Canada’s longest election campaign since the 1800s is coming to a close, and B.C. could determine whether it's a majority or minoirty govenrment.

The province has 42 ridings this round, including six new ones created during the 2012 boundary redistribution, and several are expected to be pivotal to the final outcome of the election.

Here are five of the most exciting battles to keep an eye on after the polls close in this hard-fought race:

Vancouver-Granville

One of B.C.’s new ridings is Vancouver-Granville, which was carved out of four existing districts: two that were won by the Liberals in 2011, and two secured by the Conservatives and NDP.

That means it’s anyone’s game.

The riding is known for its massive mansions and high-income voters, but housing affordability is still a hot-button issue in the area.

Erinn Broshko, a corporate lawyer, is running for the Conservatives against the NDP’s Mira Oreck, a high-profile candidate who helped Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012.

The Liberals are running Jody Wilson-Raybould, a former Regional Chief of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations, and Michael Barkusky, the owner of an accounting and management firm, is representing the Greens.

South Surrey-White Rock

Another key ridings is South Surrey-White Rock, where the Conservatives put up popular former Surrey mayor Dianne Watts.

But Watts’ considerable name recognition hasn’t guaranteed her a seat – in fact, she could be in for the political fight of her life.

Watts was the face of the Tory announcement promising $700 million for light rail, but her campaign faced some backlash after it released a flyer raising the spectre of ISIS terrorism in Canada.

A recent poll indicated the Liberal candidate, long-time former Surrey councillor Judy Higginbotham, had taken the lead.

Pixie Hobby is representing the NDP, and Larry Colero the Greens.

Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam

Further east there’s Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam, a longtime Conservative stronghold that could be changing hands this year.

The riding was held by B.C.’s highest-profile Tory, James Moore, but he’s not contesting this election.

Douglas Horne is representing the Conservatives instead, in a battle against former journalist Sara Norman for the NDP and businessman Ron McKinnon for the Liberals.

Even though Moore didn’t run, he’s been one of the most active Tory campaigners in B.C., hoping his star power could give a boost to other candidates – but he’s also faced a lot of criticism in the last few years.

Much of that has centred on the Conservatives’ controversial decision to close the Kitsilano Coast Guard Base, a move that triggered a lot of anger in Metro Vancouver.

North Vancouver

Tight races are also expected in the North Shore, which has been mostly Conservative dominated for the past two decades.

It’s also where Justin Trudeau launched his campaign, and where he wrapped it up on Sunday night – not to mention where he filmed a widely-played advertisement climbing the Grouse Grind.

Liberal candidate Jonathan Wilkinson is hoping to take the seat from Conservative Andrew Saxton, while Carleen Thomas is representing the NDP and former CBC broadcaster Claire Martin the Greens.

Burnaby North-Seymour

Next door is another new riding, Burnaby North-Seymour, which spans parts of North Vancouver and Burnaby.

This could be a hot one to watch, considering that the riding’s North Vancouver portion previously elected a Conservative, while the Burnaby portion has been an NDP stronghold since 1988.

The riding was also ground zero for last year’s Kinder Morgan protest on Burnaby Mountain, and pipeline politics play well here – which could bode well for Green candidate Lynne Quarmby, a Simon Fraser University professor who was one of the 120 people arrested at the protest.

Judge Carol Baird Ellan is running for the NDP, and has also been a vocal opponent of the pipeline, while North Vancouver councillor and pipeline-supporter Mike Little is representing the Conservatives.

The Liberals are running Terry Beech, who said he won’t approve the pipeline without the support of the community and First Nations partners.

 

 

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