FIFA Fever, Granville Street's Glow-Up & Border Chaos | UnSpun Ep. 325

FIFA Fever, Granville Street's Glow-Up & Border Chaos | UnSpun Ep. 325

This week on UnSpun with Jody Vance and George Affleck, Jody returns from Sicily jet-lagged and ready to go — just in time for FIFA World Cup madness, Vancouver's long-overdue Granville Street moment, and a border crossing story that'll make your blood pressure spike. Here's what's inside: ⚽ Canada's World Cup Moment: Team Canada wins 6-0 in a historic performance. First non-European or South American team to score five-plus goals in a single World Cup game. The hat trick? Not bad company — only Lionel Messi has matched it this tournament. 🚶 Granville Street Glows Up: George called it 16 years ago: pedestrianize Granville. Two motions lost. Now with FIFA, the city finally got a taste of what it could be — and Vancouver loved it. Rebecca Bligh is running with it. Will this time be different? 🏗️ Carney Comes to BC: The PM announces a 1.6 billion federal-provincial housing partnership, 600 million for health infrastructure, Surrey-Langley SkyTrain funding, and fast-tracked permitting reform. Build don't announce, says George. 🌊 Massey Tunnel, Still Waiting: A bike lane nobody will use, no rapid transit to the ferry, and Highway 99 still a bottleneck. The bridge that could have been open by now. Classic BC. 📉 Eby's Polling Collapse: The NDP Premier hits historically low approval numbers. Brad West circling. Caucus restless. Could a snap election be coming? 🚔 Surrey Police Board Chaos: Chief Norm Lapinsky fired in a backroom move. Board members walking out, journalists stonewalled, a gag order incoming. And Doug McCallum might just be the beneficiary. 💧 Water Restrictions vs. Reality: No snowpack, no rain, phase three restrictions — and Metro Vancouver still has no long-term plan. George wants answers. Jody wants her pool open. 🏊 Aquatic Centre Update: Class action verdict pending. A parking lot sits empty fifty feet from the pool they want to close. The Park Board remains the Park Board. 🇺🇸 Border Stress & Noem's New Gig: Jody's Nexus run turns into a full ICE-dog-sniff ordeal at the Peace Arch. And Kristi Noem — yes, the puppy killer — is now consulting for a BC mining company. 📍 From Granville Street piazzas to federal housing billions to a very stressful border crossing, Episode 325 is peak Vancouver summer politics. 💬 Should Granville Street stay pedestrian for good? Should Ottawa build housing or just incentivize the private sector? Tell us below. 📬 Follow Jody: @jodyvance 📬 Follow George: @george_affleck 🌐 sitkamedia.ca [http://sitkamedia.ca]

Kerry-Lynn Findlay Wins BC Conservative Leadership. What It Means for BC Politics | UnSpun Ep. 324

A special urgent episode of UnSpun with Jody Vance and George Affleck recorded the morning after BC Conservatives chose their new leader in a razor-thin vote. Here's what's inside: Kerry-Lynn Findlay Wins by 1%: The former MP edges out the competition 51-49 on a weighted ballot in the fourth round. George breaks down how momentum in the final week decided it all. Who Is the New BC Conservative Leader?: A right-of-centre federal Conservative MP now leads the provincial party. Jody and George unpack what that means for the mushy middle in the Lower Mainland, and whether she can win it. NDP's Opportunity or Trap?: With Findlay positioned further right, does Premier Eby have room to move toward the centre? Or does his own record prevent it? The Splinter Problem: Six independents and breakaway parties are still out there. Can Findlay reunite them? George draws the parallel to Gordon Campbell's iron caucus discipline. Brad West's Cryptic Tweet: Timed right after the leadership result, the Port Coquitlam mayor posts something oddly broad about divisiveness in BC politics. George and Mo Amir both noticed it. Kits Pool, Still Dry: Park Board votes Monday night on lifting all restrictions at Kits Pool. Jody goes off. George says, "It's June, for God's sakes." A short, sharp episode that cuts right to the heart of where BC provincial politics goes next. Subscribe, comment, and tell us: Can Findlay win the mushy middle or does this hand the NDP another term? 📬 Follow Jody: @jodyvance 📬 Follow George: @george_affleck 🌐 sitkamedia.ca [http://sitkamedia.ca]

Carney's Energy Superpower Play, Alberta's Separation Threat & FIFA Comes to Vancouver | UnSpun Ep. 323

