Judicial recount in Surrey-Guildford underway, starting with 28 unreported ballots
Election officials filed into an industrial building in Surrey, B.C., to begin a judicial recount for the most narrowly won riding in British Columbia's election, starting with 28 extra ballots found to have gone unreported days after the vote.
The recount will likely decide if the NDP's one-seat majority stands, after it claimed victory in Surrey-Guildford with a margin of 27 votes over the B.C. Conservatives, giving Premier David Eby's party 47 seats in the legislature.
Jill Lawrance, executive director of electoral operations at Elections BC, told reporters that officials would be counting 19,090 ballots in the judicial recount, which includes more 1,600 votes that were cast outside of the riding.
She says the recount — which is being done by 10 teams of two counters and two scrutineers — is expected to roll into Friday, and begins by examining envelopes that contain the 28 ballots that Elections BC said were unreported because of a data-entry mistake.
A makeshift courtroom was constructed using wooden desks and grey room dividers where Supreme Court Justice Kevin Loo called the session into order on Thursday, before addressing workers and getting the hand-count started.
The teams of counters, who lined tables along the perimeter of the warehouse, were paired with scrutineers from the New Democrats and the B.C. Conservatives and could be seen holding ballots in the air and agreeing on each vote.
Lawrance said teams "make their best assessment of the intent of the voter."
"If scrutineers raise an objection, both parties come to the table and if they agree on the vote, the judge has indicated he doesn't need to see it," Lawrance explained Thursday.
"But if there's a disagreement about who that vote should count for, that ballot will be brought to the judge, he will look at the ballot, hear arguments from both sides and determine who the vote should count for."
A full recount is also taking place in Kelowna Central, which was narrowly claimed by the B.C. Conservatives, while a partial recount will take place in Prince George-Mackenzie to tally votes from an uncounted ballot box that was found to contain about 861 votes.
The Prince George-Mackenzie recount cannot change the outcome, with the B.C. Conservatives ahead by more than 5,000 votes.
Eby said in a statement Wednesday that the judicial recounts will ensure every vote is counted. After those recounts, he said B.C. residents want to see "urgent action" on priorities including affordability and housing, health care, and building a strong economy.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Donald Trump picks former U.S. congressman Pete Hoekstra as ambassador to Canada
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has nominated former diplomat and U.S. congressman Pete Hoekstra to be the American ambassador to Canada.
Genetic evidence backs up COVID-19 origin theory that pandemic started in seafood market
A group of researchers say they have more evidence to suggest the COVID-19 pandemic started in a Chinese seafood market where it spread from infected animals to humans. The evidence is laid out in a recent study published in Cell, a scientific journal, nearly five years after the first known COVID-19 outbreak.
This is how much money you need to make to buy a house in Canada's largest cities
The average salary needed to buy a home keeps inching down in cities across Canada, according to the latest data.
'My two daughters were sleeping': London Ont. family in shock after their home riddled with gunfire
A London father and son they’re shocked and confused after their home was riddled with bullets while young children were sleeping inside.
Smuggler arrested with 300 tarantulas strapped to his body
Police in Peru have arrested a man caught trying to leave the country with 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes and nine bullet ants strapped to his body.
Boissonnault out of cabinet to 'focus on clearing the allegations,' Trudeau announces
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced embattled minister Randy Boissonnault is out of cabinet.
Baby dies after being reported missing in midtown Toronto: police
A four-month-old baby is dead after what Toronto police are calling a “suspicious incident” at a Toronto Community Housing building in the city’s midtown area on Wednesday afternoon.
Sask. woman who refused to provide breath sample did not break the law, court finds
A Saskatchewan woman who refused to provide a breath sample after being stopped by police in Regina did not break the law – as the officer's request was deemed not lawful given the circumstances.
Parole board reverses decision and will allow families of Paul Bernardo's victims to attend upcoming parole hearing in person
The families of the victims of Paul Bernardo will be allowed to attend the serial killer’s upcoming parole hearing in person, the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) says.