Epstein files show several ties to Alberta
The files show communication between Epstein and an Alberta journalist, among other alleged business dealings in the province
Author of the article:Hiren Mansukhani
Published Feb 06, 2026 ā¢ Last updated 15 hours ago ā¢ 5 minute read
This handout photo obtained July 10, 2019, courtesy of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows Jeffrey Epstein from a sexual Offender/Predator Flyer in July 25, 2013. AFP PHOTO / FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT/HANDOUT
This handout photo obtained July 10, 2019, courtesy of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows Jeffrey Epstein from a sexual Offender/Predator Flyer in July 25, 2013. AFP PHOTO / FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT/HANDOUT
Jeffrey Epsteinās company purchased a helicopter from a Calgary firm in 2012, four years after he was first convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution in the U.S., according to the trove of documents released by the U.S. government.
The transaction took place between Freedom Air International ā a corporate entity controlled by Epstein that owned his private jets ā and Eagle Copters, an aircraft maintenance company based in Calgary. Epstein purchased a 1999 Bell 407 helicopter for $1,770,000.
A company employee of Eagle Copters declined to comment when contacted by telephone on Thursday.
The transaction is one of many references to Alberta in a file running millions of pages with nearly 200,000 images, most of which were released by the U.S. government and posted online late last week.
Records show communication between Epstein and Alberta journalist
The most significant is an exchange between Epstein and a then-CBC Edmonton journalist in April 2009, nearly a year after his first conviction. The employee, whose name has been redacted, asks Epstein if he was aware of anyone willing to bid for a charity event.
āIām hosting dinner at a really great restaurant here in Edmonton for charity,ā the email read. āAnd I thought, you never know ā Bush was just here ā maybe youād need to book a good dinner in Alberta to use whenever you want. I know how much you LOVE restaurants!
āA special 5 course meal: mmmmmm! Would love to see you bid on it.ā
Former U.S. president George W. Bush was in Calgary in March 2009 for an invitation-only speaking engagement at the Telus Convention Centre.
The file also includes a separate thread with Epstein and a CBC journalist six months earlier, although itās unclear whether itās the same journalist who emails him half a year later. The earliest recorded email is from the journalist who, on April 5, 2009, shared a newscast they had done, adding they were now in Edmonton, where it had been snowing when they returned from the British Virgin Islands.
Epstein owned two islands in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Epstein replied April 16, saying he had watched the journalistās documentary in his jail cell, saying, āironic, no?ā
The journalist replied three days later, adding, āIāve been thinking about you. How are you?ā The writer expressed surprise that Epstein had email access, adding they were in Seattle for the screening of their movie, after which they would travel back to Edmonton.
CBC Edmonton hasnāt responded to Postmediaās request for comment after the broadcaster was contacted via email on the evening of Feb. 4. In an online article, the CBC said it had āno knowledgeā of the email exchange.
āWe believe it was an employee who worked at CBC in 2009, but thatās not been confirmed,ā CBC spokesman Chuck Thompson said in the CBC story. āWe did not know about this relationship or any journalistic reason for it. The emails clearly refer to personal projects.ā
Thompson later said he believed the person worked for CBC from 2008 to 2009.
According to Tiffany Burnsā LinkedIn profile, she was the chief correspondent and anchor at CBC from September 2008 to November 2009. Since 2013, she lived and worked in Calgary as a freelance journalist.
Burns, who died in late 2024, was also director, writer and producer of Eagle Harbour Entertainment, where she produced a documentary titled Mr. Big, which investigated how the RCMP extracted false confessions that led to wrongful arrests, and was featured in several film festivals.
In one of the conversations from July 2009, a person tells Epstein that they were thinking of taking polo lessons, but they tended to pull a muscle āevery time.ā
āIām starting to realize my budding polo career might have to take a back seat to my actual job,ā the email reads.
Burnsā obituary mentions her championing a womenās tournament at the Calgary Polo Club. Meanwhile, her blog features a photo of her on a horse with a polo mallet.
They also hinted at a vacation on Epsteinās island, saying, āYou planted a seed with your invite today. I have next Wed(nesday) thr(ough) Sunday off (July 22 to 26), my last vacation for months.ā They followed their next email with, āoh well, looks like itās a long flight anyhow . . . (E)dmonton is so far away from EVERYTHING.ā
The files also include another exchange on March 16, 2014, in which the person begins their email, saying, āGive me a call one day, if you like, to catch up. I often think of you and wonder how you are doing.ā
The writer goes on to share that their project recently won an award as the best new Canadian blog. Burnsā online blog, Blue Besos, was named as winner of the 2013 Best New Blog at the Canadian Blog Awards. In a previous email from the same thread, the person said they were living in Calgary.
Epstein considered business, real estate opportunities in Alberta
One of the clearest links to Calgary was an email on Feb. 2, 2016, from a realtor from New York named David Mitchell, who urged Epstein to invest in property in Alberta. āU.S. dollar and natural resources bounce,ā Mitchell said. A report, dated July 19, 2019, from Deutsche Private Bank, which lists Epstein as a criminal, indicates that he had one or more addresses in Calgary.
Epstein also had an email interaction with Julian Leese, son of British defence contractor Douglas Leese. The email opens with Epstein writing, āMy boy, Just checking to see how you are. Love J.ā
Leese replies that he is in Calgary, to which Epstein asks, āFun?ā
āNO,ā Leese wrote back.
The emails also show Epsteinās assistants co-ordinating details to buy plane tickets to Banff for prominent German cognitive scientist and AI researcher Joscha Bach.
āI have got an invitation to a conference in Banff,ā he wrote to Epstein on July 17, 2016. āCould you help with tickets for this, too, please? If not, no problem.ā
Bach, who is the executive director of the California Institute for Machine Consciousness, wrote in a statement to SFGate that he didnāt receive any assistance from Epstein after his 2019 arrest. He said he wasnāt aware of any sex-trafficking allegations involving the financier during their correspondence.
āTo be clear: I have never been aware of any crimes of Epstein after his (2008) conviction, or observed him to engage in any illicit behaviour, and the accusations after his second arrest came as a shock,ā he wrote.
āBetween 2013 and 2019, Epstein covered our living costs ā relocation, rent, medical expenses, school fees, the salary gap and conference travel.
āAccepting (his funding) was driven by necessity; the alternative was to abandon my research,ā Bach wrote. āI could not have afforded to support a family of four in America on a post-doc salary, and my wifeās visa restricted her from working.ā
hmansukhani@postmedia.com
The files show communication between Epstein and an Alberta journalist, as well as intent to purchase plane tickets to Banff.
torontosun.com
en.wikipedia.org
apple.news
The president, whose name is mentioned more than 3,000 times in files tied to Epstein, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection to him.
youtube.com
www.youtube.com
