Fate of Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding hinges on mail-in votes
The winner of the Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding could be determined before the weekend as Elections Canada officials work to count mail-in ballots in a race that was too close to call on election night.
NDP candidate Lisa Marie Barron looked poised to unseat Green MP Paul Manly on Monday, with 1,001 votes between herself and the second-place finisher, Conservative Tamara Kronis.
Mail-in ballots could upset those standings, however, with Manly, the incumbent, trailing the lead by fewer than 2,800 votes.
An Elections Canada spokesperson says officials received thousands of mail-in votes for the Vancouver Island riding. Officials expect to finish verifying all the ballots by Thursday evening and begin counting them on Friday.
“They are hopeful they will be able to complete the count by end of day Friday,” said spokesperson Andrea Marantz.
Manly was one of only two Green MPs in Canada when Parliament was dissolved, having won the seat in a 2019 byelection.
In a Twitter post late on election night, Manly thanked his supporters, but added, “even with 8,000 special ballots remaining to be counted on Friday, the current margin will be hard to overcome.”
Kronis has been silent on social media since Sep. 6, when she thanked a supporter and retweeted a Conservative party ad.
Barron, who leads in the votes counted so far, tweeted that the 36-day election campaign was “like no other.”
“While we will not know the results for a few days, I wanted to thank each one of you for your support, donations, vote and time through these past 5 weeks and beyond,” Barron said.
Nanaimo-Ladysmith is one of three B.C. ridings waiting for mail ballots to be counted before determining a result. The Richmond Centre and West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country seats are still undecided after close races.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.