UnSpun with Jody Vance & George Affleck

by Sitka Media

Reciprocal Tariffs Land, Trumpapalooza Flops and Nominations Close Sept. 11 | UnSpun Ep. 337

Episode 337 of UnSpun with Jody Vance and George Affleck opens with counter-tariffs finally in effect and a US media campaign working to make Canada the villain. From there, it is Zelenskyy in Ottawa, a premier in a lumberjack jacket, and a Vancouver mayoral race with the filing deadline tomorrow. Here is what is inside: The Reciprocal Tariffs Are Live: Motorcycles, booze, paper products — but not oil and gas. Canada’s list is surgical. Theirs is willy-nilly. Do we counter-tariff the counter-tariffs? Enough of the Minutiae. Get Back to Work: George’s view as a business owner: we know where we stand. Stop relitigating tariffs every day and let people run their companies. Americans Are Asking What You Are Doing to Canada: Close to nine in ten do not want a trade war. So why is it still happening? We Had a Deal and Canada Walked Away: Jamieson Greer is repeating that line on US cable. But everyone in the room signed an NDA, and reported 11th-hour demands involving Canada’s trade relationships and French language were non-starters. Say It Often Enough and the Viewer Believes It: Jody on the messaging taking hold on American news. George on the rules inside Trump’s orbit. Trumpapalooza in Dallas: JD Vance, RFK Jr., Dr. Oz and more, with Trump headlining Thursday. George’s warning: never underestimate him. The FCC Comes After Jimmy Kimmel: Brendan Carr threatens the licence if Kimmel airs his James Talarico interview. Kimmel’s answer: put it on YouTube. Vote for Me and Here Is $5,000: Trump’s midterm promise comes with an enormous price tag. George compares it to political cheque promises closer to home. Zelenskyy Is in Canada: Jody and George discuss the parallels between how Washington is treating Canada and Moscow’s treatment of Ukraine — and why even unlikely threats have to be planned for. A Trillion Dollars on the Table in Toronto: Investors are gathering and even Mr. Wonderful says Canada is a good place to invest. The Mac Jacket Press Conference: A giant flag, “never the 51st state” and a rap. George’s take: voters want solutions, not comedy. Cancel the Tax Instead: John Rustad points to the October 1 PST expansion to accountants, engineers and strata companies. George says cancelling it would offer real relief. Vancouver: The Deadline Is Tomorrow: September 11 is when the mayoral field becomes official. With William Azaroff out and the left divided, polling suggests the split could return Ken Sim to City Hall. Where the NDP Machine Puts Its Money: With Azaroff gone, where does union support go? George looks at the remaining options. This Race Is About to Get Ugly: George expects ABC has spent the past year building a file on its opponents — and will use it when needed. Rebecca Bligh Stays In: Polling around 3 or 4%, Bligh has launched her platform. George questions the political logic of staying in. Pete Fry Wins Either Way: Win or lose, George argues Fry can emerge with a higher profile and potentially position himself for a future federal run. The Bottleneck Nobody Is Pricing In: Little is being submitted or built. George warns that could mean fewer housing starts today and a price spike in four years. Poilievre Tells US TV Canadians Are Wounded and Confused: George’s advice: rebuild the message and focus on winning the small battles in the House. Follow Jody: @jodyvance Follow George: @george_affleck sitkamedia.ca

Sep 10, 2026

32:20

A $1.5 Billion Spreadsheet Error, Nine MLAs Out the Door and a Game of Chicken for Mayor | UnSpun Ep. 336

