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

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 | sitkamedia.ca