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

The Condo Bailout, 48-Hour ER Waits & Council's Last-Minute Motion Dump | UnSpun Ep. 326

Episode 326 of UnSpun with Jody Vance and George Affleck runs from Ottawa's condo bailout to Vancouver's emergency-room crisis to City Hall's lame-duck chaos, with the Kits Pool saga still very much alive. Here's what's inside: 🏙️ The Condo "Bailout": Ottawa moves to buy up unsold condo stock as the market deflates. Is this housing policy or a developer rescue? George argues the real fix is funding the homes five years out, not buying the units already sitting empty and he warns the optics get ugly fast when the government starts buying from donors. 🏘️ What Killed the Market: Frances Bula and Gregor Robertson weigh in, but Jody and George break down the actual mechanics: deflated valuations, frozen listings, and changed immigration and foreign-student numbers loosening Vancouver's rental crunch for the first time in years. 🚢 Dredging Burrard Inlet: Tankers off the twin pipeline can only fill to 80% because the water's too shallow under the Second Narrows. Approval to dredge has reportedly cleared all levels with almost no protest or coverage. Why so quiet? 🏥 48-Hour ER Waits: Canadians are now being told to brace for up to two days waiting for a bed. George and Jody dig into burnout, repeat-visit pressure, e-scooter brain injuries, and why St. Paul's should carve out an urgent-care alternative to the ER. 🏛️ Council's Motion Dump: With the term basically over until the October election, Vancouver councillors are stacking the agenda with sprawling, consultant-written motions. George calls it what it is: pre-election profile-building that buries staff in busywork. 🗳️ Municipal Shake-Up Ahead: New mayors likely in Richmond, Coquitlam and beyond. So why is UBCM scheduled two weeks before voters go to the polls? 🤝 CUSMA Deadline: With the July 1 review looming, Carney draws a line: a good deal or no deal, and a rollover beats a worse agreement. 🏊 Kits Pool, Still Empty: Capacity of 1,800, sold out online, 400 people actually showing up. Jody says there's no lifeguard shortage, full stop and she's filming the empty deck every single day. 📍 From condo economics to a peeling Reflecting Pool guarded by the National Guard, this one's peak UnSpun. 💥 Subscribe, comment, and tell us: Should Ottawa be buying condos? And should St. Paul's build an urgent-care alternative to the ER? 📬 Follow Jody: @jodyvance 📬 Follow George: @george_affleck 🌐 sitkamedia.ca [http://sitkamedia.ca] ⏱ Chapters: 00:00 – FIFA, Canada's Elimination Round & a Carney Bathroom Break 04:30 – The Federal Condo Bailout Explained 08:00 – What Actually Deflated the Market 15:15 – Dredging Burrard Inlet for Tankers 17:30 – Brace for 48-Hour ER Waits 20:00 – An Urgent-Care Alternative to the ER 22:05 – Council's Last-Minute Motion Dump 25:15 – Municipal Shake-Up & the UBCM Timing Problem 25:45 – CUSMA Deadline: Good Deal or No Deal 27:00 – Kits Pool & the Reflecting Pool Absurdity

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]