Episode 336 of UnSpun with Jody Vance and George Affleck starts with a trade war that has turned juvenile and ends with a Vancouver mayoral race where the deadline to file is days away and nobody wants to blink first. Here is what is inside: Walk Away From the Table: Mark Carney ordered the negotiators home from Washington. George and Jody on how a deal written in pencil turned into renamed lakes, armed goose memes and an escalation neither of them saw coming. 68% of Americans Do Not Want This Fight: Americans agree on almost nothing, and they agree on this. Roughly nine in ten Canadians say stand up to the bully. Picking a fight with your best friend is not a winning play. Assume Free Trade Is Done: George's working assumption: this is the long term, tariffs are the historical norm, and we should build everything around a pre-1990s model. If it turns out better than that, great. Two Months to the Midterms: Texas closing 92 voting places while moving against mail-in ballots. Immigration enforcement at polling stations. Suppress the vote is the dirtiest phrase in politics, and George explains the turnout math that makes it work. How Do You Lose Track of $1.5 Billion?: A gas royalty accounting error, a four-month delay, and a story that keeps changing. George's position is blunt: at any nonprofit in this province, the executive director and the board president would have been gone on day one. Nine MLAs and Counting: The BC Conservatives are shedding members by the day while the leader's office says the caucus remains focused. George is watching for the number 20, when the math flips and a new party becomes possible. The Seat That Opened Up: The allegation was that an MLA was offered a plum party job to give up their seat. It was denied, and then a seat opened up and the person who stepped aside became assistant chief of staff, then chief of staff. Third one in three weeks. September 11 and a Game of Chicken: The Vancouver filing deadline is days away. COPE's Stephanie Allen stepped aside for the good of the city. Two hours later, everyone else said they are staying in. George reads it as a standoff, and thinks the NDP machine simply will not put its money behind a Green. The Polls Are Not Measuring What You Think: Jody's catch: the summer polling asked by party name, not candidate name. A party with no declared mayoral candidate still registered. That is a manufactured progressive battle and a very useful wedge. Do Your Homework on the Candidates: Jody watched the full Stephen Quinn and Justin McElroy debates on CBC and got to know the candidates past the six o'clock soundbite. The slick candidate wins when nobody looks closer. Free Kits Pool: New designs, a mayor on side, and one simple ask for the Park Board: keep it open a month longer, no reservations, show up, pay, swim. The best days are the rainy days. Subscribe, comment, and tell us: who should be resigning over the $1.5 billion, and will anybody blink before September 11? Follow Jody: @jodyvance Follow George: @george_affleck sitkamedia.ca

Sep 3, 2026

32:59

Trade Talks Collapse, A Deal Signed in Pencil & Five MLAs Walk Out on the BC Conservatives | UnSpun Ep. 335

Here is what is inside of Episode 335 of UnSpun with Jody Vance and George Affleck: The Trade Talks Blow Up: A week ago the US president was already selling it to his farmers. Then Carney picked up the phone and called everyone home. George and Jody on what actually happened and why nobody should be surprised. Signed in Pencil: Trump tore up NAFTA, negotiated CUSMA himself, called it the greatest deal ever, then shredded it with the ink still on the page. So what exactly would a new signature be worth? The Distraction Theory: Greenland, Venezuela, the Kennedy Center naming fight. Jody makes the case that the trade war is the shiny object keeping the news cycle off everything else. Gavin Newsom Does the Canadian Media Tour: CTV, CBC, Global, the full rounds. Rosemary Barton presses him on the obvious: Biden never removed Trump's first round of tariffs, so why would a Democratic White House remove these? His answer is the part Canadians need to hear. Tariffs Are the New Normal: George on why the US keeps reaching for tariff revenue. No appetite for income tax, no national sales tax, and a debt they cannot service. Free trade was the historical exception, not the rule. What Was Actually on the Table: Reports that Ottawa would have had to clear future trade deals with a joint board, plus first right of refusal on our minerals and potash. Hell no, says Jody. Turning Off the Taps: Winter is coming, the northeastern US runs on Ontario and Quebec power, and middle America needs our potash. Jody asks whether we would ever use it. George says weaponizing it would be a mistake. Seafood Gets a Backtrack: Tariffs on fish and seafood pulled back the morning of taping. Somebody did the math, and on both coasts that math matters. Grants, Loans and the 75% Wage Backstop: George worries subsidies blunt the very leverage the tariffs are meant to create. Jody's counter: the 75% wage coverage for a laid off Canadian worker does not exist south of the border, and that is the difference. Loblaws Puts the Canada Signs Back: The backlash worked. Read your labels, buy local, and the elbows up thing is still on us. The BC Conservatives Are Coming Apart: Down to 32 seats. Five MLAs gone in 12 days: Teresa Wat, Brennan Day, Rosalyn Bird, Peter Milobar and Ian Paton. Stated reasons: lost confidence in the leader's judgment, ethics and conduct. George's Prediction: Watch for 20: At roughly 20 departures the math flips. That is when they have the numbers to either finish Kerry-Lynne Findlay or fund a new party, and she loses official opposition status and the money that comes with it. At two a week, he puts that as early as October. The Leaked Audio: Jas Johal posts a phone call. Somebody talks about holding fundraisers, getting in there and pillaging, and not leaving without half a million dollars. Jody has watched it several times and it still curls her toes. There Are Still Good People Running: George's counterweight to the cynicism: this Vancouver civic election has a deep bench on every side. And a reminder most voters never get, you do not have to fill out the whole ballot. Vote only for the people you actually believe in. Helmcken, Yaletown and a Snap Election: The NDP walks back the overdose provention consumption site in a swing riding. George reads that as polling, and thinks Eby calls an election as early as November. If he were advising, he would say next week. Follow Jody: @jodyvance Follow George: @george_affleck sitkamedia.ca