On Episode 323 of UnSpun with Jody Vance and George Affleck covers Carney’s “energy superpower” pitch in New York, Wab Kinew’s viral Danielle Smith comments, Vancouver’s FIFA cleanup, and why Kits Pool is still empty heading into summer. Here's what's inside: Carney Takes Canada Global: The Prime Minister lands in Manhattan to pitch Canada as an energy superpower. 56 critical mineral agreements, a doubling of the electricity grid, an LNG deal with Germany, and increased uranium production. George and Jody unpack what it means to finally move on diversifying trade away from the US. Alberta's Separation Referendum: Danielle Smith pushes forward with her referendum threat while Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew publicly calls her out in a now-viral moment. Jody and George debate whether it's a legitimate grievance or a political stick — and whether it's already working. The John Horgan Dam: Site C gets a new name and Christy Clark defends it. George and Jody weigh in on rewarding politicians who change their minds versus honouring the ones who fought against the very things they later championed. Yaletown Overdose Prevention Site Cancelled: The province pulls the plug on a planned overdose prevention site near downtown Vancouver. George (full disclosure: a neighbourhood resident) explains why residents don't trust the government's assurances it won't resurface elsewhere. FIFA World Cup Comes to Vancouver: Two weeks out, taxpayer complaints are mounting, conventions have been cancelled all summer, and hotel revenues are being hit. But George and Jody agree: you're in it, so you'd better embrace it. The PNE Fan Zone and the Science World wrap look spectacular. Cleaning Up Vancouver: FIFA's forcing a citywide cleanup that residents have been asking for years. George's take: take the budget being spent right now, multiply it across twelve months, and that's what it actually costs to maintain a clean city. Make it permanent. Team Canada Beats the US at the IIHF Worlds: Canada ousts the Americans in the semifinal. George and Jody take a moment. Stephen Colbert's Final Show & What Comes Next: 6.7 million viewers for the finale, then Byron Allen buys the time slot with Comics Unleashed. George breaks down the economics of cheap panel TV versus the legacy late-night model. US Chaos Roundup: A UFC fight planned in front of the White House. War with Iran. Five-dollar gas. And a Texas Senate nominee who George says raises serious questions about the Republican base's judgment. Democrats still can't define who they are. Kits Pool Watch: Still empty. Still not open. Jody is not letting this go. 💬 Tell us in the comments: Is Carney's energy superpower vision realistic? Should Vancouver make the FIFA cleanup permanent? And seriously — when is Kits Pool opening? 📬 Follow Jody: @jodyvance 📬 Follow George: @george_affleck 🌐 sitkamedia.ca [http://sitkamedia.ca]

Carney Meets Eby, FIFA's $578M Bill & Jody Speaks at City Hall for Kits Pool | UnSpun Ep. 322

Episode 322 of UnSpun with Jody Vance and George Affleck covers Mark Carney's visit to Vancouver, the staggering cost of FIFA, firefighters saying enough is enough, and Jody's moment at city council fighting to free Kits Pool. Here's what's inside: 🇨🇦 Carney Meets Eby in Vancouver: The Prime Minister spoke at the Vancouver Board of Trade, then met with Premier Eby. Carney was publicly positive, but George says behind the scenes he must be frustrated. The NDP has been in power since 2017 with no big projects to show for it. Carney's agenda is building and extraction. Eby's party is philosophically opposed. 🛢️ Pipeline Politics: Eby vs. Danielle Smith Eby says he wasn't consulted on the Alberta pipeline MOU. George says there's no point talking to someone who won't budge. The federal government and Alberta have First Nations and northern support. Carney's message: come with solutions, not more reasons to say no. 🗳️ Alberta Separation Referendum: An independence referendum is coming this fall. George calls it leverage, not a real threat. Carney is making the right moves to help Alberta prosper, and the separatist argument will fade. First Nations have already said no. ⚽ FIFA's $578 Million Price Tag New report: Vancouver taxpayers are on the hook for $578 million for seven World Cup matches. That's $87 million per day. George asks how many soccer fields you could build with that money. Hotels are seeing declines because tourists think it's too expensive. Unlike the Olympics, there's no legacy infrastructure, no youth sport investment, no Own the Podium moment. 🏟️ What FIFA Leaves Behind: BC Place got hundreds of millions in upgrades for a dinosaur building. They grew grass they can't keep. Practice facilities have been closed for a year. The BC Sports Hall of Fame is in storage. Locals can't afford tickets. Where's the kama'aina pricing for residents who paid for this? 🔥 Firefighters Say Enough: Vancouver firefighters are pushing back on responding to medical calls in the Downtown Eastside. Fire Hall 2 rotates crews every 100 days because the trauma is so intense. The union backs them: this is a provincial healthcare issue, not a firefighter issue. More ambulances, more hospitals, more emergency centres. 🏚️ $225,000/Month SRO Scandal: Two people remain in a condemned SRO on the Downtown Eastside. The province is paying $225,000 a month to house them in a building that's dirty, unheated, and infested. The owners who let it fall apart are collecting the rent. Where does that money go? ⛽ Natural Gas Ban Workaround: ABC is bringing back the natural gas debate — this time packaged as an "affordability" measure to get around the rule against re-introducing failed motions. George predicts they'll have their caucus whipped this time. 🏊 Jody Speaks at City Hall for Kits Pool: Jody waited four hours on hold to speak for three minutes at Vancouver City Council. The Joe Fortes motion passed: free swimming lessons for kids ages 3-12, restore Kits Pool to pre-COVID capacity, end the reservation system. Park Board commissioners Tom Digby and Laura Christensen showed up to say the pool is fine. Jody: "Open the pool." 📍 From Carney's visit to FIFA's bill to Kits Pool victory, Episode 322 is packed. 💬 Tell us in the comments: Is FIFA worth $578 million? Should firefighters respond to medical calls? And who should Jody endorse for Park Board? 📬 Follow Jody: @jodyvance 📬 Follow George: @george_affleck 🌐 sitkamedia.ca [http://sitkamedia.ca]

