Judge orders recount in Newfoundland district after last month’s provincial election

Liberal provincial candidates Dan Bobbett, left, and Derek Bennett are shown in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court in St. John's on Friday Nov. 14, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sara Smellie

ST. JOHN’S — A Supreme Court judge in Newfoundland and Labrador has ordered a recount in one electoral district after the provincial election last month.

Justice Alphonsus Faour said today that a judicial recount in the Topsail-Paradise district near St. John’s will begin next week.

The provincial Liberals had requested recounts in three districts narrowly won by Progressive Conservatives in the Oct. 14 election.

Faour dismissed two of those requests this morning, saying there was insufficient evidence of improper ballot counting or rejecting in those districts.

Progressive Conservative incumbent Paul Dinn was declared the victor in Topsail-Paradise, beating Liberal Dan Bobbett by 102 votes.

If the recount flips the results, Premier Tony Wakeham’s Progressive Conservative government will lose its one-seat majority in the legislature.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2025.