Aug 27, 2026

33:22

Trump Blinks on Tariffs, Booze Back on the Shelves & Vancouver's $500K Plebiscite | UnSpun Ep. 334

Episode 334 of UnSpun with Jody Vance and George Affleck lands mid-negotiation, the 50% tariff deadline came and went, Trump hit pause, and Canada looks closer to a deal than it has in months. Then it's straight back to BC, where the attack ads got ugly and Vancouver is about to spend half a million dollars asking a question it can't answer itself. Here's what's inside: Trump Hits Pause on the 50% Tariffs: The deadline passed, the hammer didn't drop, and the LeBlanc–Greer press conference sounded legitimately positive. Is this a deal, or just another week of taco diplomacy? What Relief Could Look Like: Word from inside: reductions on autos, softwood lumber, steel and aluminum, plus the smaller tariffs on everything else. Including, yes, tubas and washer dryers … the "national security threats" nobody can explain. American Booze Returns to BC Shelves: Carney gets ahead of it, Eby calls it Team Canada, and Quebec's premier does her due diligence. Jody's take: put it back and still don't buy it. Keystone, Trust & a Rising Loonie: Why the pipeline's Canadian backers want congressional approval before they'd touch it, and how a stronger dollar hurts both sides like a tariff nobody voted for. Dairy on the Table: If supply management cracks, cheap American cheese comes north and Ottawa ends up subsidizing our own producers to compete. $2 cheese has a price. Loblaws Pulls the Canada Signs: The maple leaf labels are coming down across the stores. Liability cleanup or quiet retreat? Either way, it's back on us to read the label. Small Business Is Getting Hammered: Clients down in gross revenue, marketing cut first, and George and Jody on the year they've been asked to work for free more than ever. Media Cuts & the Journalism Subsidy Rumour: Big cuts underway, one-person newsrooms doing 50 jobs, and word that Canada's support for local news could be on the negotiating table. Why that should worry everyone. The BC Conservatives' Ugly Attack Video: Nazi-adjacent imagery and culture-war editing aimed at David Eby. Not funny, not clever, and not how a serious opposition behaves. Centre BC and the 5% Problem: Mike Bernier's new centrist party polls small but sits exactly where most voters live. The pundits agree on one thing: it's a threat to the BC Conservatives, not the NDP. mRNA, Cancer & the Anti-Vax Hangover: Personalized mRNA vaccines are now targeting melanoma recurrence. So where do the anti-vaxxers land when it's their cancer? Plus: the tech traces back to UBC, and Operation Warp Speed was Trump's own win. Vancouver's $500K Plebiscite: Rebecca Bligh takes aim at Ken Sim: three years to pick up the phone to the premier, and instead a non-binding vote. George argues it's about handing the next council a mandate. Jody asks the harder question … where are people actually supposed to go? Called a Murderer at City Hall: George on a 5% budget line vote and the emotional theatre that passes for municipal debate, including the meetings spent arguing over the word "institution." From a tariff truce nobody trusts to a plebiscite nobody can enforce, Episode 334 is classic UnSpun: local frustration, national stakes, zero spin. 💥 Subscribe, comment, and tell us: should American liquor go back on the shelves — and would you buy it? 📬 Follow Jody: @jodyvance 📬 Follow George: @george_affleck

Aug 20, 2026

33:01

Tariff Talks Break Down, BC Wildfire State of Emergency and Vancouver's St. Paul's Plebiscite | UnSpun Ep. 333