OPS Mailbag Backlash, Metro Vancouver's 3-Minute Meeting & Trump's China Flip | UnSpun Ep. 321

Description: Episode 321 of UnSpun with Jody Vance & George Affleck dives into the mailbag for the first time, responds to backlash on overdose prevention sites, exposes Metro Vancouver's outrageous meeting costs, and unpacks Trump's sudden pivot to China. Here's what's inside: Mailbag: Overdose Prevention Site Backlash: George got attacked on Twitter/X after last week's comments on overdose prevention sites. Frances Bula weighed in ("golly"). Guy Felicella returned his declaration day from Mayor Ken Sim. George clarifies: he's not against OPS, he's against poorly run ones. The Yaletown site was a disaster. Coastal Health lost the community's trust. ABC understands that most Vancouverites are fed up, and that's the spin behind their decisions heading into October. Ken Sim's 11 AI Agents: The mayor said he has "11 AI agents running things right now" … then had to clarify he meant personally, not as mayor. George: "This is so Ken. He's always a bit cringe." The beer guzzling, the Bitcoin, now the AI flex. What happened to bringing swagger back? Metro Vancouver's $500 Meeting: Jordan Armstrong reported that Metro Vancouver held a 3 minute 40 second meeting where each attendee made $151.77 per minute. George says blow up the whole organization structure. When he filled in at Metro board, they'd have 15-minute public meetings then go in camera for two hours. The new Metrotown building has an Air Canada lounge vibe with made-to-order food. Wastewater Billions & Marine Dumping: Metro's waste treatment fiasco is into the billions. They got $250 million back from Acciona after firing them and starting over. Meanwhile, cruise ships and freighters dump waste with zero monitoring. E. coli in the summer? Look at the harbour. Port Moody Women's Housing Cut: The province pulled funding for a 40-woman transition housing project in Port Moody, for women fleeing intimate partner violence. At the same time, Deputy Premier Niki Sharma is building court protections for abused women. The irony is staggering. Carney on Energy & Affordability: Mark Carney's message this week: affordability first, then green transition. LNG, natural gas, grid connections to Yukon. George has been saying this for years: Canada is a resource economy. Healthcare, social programs, it all comes from extraction. You can be green AND extract resources. They're not mutually exclusive. Trump's China Flip: Three weeks ago Trump attacked Canada for dealing with China. Now he's in Beijing doing deals with Xi Jinping. George: "The MAGAs are gonna start saying China's great." The Taiwan situation looms. Russia's VE Day parade looked depleted, Putin arrived in an armoured motorcade, looking scared. Canadian Travel to US Plummets: Cell data confirms what we already knew: Canadian travel to the US is down 60%. Border states are getting crushed. South Carolina, Florida, Arizona, Texas, deep red states feeling the pain. Will it move the meter come midterms? From mailbag battles to Metro Vancouver waste to Trump's China pivot, Episode 321 delivers the unspun truth. Tell us in the comments: Should Metro Vancouver be restructured? Is ABC playing politics with OPS? And will Canadian boycotts affect midterms? Follow Jody: @jodyvance Follow George: @george_affleck unspunpodcast.com [http://unspunpodcast.com] | sitkamedia.ca [http://sitkamedia.ca]