Provincial election too close to call

This past Saturday, British Columbians cast their votes and a record 2+ million votes were counted– the most in any BC election. The nail-biter of an election night ended with neither the NDP or the Conservatives claiming victory with a majority of 47 seats and the election too close to call. 

The NDP has won or is leading in 46 seats, largely concentrated in the Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island regions. While the Conservatives won 45 seats, acting as formidable opposition in battleground regions like Surrey and parts of the Island. The Greens won 2 seats in the Saanich North and the Islands and West Vancouver-Sea to Sky ridings, though Green party leader Sonia Furstenau lost her seat. All 5 of the former BC United candidates who ran as Independents were unsuccessful, with the Conservatives sweeping those ridings.

There were several close races across the province with two seats requiring automatic recounts triggered by margins of less than 100 votes. The automatic recounts for Juan de Fuca-Malahat and Surrey-City Centre will take place October 26-28, along with the final count including mail-in, out-of-district, and write-in ballots, which may ultimately determine who we will see in government. Depending on these results, a minority government reminiscent of the 2017 NDP minority government propped up by the Greens is a likely possibility.

CHBA BC will be closely monitoring developments and will be updating members with election results as soon as they become available. Once the dust settles, we will be reaching out to new MLAs in the coming weeks to continue to advocate for the provincial priorities we outlined to candidates throughout the election period.