Friday November 8, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 2:17 pm | Updated 4:13 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The judicial recount in the Surrey-Guildford electoral district is complete.
Elections BC released the details in a news release at 1:18 pm today, November 8.
Elections BC states that at the conclusion of the recount, voting results were as follows:
| Candidate | Affiliation | Total valid votes | % of total valid votes |
| Garry Begg | BC NDP | 8,947 | 46.93% |
| Kabir Qurban | Independent | 370 | 1.94% |
| Honveer Singh Randhawa | Conservative Party | 8,925 | 46.81% |
| Manjeet Singh Sahota | BC Green Party | 824 | 4.32% |
Justice Kevin D. Loo of the Supreme Court of British Columbia has declared Garry Begg (BC NDP candidate) elected.
Election results in Surrey-Guildford were automatically subject to a judicial recount because the difference between the top two candidates was less than 1/500th of the total ballots considered.
Under the Election Act, there is a two-day appeal period before Justice Loo can issue a certificate of results to the District Electoral Officer for Surrey-Guildford. The appeal period will expire on November 12, 2024.
Good news for NDP government:
If the results had not supported the BC NDP, the government would not have their 47-seat majority. Begg has, in that regard, ‘saved the day’.
Either way, the BC NDP would have formed government (as requested by the Lieutenant Governor) but having a majority simplifies many things in the way of governance, including getting support for legislation in the BC Legislative Assembly and the dynamics of chairing committees.
The BC Legislative Assembly in the 43rd Parliament has 93 seats from electoral areas across the province (15 of those on Vancouver Island), making 47 the required number of MLAs to form a majority.
Partial recount in Prince George-Mackenzie:
After a box of 861 ballots was found to have been not included in the count in Prince George-Mackenzie, a partial judicial recount was done.
At 1:48 pm today, Elections BC released the results for that riding:
At the conclusion of the recount, voting results were as follows:
| Candidate | Affiliation | Total valid votes | % of total valid votes |
| Kiel Giddens | Conservative Party | 11,310 | 60.92% |
| Shar McCrory | BC NDP | 5,242 | 28.24% |
| James Steidle | BC Green Party | 1,577 | 8.49% |
| Rachael Weber | 435 | 2.34% |
Justice Ronald S. Tindale of the Supreme Court of British Columbia has declared Kiel Giddens elected.
The District Electoral Officer for Prince George-Mackenzie requested a judicial recount of one ballot box after Elections BC discovered that votes from that ballot box were not counted or reported on election night.
Under the Election Act, there is a two-day appeal period before Justice Tindale can issue a certificate of results to the District Electoral Officer for Prince George-Mackenzie. The appeal period will expire on November 12, 2024.
Final results in Kelowna Centre:
At 2:39 pm today, Elections BC released the results for Kelowna Centre following a judicial recount there.
| Candidate | Affiliation | Total valid votes | % of total valid votes |
| Michael Humer | 2,613 | 10.15% | |
| Kristina Loewen | Conservative Party | 11,033 | 42.85% |
| Bryce Tippe | BC Green Party | 1,111 | 4.31% |
| Loyal Wooldridge | BC NDP | 10,993 | 42.69% |
Justice Alison J. Beames of the Supreme Court of British Columbia has declared Kristina Loewen elected.
Election results in Kelowna Centre were automatically subject to a judicial recount because the difference between the top two candidates at the conclusion of final count was less than 1/500th of the total ballots considered.
Under the Election Act, there is a two-day appeal period before Justice Beames can issue a certificate of results to the District Electoral Officer for Kelowna Centre. The appeal period will expire on November 12, 2024.
Swearing-in:
- Opposition MLAs will be sworn in on the previous day, November 12, both BC Conservatives (44 MLAs) and BC Greens (two MLAs).
- Government (NDP) MLAs will be sworn in on November 13.
- The swearing-in of the new BC NDP cabinet will take place on Monday November 18, 2024.
==== RELATED:
- New BC NDP Cabinet to be sworn-in Nov 18 (November 6, 2024)
- Elections BC admits to ballot box errors (November 6, 2024)
- Ballot box discovered after final count in Prince George-Mackenzie (November 4, 2024)
- Choosing a Speaker can be tricky (October 30, 2024)
- Cabinet possibilities in slim 47-seat BC NDP majority (October 28, 2024)
- First day on the new job for Eby & Rustad (October 29, 2024)
- LINKS: Island Social Trends Community Calendar | BC PROVINCIAL ELECTION 2024