A third of the votes have been counted in Courtenay-Alberni and NDP candidate Gord Johns is opening up a lead.
As of 8:30 p.m., Johns had 6,017 votes to Conservative John Duncan’s 4,201. Liberal Carrie-Powell Davison had 3,884. This with 33 per cent of the polls counted.
Meanwhile, a red wave was sweeping across the country after early returns in the federal election Monday, with a Liberal majority government predicted by most news outlets by 8 p.m.
The local results are much tighter and much more in doubt as it’s unclear where these 88 polls were located and there are pockets of support for each candidate in different parts of the riding.
COURTENAY-ALBERNI (90,998 registered electors on list)
(all numbers from Elections Canada)
8:30 p.m.
88 polls of 272 reporting (15,982 votes counted)
Barbara Biley (Marxist-Leninist) - 35
John Duncan (Conservative) - 4,201
Gord Johns (NDP) - 6,017
Carrie Powell Davidson (Liberal) - 3,844
Glenn Sollitt (Green) - 1,885
Meanwhile, although the polls are returning more slowly, NDP candidate Rachel Blaney also has a healthy lead in the North Island-Powell River riding.
With 58 of 278 (20.86 %) polls reporting...
Rachel Blaney (NDP) 3,302
Laura Smith (Conservative) 2,268
Peter Schwarzhoff (Liberal) 2,150
Brend Sayers (Green) 795
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