National

Absentee ballot count could settle B.C.'s election, nine days after vote

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 28 Oct, 2024 09:56 AM

British Columbia's election could finally be decided Monday with the counting of absentee ballots, after recounts and a tally of mail-in votes failed to settle the contest on the weekend.

Neither Premier David Eby's New Democrats nor John Rustad's B.C. Conservatives emerged from the weekend with the magic number of 47 seats required to form a majority in the province's 93-seat legislature.

But the counting increased the prospects for an NDP government, when the Conservative lead in Surrey-Guildford was cut to just 12 votes.

All eyes will be on that Metro Vancouver seat when counting resumes at 9 a.m., with 226 absentee votes to count there.

More than 22,000 absentee ballots provincewide that are to be counted Monday could hold the key to the Oct. 19 election, and Elections BC says it will provide hourly updates of the results.

The current standings have the NDP leading or elected in 46 ridings, with the B.C. Conservatives leading or elected in 45 and the Greens with two elected members.

If the NDP wins Surrey-Guildford and hangs onto all other ridings where it leads, it will secure the narrowest of majorities.

Elections BC says there was no shift in the party standings after the weekend count of mail-in and assisted-telephone ballots was completed on Sunday.

A full hand recount in Surrey City Centre resulted in the NDP lead there being reduced by three votes, to 175, while a partial recount in Kelowna Centre saw the Conservative lead cut by four votes, to 68.

The result of a full recount in Juan de Fuca-Malahat, where the NDP lead by 113 votes, is also to be announced Monday.

While the makeup of the legislature could become clear, judicial recounts could still take place after that if the margin in a riding is less than 1/500th of all votes cast.

For example, in the closest race of Surrey-Guildford, where an estimated 19,306 were cast, the margin for a judicial recount is about 38 votes or fewer.

Aisha Estey, president of the B.C. Conservative Party, said she spent the weekend in a warehouse watching the counting of mail-in ballots.

In a post on social media, she said: "Elections BC staff have been working tirelessly and doing their best within the confines of the legislation that governs their work."

"Would we have liked mail-ins to be counted closer to (election day)? Sure," she added. "But I saw nothing that caused me concern."

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

BC Auditor General retiring in Fall

B-C Auditor General Michael A. Pickup is retiring in November after four years in the role. He made the announcement today and thanked everyone who has supported and worked with him during his time in the province.

BC Auditor General retiring in Fall

Adventure-seeking B.C. couple were victims found on Nova Scotia island: relative

The British Columbia couple whose remains recently washed ashore on Nova Scotia's remote Sable Island have been identified as 70-year-old James Brett Clibbery and his 54-year-old wife, Sarah Packwood. Clibbery’s sister, Lynda Spielman, said Tuesday the RCMP had confirmed their identities.

Adventure-seeking B.C. couple were victims found on Nova Scotia island: relative

Fire numbers fall in B.C. as blaze near Golden destroys homes, spurs evacuation

The Town of Golden confirmed Thursday that the fire burning south of the community had destroyed "several structures," but it did not provide specifics. It said in a social media post that the 1.33-square-kilometre blaze, known as the Dogtooth Forest Service Road fire, had spread north, but rain and a northern wind are expected to help the fire fight.

Fire numbers fall in B.C. as blaze near Golden destroys homes, spurs evacuation

B.C. lets wineries import grapes for 2024 vintages after 'devastating' winter losses

The B.C. government says wineries can import grapes and juice to make their 2024 vintages after "devastating" losses this winter. The province says allowing winemakers to import grapes from outside B.C. is a "temporary measure" to prop-up hundreds of wineries and thousands of jobs after freezing weather wiped out this year's harvest.

B.C. lets wineries import grapes for 2024 vintages after 'devastating' winter losses

90% of B.C. communities adopt province's plans for more small-scale housing

Almost all British Columbia communities have adopted the provincial government's plan to tackle the housing crisis by allowing more multi-unit homes on properties. The province says nearly 90 per cent of 188 local governments have followed the legislation that would allow for row homes, triplexes and townhouses on former single-home lots.

90% of B.C. communities adopt province's plans for more small-scale housing

TransLink warns of huge public transport cuts unless '$600m funding gap' is addressed

Metro Vancouver's transportation provider TransLink is warning of massive service cuts unless a $600-million funding gap is addressed. It says overall transit reductions of up to 50 per cent would be required starting in 2026, eliminating about 145 bus routes and "significantly reducing" SkyTrain, SeaBus and HandyDART services.