Episode 333 of UnSpun with Jody Vance and George Affleck opens on a somber note, then moves through stalled trade talks, a province on fire, and a surprise ballot question coming to Vancouver this October. Here's what's inside: Remembering John “Keach” McKeachie: Jody pays tribute to the legendary BCTV sportscaster, sharing what his mentorship meant to her from her very first television broadcast. A heartfelt look back at a Vancouver broadcasting era that is quickly passing. CUSMA Talks and the Leak: With the August 19 deadline looming, negotiations appear to be stalling. George breaks down why Canada likely leaked the state of the talks, why the American offer reads like an insult, and how premiers from Ford to Moe to Smith are pulling in very different directions. The Tariff Reality: Why tariffs are really a consumer tax on Americans, why the US has no easy revenue alternative, and how Canada's surprisingly strong jobs and economic numbers are flipping expectations from just six months ago. The Ambassador Petition and US Booze: A Calgary-launched petition to declare Ambassador Hoekstra persona non grata gathers over 100,000 signatures. Plus, why putting American liquor back on the shelves won't win Canadians back until the politics change. Data Sovereignty: A look at why Canadian-based servers matter, how post-9/11 US law drove data north of the border, and why nonprofits and corporations increasingly want their data hosted in Canada. BC Wildfire State of Emergency: With 51 fires under evacuation order, Jody and George cover the devastation in Summerland, Boston Bar, Clinton and beyond, the heartbreak of evacuating care homes, and the community fire-readiness culture in the Interior. Plus the push to fund made-in-Canada water bombers out of Calgary. Climate, China and the Green Divide: Reflections on a fully electrified Chengdu, China's five-year-plan model, and what it means that major countries are backing away from climate commitments as wildfires worsen worldwide. First Nations Land and BC Polling: The controversy over Premier Eby returning parcels of land to First Nations, the fear-mongering around it, and new Yorkville polling showing the NDP now leading the BC Conservatives by six points, resuscitating Eby's political future. Vancouver's St. Paul's Plebiscite: A non-binding ballot question on turning the old St. Paul's Hospital into mental health and addiction treatment beds heads to voters in October. George explains the political calculus, ABC's war chest, and why the Kits Pool fight is shaping up as an election issue. From trade brinkmanship to a province on fire to a packed October ballot, Episode 333 has it all. Tell us in the comments: Should Canada walk away from CUSMA? And should St. Paul's become a treatment facility? Follow Jody: @jodyvance Follow George: @george_affleck sitkamedia.ca

Aug 13, 2026

31:20

Carney 63, Poilievre 14: Tariff Hardball, Vancouver's Poll Shock & 111 Wildfires | UnSpun Ep. 332

Episode 332 of UnSpun with Jody Vance and George Affleck runs from Ottawa's tariff standoff to a new Vancouver poll that reshapes the October election, and ends with a province on fire. Here's what's inside: Carney Plays Hardball on Tariffs: Mark Carney trolls Trump's failed teleprompter and refuses to negotiate in public. With a new round of tariffs landing August 19, George lays out why there is no point signing anything with a president whose signature isn't worth the paper, and predicts aluminum is where Trump finally blinks. Canada's Numbers Are Quietly Good: Over $200 billion in new foreign investment in a single year, oil revenues climbing, and a nearly balanced budget in sight. Carney's five-year, one-trillion-dollar investment target is somehow on track, and the opposition has very little to swing at. Aluminum, Potash and Real Leverage: American manufacturers and farmers are the ones bleeding. Jody and George break down which cards Canada actually holds, from critical minerals to winter energy, and why threatening to shut off the grid is not a strategy. Carney 63 Per Cent, Poilievre 14: The Conservative leader now polls one point above "undecided." George asks the question the caucus won't: at what point does a party tell its leader the act isn't working anymore? BC Conservatives Keep Bleeding: Another executive resignation, another scorched-earth farewell letter, and a party arguing about whether to purge its former BC Liberals. George explains why that coalition is the only thing that has ever won government in this province. New Vancouver Poll: ABC 31, Liberals and Greens Tied at 19: Fresh numbers put ABC well out front, Colleen Hardwick's party capped at 14, and 30 per cent still undecided. Pete Fry leads on the leadership questions despite his party sitting third. Too Many Parties, One Obvious Fix: George's blunt advice to Vancouver's left: pick one leader, run a coalition, or hand ABC another term. Meanwhile ABC's polling lead translates into a war chest the others cannot match. John Coupar Runs for Council: The former NPA park board chair announces a council run. George worked two campaigns with him and explains why the man who saved the Bloedel Conservatory got pushed out as chair of park board by his own side. Kits Pool Goes Viral: Two million views and 4.3 million impressions in seven days. Not a lone wolf, not bots. freekitspool.com. 111 Wildfires and a Heat Dome: Boston Bar, Clinton, and a monster fire north of Vernon racing toward 100 Mile. Dry lightning, evacuation orders being ignored, and Mexican firefighters landing in Abbotsford to double the force. Jody makes the climate point and braces for the trolls. Tell us in the comments: Can Vancouver's left actually unite before October? Is Poilievre finished? And why is there still no state of emergency in Clinton? Follow Jody: @jodyvance Follow George: @george_affleck sitkamedia.ca

