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CBC says it had ‘no knowledge’ of emails between Epstein and former employee
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CBC says it had “no knowledge” that someone who appears to be a former employee exchanged multiple emails with disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The emails were exchanged in 2009, disclosed in the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) most recent Epstein file drop. The files posted last Friday include some of the several million pages of records that officials said were withheld from an initial release in December.
The files include several pages of emails Epstein exchanged with someone who identifies themselves as a CBC employee, both by an email signature that said “CBC News Edmonton,” and by providing a link to a page on the CBC Edmonton website and inviting Epstein to “check out my broadcast.”
CBC has not identified the employee, or how that person appeared to know Epstein.
“We believe it was an employee who worked at CBC in 2009 but that’s not been confirmed,” CBC spokesperson Chuck Thompson said Tuesday.
“We had no knowledge of this relationship or any journalistic reason for it. The emails clearly refer to personal projects.”
In response to follow-up questions, Thompson said he believed the person worked for CBC from 2008 to 2009.
The emails in question appear friendly in tone, with the sender referring to Epstein as “Jeffrey,” and making comments such as, “I’ve been thinking about you.”
This is not the first time CBC has appeared in the Epstein files, but to date, the other mentions have been incidental and include media citations and references in bibliographies. Appearing in the documents doesn’t necessarily imply wrongdoing.
Millions of pages of documents — including 2,000 videos and 180,000 images — related to Jeffrey Epstein were released by the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche signalled that this drop represents the full release of Epstein files as required by law.
‘I’ve been thinking about you’
In one email exchange from Oct. 28, 2009, a sender with a CBC News Edmonton email signature asked Epstein to bid on a charity dinner they were hosting, adding, “I know how much you LOVE restaurants!”
In another exchange that starts April 16, 2009, Epstein and someone whose name is redacted email each other about that person’s documentary.
“Saw the documentary form my jail cell, ironic no,” Epstein wrote.
In 2009, Epstein was serving jail time in Florida after pleading guilty to soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18.
In response, the unnamed person writes, “Did u get it on tv or did u watch the DVD I sent I ages ago?? I’ve been thinking about you. How are you?”
On April 21, 2009, Epstein asks the unnamed person to call him at a number with a south Florida area code. They then exchange notes about the British Virgin Islands, with Epstein asking “how much longer will you be there,” and the person responding they looked up Epstein’s island on a map.
On May 4, 2009, Epstein asks “now where” and the person replies they’re back in Edmonton and invites Epstein to watch their newscast, providing a link to CBC Edmonton.
” It was snowing when I got back from the BVI’s,” the person writes.
Another exchange that discusses Edmonton — but not the CBC — between a redacted name and Epstein starting July 14, 2009, discusses that person arranging a potential visit to Florida.
“You planted a seed with your invite today,” the unnamed person wrote.
Epstein responds that he’s “tied up until aug,” and the unnamed person writes, “oh well, looks like it’s a long flight anyhow… Edmonton is so far away from EVERYTHING.”
Possible connection to former employee
Online news sites have suggested the former employee who sent the emails could be Tiffany Burns, who was an anchor for CBC Edmonton in 2009.
Burns died of cancer in 2024 at the age of 54.
On her LinkedIn page, Burns listed herself as the anchor and chief correspondent for CBC Edmonton from Sept. 2008 to Nov. 2009, before moving on to public relations.
Burns also produced a 2007 documentary called Mr. Big about the RCMP’s tactics for seeking confessions, based on the case involving her brother, Sebastian Burns. The person exchanging emails with Epstein repeatedly mentions their documentary.
When asked specifically whether the employee was Burns, CBC’s Thompson said they “have not been able to confirm because the name is redacted and we don’t have the original documents.”
CBC News has reached out to Burns’s husband and not yet heard back.