National

B.C. election: NDP takes lead in key riding, putting Eby on track for majority

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 28 Oct, 2024 12:20 PM

The NDP has overtaken the B.C. Conservatives in the ongoing count of absentee votes in a crucial Metro Vancouver riding, putting Premier David Eby on course to win government with a razor-thin majority.

Final count continues today. We have updated results on our website and will update results hourly until final count is complete. Find the updates here: https://t.co/m9nVXkpnMa
— Elections BC (@ElectionsBC) October 28, 2024

The NDP now leads Surrey-Guildford by 14 votes and if it hangs on there and in other races, it would have a one-seat majority in the 93-riding legislature.

Elections BC officials are counting more than 22,000 absentee and special ballots provincewide today, nine days after the province’s election.

We knew this was going to be a close election, but we’ve been here before. BCers support our fair election process and the people at Elections BC making sure every vote gets counted.

Thanks to candidates, volunteers & election workers who make democracy work.
— David Eby (@Dave_Eby) October 27, 2024

The Conservatives had been ahead in the closest race of Surrey-Guildford by 12 votes going into the tally, but there were an estimated 226 votes still to count and each hourly update saw that lead whittled away.

Our movement is only beginning. #bcpoli https://t.co/y8yOGNwS1m pic.twitter.com/svFI9XeUYU
— Conservative Party of BC (@Conservative_BC) October 27, 2024

In a noon update by the elections authority, the NDP was elected or leading in 47 seats, while John Rustad’s B.C. Conservatives were leading or elected in 44 and the Greens had won two seats.

A count of more than 43,000 mail-in and assisted telephone votes over the weekend put the NDP within range of victory in Surrey-Guildford, sending the race down to the absentee ballots.

While today’s absentee vote could finally produce a winner in the election, there could still be judicial recounts in any riding where the margin is less than 1/500th of all votes cast.

In Surrey-Guildford, where an estimated 19,306 votes were cast, the margin for a judicial recount is about 38 votes or fewer.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Veteran BC United legislator Mike Bernier to run as independent in fall election

Veteran British Columbia legislator Mike Bernier will run in the fall provincial election as an independent instead of joining several former BC United candidates in running under the B.C. Conservatives banner. Bernier says he did not want to "bend" his morals and values by running with the provincial Conservatives, describing some of the party's candidates as holding views that are "anti-women's rights, anti-climate change" and "anti-First Nations."

Veteran BC United legislator Mike Bernier to run as independent in fall election

BOC interest rate cut welcome news for homeowners with variable-rate mortgages: experts

Real estate experts say the Bank of Canada's third consecutive interest rate cut will be cheered by those with variable-rate mortgages, but it could still be a while yet before lower borrowing costs translate into a meaningful boost to sales activity. The central bank brought its key lending rate to 4.25 per cent on Wednesday amid softness in the economy and easing inflation.

BOC interest rate cut welcome news for homeowners with variable-rate mortgages: experts

NDP pulling out of confidence deal with Liberals

Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he has ripped up the supply and confidence deal his party had with the minority Liberal government that helped keep them in power. Singh says he notified Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today that he is no longer propping up his government.

NDP pulling out of confidence deal with Liberals

Police investigate two serious incidents near downtown Vancouver theatre

Vancouver police say extra officers are patrolling an area of downtown after two serious incidents this morning that may be linked. Police say in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the crime scenes are on Georgia Street near Homer and Hamilton streets, and investigators are unsure if they are related.

Police investigate two serious incidents near downtown Vancouver theatre

Shots fired at Punjabi singer AP Dhillon's Victoria house

Police say someone set fire to two vehicles and fired multiple shots at a Victoria-area home owned by Indo-Canadian musician A-P Dhillon. Mounties say they were called to the home in Colwood early yesterday morning.

Shots fired at Punjabi singer AP Dhillon's Victoria house

Man arrested in Nanaimo for alleged machete crime spree

Police in Nanaimo say they've arrested a man who was armed with a machete during an alleged crime spree that included a series of break-ins, chasing and attacking residents and stealing a car from a driveway. Nanaimo RCMP say the attacks happened on Monday afternoon, when police began receiving calls about a man using a machete to break into homes.