UnSpun with Jody Vance & George Affleck cover art

UnSpun with Jody Vance & George Affleck

UnSpun with Jody Vance & George Affleck

By: Sitka Media
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UnSpun is a Canadian current events podcast and YouTube show. Every week, broadcaster Jody Vance and former politician George Affleck "unspin" the latest news in local, provincial, federal politics — and much more!

Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • The Condo Bailout, 48-Hour ER Waits & Council's Last-Minute Motion Dump | UnSpun Ep. 326
    Jun 25 2026

    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

    ⏱ 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

    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
  • FIFA Fever, Granville Street's Glow-Up & Border Chaos | UnSpun Ep. 325
    Jun 20 2026

    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

    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
  • Kerry-Lynn Findlay Wins BC Conservative Leadership. What It Means for BC Politics | UnSpun Ep. 324
    May 31 2026

    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

    Show More Show Less
    14 mins
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