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

Episode 331 of UnSpun with Jody Vance and George Affleck runs from Ottawa's negotiating table to Victoria's caucus cracks to a Vancouver council vote that George says was 100% political.Here's what's inside:Carney Won't Weaponize Our Oil: The Prime Minister rules out using energy as leverage against the US. George argues Canada's whole pitch is ethical, reliable resources, and burning that reputation costs more than it wins. Doug Ford can threaten shutting hydro to the northeast. The country still negotiates as one.Why Can't Canada Build a Train?: Political pushback in Quebec and Ontario stalls high-speed rail while the rest of the world moves people and freight fast and cheap. Jody and George run through the trains we've already killed, from Vancouver Island to Chilliwack, and ask why we tear up track instead of laying it.Wildfires, Floods & a Brutal Summer: First Nations communities in Northern Ontario wiped out, Clinton BC devastated, flooding across Edmonton highways, and evacuations around Kamloops. The stories getting lost while the US complains about smoke.Kelly Greene Defies the Caucus: The MLA breaks ranks over the Tilbury LNG project and isn't disciplined for it. Eby says there's room for disagreement. George says that's how a Pandora's box opens, and that losing your caucus is the beginning of losing everything.Centre BC and the Fight for the Middle: Mike Bernier resurrects the centre-right lane and blames Trudeau for the BC Liberals' collapse. George isn't buying it. He says weak leadership did it, that Kevin Falcon was ten years behind the times, and that Ellis Ross might have been premier if the party had picked him.BC Conservative Turmoil: The party turfs its executive director, and Carrie Lynn Finley picks a fight over whether to keep saying "First Nations." Jody's response: of all the problems in BC, that's your priority? The whip comes down hard, the party looks more extreme, and the centre vote goes looking for a home.The Villages Plan Goes Down: 22 sites, four to six storeys, gentle density with small grocery stores and shops you can walk to. Council votes it down and blames staff for a flawed three-year process. George calls that unacceptable, says the right move was sending it back for amendments, and admits he'd have voted for it and eaten the consequences. Frances Bula's reporting and neighbourhood walks come up throughout.Fake Callers, Real Consequences: Paid speakers phoning in from California to a Vancouver public hearing. Once screening tightened up, the line went dead. So much for overwhelming opposition.September Cuts Coming: The 0% property tax increase was never the whole story. George predicts big layoffs across staff levels when the budget breakdown lands this fall, and says he's already seeing improvements from the last round.Sports & City Deals: Vancouver picks a prospective owner to chase a Major League Baseball team. Jody would rather hear the Whitecaps are saved. And the Aquilinis float a Canucks training facility at Britannia, which would keep ice in the community and set off a fight on Commercial Drive.Kits Pool Keeps Climbing: 2.5 million social media impressions in seven days, strangers stopping Jody's partner on the street, and freekitspool.com still gathering names. Her message to Park Board: open it this summer and prove her wrong. freekitspool.comFollow Jody: @jodyvance Follow George: @george_affleck