Aug 7, 2026

31:38

Carney's Saudi Gamble, Trump's Greenland & Japan Gaffes, and Vancouver's $5M Granville Street Bet | UnSpun Ep. 328

Here's what's inside: Carney in Saudi Arabia: The first Canadian PM visit in 26 years. George and Jody unpack the human rights baggage, the "two days of US trade" deal, and why diversifying away from America is just smart business. NATO Chaos in Türkiye: Trump floats Greenland as US land (again), fumbles a "Islamic Republic of Japan" line that leaves everyone confused, and Canada locks the US out of a new submarine deal — plus a $4.9B, 1,600-vehicle army contract restricted to two Canadian firms only. World Cup Vancouver Wrap-Up: Granville Street's patio takeover was a hit, but the city just extended it through Labour Day for $5 million. George pushes his years-old case for a permanent car-free Granville. Gregor Robertson's Housing Irony: Canada's new federal housing minister is the former Vancouver mayor who promised to end homelessness and didn't. George and Jody dig into why that appointment is landing so badly. Safe Injection Site Showdown: The Seymour Street site is trying to relocate a block and a half away, right by St. Paul's Hospital. George argues the "four pillars" approach only works if all four actually get funded — and right now, none of them are. Parking Backlash: A Vote Vancouver campaign video exposes new residential parking meters, and George breaks down why parking is really just a hidden road tax. Local Media Goes Dark: Sportsnet 650 and News 1130 both shut down. George and Jody reflect on what disappearing local journalism means for accountability. What do you think: should Vancouver make Granville Street permanently car-free? Is the "four pillars" approach to addiction dead on arrival without full funding? And what's your take on Carney's trade-diversification strategy? Follow us: @jodyvance | @george_affleck More at sitkamedia.ca Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 00:20 – Carney in Saudi Arabia 05:33 – NATO in Türkiye: Greenland, Japan gaffe, submarines, $4.9B vehicle deal 09:16 – World Cup wrap-up & Granville Street's $5M extension 14:44 – Gregor Robertson: the housing minister irony 19:00 – Safe injection sites: the Seymour St. relocation fight 26:38 – Parking backlash: Vote Vancouver's viral video 29:56 – Local radio goes dark: Sportsnet 650 & News 1130 31:10 – Wrap-up & socials

Jul 9, 2026

32:03

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UnSpun with Jody Vance & George Affleck

Reciprocal Tariffs Land, Trumpapalooza Flops and Nominations Close Sept. 11 | UnSpun Ep. 337

A $1.5 Billion Spreadsheet Error, Nine MLAs Out the Door and a Game of Chicken for Mayor | UnSpun Ep. 336

Trade Talks Collapse, A Deal Signed in Pencil & Five MLAs Walk Out on the BC Conservatives | UnSpun Ep. 335

Trump Blinks on Tariffs, Booze Back on the Shelves & Vancouver's $500K Plebiscite | UnSpun Ep. 334

Tariff Talks Break Down, BC Wildfire State of Emergency and Vancouver's St. Paul's Plebiscite | UnSpun Ep. 333

Carney 63, Poilievre 14: Tariff Hardball, Vancouver's Poll Shock & 111 Wildfires | UnSpun Ep. 332

Oil as a Weapon, the Villages Plan Killed & Centre BC Rises | UnSpun Ep. 331

50% Tariffs, Centre BC Launches & Bots at City Hall | UnSpun Ep. 330

17 New Villages, the Gordie Howe Bridge Deal & Free Kits Pool | UnSpun Ep. 329

Carney's Saudi Gamble, Trump's Greenland & Japan Gaffes, and Vancouver's $5M Granville Street Bet | UnSpun Ep. 328