B.C. declines election recount in Saanich after tight councillor race

A woman casts her vote for the federal election in a polling station on Toronto's Ward Island on Monday May 2, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

There will be no recount of the municipal election in Saanich, B.C., after a council candidate narrowly missed a spot at the table by just 11 votes, according to a provincial court ruling.

Council candidate Teale Phelps-Bondaroff received 9,218 votes in the election, closely beating candidate Rishi Sharma, who received 9,207 votes, for a seat at the council table.

After results came in, a request for a judicial recount was filed. However, on Tuesday the district announced that the B.C. provincial court had decided against a recount.

"The District of Saanich would like to thank all candidates for their participation and officially congratulate our new mayor and council as they embark on this next term," said Saanich chief election officer Angila Bains in a statement.

Phelps-Bondaroff was just one of two new councillors to be elected in Saanich, with the other being Mena Westhaver.

The other six councillors were incumbents who won re-election.

Former three-term councillor Dean Murdock was also elected mayor on Oct. 15 in a narrow victory over incumbent mayor Fred Haynes.

Murdock won with 48.7 per cent of the votes (13,631) over Haynes' 48.2 per cent (13,479).

The new mayor and council will be sworn in on Nov. 7.

A total of 27,975 votes were cast in this year's election, marking 31.22 per cent of eligible Saanich voters.

Voter turnout was down slightly from the 38.3 per cent seen in the 2018 municipal election.