with the Londoner, speaking on condition of continued anonymity, who gave $25 million to kick-start a new system to help the city’s homeless.
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